Official Blog
Disney/ABC and ESPN Will Launch Short-Form Content on YouTube
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
As you might have already heard, today we are pleased to announce that short-form content from the Disney/ABC Television Group, including ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Family and SOAPnet, and ESPN is coming to YouTube, bringing an even greater audience to much-loved shows.
Over on
ABC's YouTube channel
, which officially launches in early May, you'll find clips of popular prime-time shows like
Lost
,
Desperate Housewives
and
Grey's Anatomy
, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, online-only specials and a lot more. This video gives the 411 in under a minute:
ESPN's YouTube destination
officially launches in mid-April, but if you go there now you can get a preview of the kinds of sports videos that will be uploaded to the channel:
Sportscenter highlights
, sports chatter from
Bobby Knight
, exclusive interviews with athletes like
T.O.
and, of course, the
crazy commentary of Dick Vitale
. In addition, ESPN's own Video Player will be integrated into the page, allowing fans access to the features and functionality that are already familiar to them. There will be more short-form content available through the YouTube player on the page.
Best,
Nick Mehra
Strategic Partner Development
The YouTube Team
Adopt a Feature: Round #2
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Amazingly, it's been two weeks since our
last adoptafeature post
and, though we've gotten some good new submissions since then, like
this video from BeforeandAfterTV
, we're still hungry for more, more, more. So we thought we'd up the ante a bit. For one, this Thursday, we're planning a homepage "Adopt a Feature" takeover during which we'll highlight many of the videos created thus far for the program, about one every hour. (Remember: these videos must adhere to our
Terms of Service
.) Watch, comment, rate -- then pick up your video camera and try to top these pioneers by doing a better, more creative job of explaining any of these six features yourself:
AudioSwap
,
Country Pulldown
,
Insight
,
Playlists
,
Quick Capture
, and
Subscriptions
. Don't forget to include the tag "adoptafeature" in your video; this is essential for it to be discoverable.
Two, if we feature your video in this installment or in a future showcase, there's a neat-o YouTube T-shirt with your name on it. All your friends will be
very
jealous.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Be back April 14 with the next update.
Cheers,
Hunter Walk
Director, Product Management
The YouTube Team
Happy Birthday, Christopher Walken
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
When it comes to celebrity impersonation on YouTube, one thing is true: whether someone is grandstanding with
100 Impressions in Under Ten Minutes
or making their first faltering steps into the world of
funny voices
, the spirit of Christopher Walken walks amongst us. For that reason alone, on his 66th birthday, we salute the wonderful world of the wannabe Walken.
You can hear him -- or, at least, someone pretending to be him -- as the voice of a
GPS system
, narrating
Romeo and Juliet
, or
ordering an Icee
at a drive-through. If you like to mix it up a little, you can watch a would-be-Walken ask not-actually-Kevin-Pollak for
advice on playing poker
. And speaking of Pollak, it seems that the
Usual Suspects
star couldn't resist throwing his own Walken impersonation into the ring when he decided to make
his first video blog
on YouTube.
Needless to say, not every Walken reaches the heights of this pre-election riff on
Barack Obama
. If you were thinking of torturing some vowel sounds in search of your own C.W. tribute, this extended
video tutorial
on Walken impersonation
might be worth a look. However you choose to celebrate Christopher Walken's birthday, checking out
this playlist
of YouTube Walken worshipers is a good way to show Chris that you care.
Best,
Mark Day
YouTube Comedy
Meet the YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, March 29, 2009
In approximately two weeks, the members of the
YouTube Symphony Orchestra
will travel from around the world to New York City, where they will meet for the first time for the summit and performance at Carnegie Hall. In anticipation of this gathering, some of the winning musicians have created video introductions that reveal a bit about who they are and where they're from (there are even a few family member cameos). This reel of hellos gives you a glimpse of the musicians behind the instruments:
For the full collection of introductory videos, from Costa Rica, Malaysia, Bermuda, Israel, South Korea and beyond, watch this playlist:
Finally, don't delay in securing your seat to the debut YouTube Symphony Orchestra performance on April 15. Tickets are on sale now at the
Carnegie Hall Box Office.
See you at the Symphony,
Michele Flannery
YouTube Music
Best in Jest Is Back
Saturday, March 28, 2009
There are a lot of ways to discover comedy content on YouTube: browsing the
comedy category
, subscribing to comedy channels, exploring the related video suggestions when watching comedy videos, and tracking friend activity are just some ideas. Indeed, exploring the site can be half the fun. But sometimes it's nice to kick back and find a collection of guaranteed funny stuff all in one place. That's where
Best in Jest
comes in. It's a destination for videos from some of our favorite comedy partners, presented by
Observe and Report
, the new movie from Warner Brothers, starring Seth Rogen.
Best in Jest contains top-shelf comedic content from channels like
TheOnion
,
barelypolitical
,
blamesocietyfilms
and
waverlyflams
in a special player. You can also check out a
playlist
that includes some man-on-the-street interviews with stars like
Seth Rogen
, captured by YouTube user
eyestoobright
at the movie's world premiere. Nice catch, "eyes"!
We'll be adding more clips to Best in Jest over the next week, so come back often.
Best,
Mark Day
YouTube Comedy
Higher Education for All
Friday, March 27, 2009
Earlier this week, we announced the launch of
YouTube EDU
(
youtube.com/edu
), a hub for videos from over 100 of our leading university and college partners. Think campus tours, news about cutting-edge research, and lectures by professors and world-renowned thought leaders. There are also 200 full (and free!) courses, in a range of subjects, from some of the world's most prestigious universities, including
IIT/IISc
,
MIT
,
Stanford
,
UC Berkeley
,
UCLA
, and
Yale
.
There are over 20,000 videos on YouTube EDU and growing. Here are some gems to get you started:
* As your mind expands, learn exactly what's going on with "Building the Brain: From Simplicity to Complexity" from UC San Diego, presented on UCtv, University of California Television:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY829SnAm5M
* Move over Free Hugs; here are the Free Compliments Guys from Purdue University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QShPNcjgtfs
* And here is the late Professor John Hope Franklin, scholar of African-American history at Duke University, on Obama's election:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPPNEpmcvIE
So if you want to know what college is like, have graduated but are a lifelong learner, or are just wondering how someone else teaches a subject that you're studying, here's your chance to find out. What’s more, this is all available on your terms -- you can learn at your own pace, in the comfort of your own environment, and there are no tests required.
We will be adding new universities and colleges over time and will let you know in this blog when there's a good amount of new stuff to check out. If you're interested in launching an official YouTube channel for your school, please fill out the
YouTube EDU Partner Interest Form
.
Happy Learning,
Obadiah Greenberg
Strategic Partnerships Team
The YouTube Team
YouTube Nonprofit Raises $10,000 in One Day Using Overlay Ads
Friday, March 27, 2009
This week, we launched a new "Call to Action" feature for YouTube's nonprofit partners, which allows them to use InVideo overlays to drive traffic to an off-YouTube web page, where they can collect signatures, email addresses, or even donations. Already, we're seeing nonprofit organizations use this new feature with great success.
On Sunday, to commemorate World Water Day, we
featured a video from charity:water
on the YouTube homepage. The video included a Call to Action overlay that encouraged YouTube users to donate money to help build wells and provide clean, safe drinking water for those who don't have it.
The response from the YouTube community was overwhelming -- thanks to you, charity:water was able to raise over
$10,000 in one day
from the video. That's enough to build two brand-new wells in the Central African Republic and give over 150 people clean drinking water for 20 years!
Feeling inspired? If you're a YouTube nonprofit partner, adding a Call to Action overlay is easy. Just go to "Edit Video" and fill out the fields in the section marked "Call to Action overlay." All you have to do is include a short headline, ad text, a destination url, and upload an optional image, and the overlay will appear whenever someone watches your video.
If you're a nonprofit organization in the U.S. or U.K. who hasn't yet joined the YouTube Nonprofit Program, but would like to gain access to Call to Action and other special benefits, you can apply now at
www.youtube.com/nonprofits
.
Yours,
Ramya Raghavan
YouTube Nonprofits & Activism
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