Category Archives: YouTube Blogs

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Celebrating great teachers on YouTube

A great teacher can unleash a student’s curiosity and change the direction of their life. Today, in honor of World Teachers' Day, we are celebrating some of the amazing teachers around the globe who share their passion for education in the classroom and on YouTube.

Elia Bombardelli (Italy)

Elia is a math teacher at the Liceo Scientifico Galilei in Trento and at Liceo Steam International in Rovereto. Not only is his YouTube channel a great place to quickly review key math concepts before an exam, it’s also full of science experiments that range from making a coin battery to exploring how a cloud is formed. 


KruNoklek (Thailand) 

Jeerapat Sukanghong is a primary school teacher from the Phetchabun province of Thailand who is passionate about bringing her lessons to students in all corners of the country. Inspired by the late King Rama IX’s initiative to bring education to students in remote places via satellite, she decided to start her own journey on YouTube. Combining music and pop culture moments, notably adapting some of her own lessons into the viral PPAP format, Jeeraphat’s fun approach to teaching makes her one of the most popular creators in Thailand with over 5 million subscribers across both her channels.


Rafael Procopio (Brazil)

Rafael is a Brazilian mathematics professor who uses his YouTube channel to experiment with new and creative visual techniques for teaching math. Rafael, who has become a beloved figure in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, has over 1.3 million subscribers on his channels.


Rachel’s English (USA)

Rachel’s English is a YouTube channel dedicated to helping non-native speakers improve their spoken English and listening comprehension. Having taught ESL off and on since 1999, Rachel became interested in developing a pronunciation-focused resource while living in Germany under the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship program in 2008. Rachel, who is also a classical singer, studied with highly acclaimed vocal teachers and coaches and brings a body of detailed knowledge connected to the voice, placement, and the musical nature of speech to her work as a pronunciation coach.


Eddie Woo (Australia)

Eddie has a unique ability to take complex mathematical concepts out of the abstract, and into the real world — whether it be recognizing geometric patterns in nature or the daily arithmetic required to balance a family checkbook. Though he claims to have once struggled with the subject, his unique approach to teaching math has gained him a global following of nearly 400,000 subscribers, and propelled him to become a finalist for the 2018 Global Teacher Award. He recently published his first book, Woo’s Wonderful World of Maths.



Uwaga, Naukowy Bełkot - “Beware! Scientific Babble” (Poland)

Dawid is a PhD student and chemistry teacher at the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. Dawid’s channel examines a broad array of scientific topics, such as the true value of gold or the placebo effect in research, and in doing so has attracted over 335,000 subscribers. He also created a docu-series about the Chernobyl disaster.



Check out this playlist to see other great teachers on YouTube, and read more about what we're doing to support educators today and everyday.

Source: YouTube Blog


Shawn Mendes collaborates with YouTube Music to release self-titled Artist Spotlight Story: ‘Shawn Mendes’

YouTube is thrilled to debut "Shawn Mendes," its latest Artist Spotlight Story, created in collaboration with international pop phenomenon Shawn Mendes. The Spotlight Story gives fans an authentic and intimate look into Shawn’s life following the launch of his latest self-titled album. Mendes has grown to be one of the most popular musicians today with a massive fanbase that stemmed from his early YouTube uploads covering other artists.

"It was just about doing it for fun and posting videos,” Shawn recalls of his earliest YouTube uploads in "Shawn Mendes," the latest installment of the Artist Spotlight Stories series from YouTube Music. “I wasn't dreaming about stadiums, or Grammys. I was dreaming of my friends being like, 'That's very cool. I love that. You sounded great.' I just wanted to be that guy who sang and played guitar on YouTube.”



Directed by YouTube Creator, filmmaker, and longtime friend Casey Neistat, "Shawn Mendes" looks back on Mendes’ journey from uploading covers to YouTube in his suburban-Toronto bedroom to performing on the world’s biggest stages as he gets ready to release his self-titled third album. Casey follows Shawn on the road and documents his rise to stardom through revealing interviews that showcase Shawn’s hard-working nature and youthful resilience.

With 15.7 million fans subscribed to his official channel, the three-time Juno winner is currently one of the biggest musicians on the planet. He's racked up 2.2 billion views across YouTube in the past 12 months alone, with “Treat You Better” and “Stitches” both passing the billion-view mark — making him the youngest artist to have more than one video break nine digits. More recently, his 2018 anthem “In My Blood” charted on YouTube in over 15 countries and landed the singer three MTV VMA nominations.

YouTube Music’s Artist Spotlight Stories are intimate and personal video portraits of artists who are pushing the boundaries of creativity and connecting with fans in unique and powerful ways on YouTube. Recent YouTube Spotlight Stories include Janelle Monáe: "A Revolution of Love," J Balvin: "Redefining Mainstream," G-Eazy: "These Things Happened," and Camila Cabello: "Made in Miami." The series is meant to shine a light on artist journeys and how they have leveraged YouTube to be successful, in hopes that their stories inspire others in the music community to do the same.

Source: YouTube Blog


Gaming gets a new home on YouTube

Cross-posted from the Official YouTube Blog

YouTube is where the world watches gaming. More than 200 million of you come to YouTube every single day to watch gaming videos and streams. That’s like the entire country of Brazil heading to YouTube daily. And that’s because of you, the community of gamers and creators who have turned YouTube into the gaming video platform it is today. From mobile gaming to strategy guides, Let’s Plays to Esports and charity live streams, you’ve created a place for everyone, from hard core to casual gamers.



We’re always working to make the gaming experience on YouTube better. Over the past few years we’ve focused on building tools and experiences that the gaming community has been asking for. That’s why in 2015, we launched YouTube Gaming, a standalone app for gamers where we tested new features like Game Pages for better discoverability, Super Chat and Channel Memberships to help fans show support for their favorite creators, Dark Theme and even a new live streaming platform based on the gaming community’s feedback. The response to these features has been so positive that we brought them over from the YouTube Gaming app to the main YouTube experience.

Today, we’re launching a new Gaming destination to give gamers a home on YouTube! You can find the new YouTube Gaming destination at youtube.com/gaming.



At the very top of the page you’ll see personalized gaming content based on what you like to watch. You’ll also see top live games and the latest gaming videos from your subscriptions, bringing the best of uploaded videos and live gaming to one destination. We’ve also built dedicated shelves for live streams and trending videos.

Everyone has a favorite game. You can now find gaming videos from all over YouTube, related to that specific game on new game pages. These include popular videos, live streams, and other games from the same publisher or developer. With tens of thousands of different game pages, you’ll be able to find content no matter how big or small the game is.

We want to do more to help our smaller creators grow on YouTube too, so we’ll be highlighting gaming creators who are “On The Rise” on the Gaming destination and in Trending. Each week we’ll showcase a new up and coming gaming creator to help more fans discover their content. This is launching in the U.S., and we’ll continue to roll this out to more countries in the future.

We have a strong and vibrant audience on the YouTube Gaming app, but the amount of gamers we are able to reach is far bigger on YouTube. After all, YouTube is where more than 200 million gamers come to engage with your favorite games and creators every day, watching over 50 billion hours of gaming content in the last 12 months alone. That’s why, in March 2019, we’ll retire the YouTube Gaming app and focus all of our gaming efforts on YouTube where we can reach our entire gaming community.

From creators like elrubiusOMG who has hit live gaming records, to Ninja, the fastest growing creator in YouTube’s history who helped usher in the era of Fortnite, or itsFunneh who became one of our biggest gaming creators by making us all laugh with Minecraft and Roblox videos, we thank you for building a strong gaming community on YouTube. We’re committed to helping gaming creators succeed and look forward to seeing how you all continue to shape the future of gaming.

Visit the new YouTube Gaming

Posted by Christina Chen, Director of Product Management, who recently watched Warbringers: Azshara

Gaming gets a new home on YouTube

Cross-posted from the YouTube Creator Blog
YouTube is where the world watches gaming. More than 200 million of you come to YouTube every single day to watch gaming videos and streams. That’s like the entire country of Brazil heading to YouTube daily. And that’s because of you, the community of gamers and creators who have turned YouTube into the gaming video platform it is today. From mobile gaming to strategy guides, Let’s Plays to Esports and charity live streams, you’ve created a place for everyone, from hard core to casual gamers.
We’re always working to make the gaming experience on YouTube better. Over the past few years we’ve focused on building tools and experiences that the gaming community has been asking for. That’s why in 2015, we launched YouTube Gaming, a standalone app for gamers where we tested new features like Game Pages for better discoverability, Super Chat and Channel Memberships to help fans show support for their favorite creators, Dark Theme and even a new live streaming platform based on the gaming community’s feedback. The response to these features has been so positive that we brought them over from the YouTube Gaming app to the main YouTube experience. 

Today, we’re launching a new Gaming destination to give gamers a home on YouTube! You can find the new YouTube Gaming destination at youtube.com/gaming.
At the very top of the page you’ll see personalized gaming content based on what you like to watch. You’ll also see top live games and the latest gaming videos from your subscriptions, bringing the best of uploaded videos and live gaming to one destination. We’ve also built dedicated shelves for live streams and trending videos.

Everyone has a favorite game. You can now find gaming videos from all over YouTube, related to that specific game on new game pages. These include popular videos, live streams, and other games from the same publisher or developer. With tens of thousands of different game pages, you’ll be able to find content no matter how big or small the game is.

We want to do more to help our smaller creators grow on YouTube too, so we’ll be highlighting gaming creators who are “On The Rise” on the Gaming destination and in Trending. Each week we’ll showcase a new up and coming gaming creator to help more fans discover their content. This is launching in the U.S., and we’ll continue to roll this out to more countries in the future.

We have a strong and vibrant audience on the YouTube Gaming app, but the amount of gamers we are able to reach is far bigger on YouTube. After all, YouTube is where more than 200 million gamers come to engage with your favorite games and creators every day, watching over 50 billion hours of gaming content in the last 12 months alone. That’s why, in March 2019, we’ll retire the YouTube Gaming app and focus all of our gaming efforts on YouTube where we can reach our entire gaming community.

From creators like elrubiusOMG who has hit live gaming records, to Ninja, the fastest growing creator in YouTube’s history who helped usher in the era of Fortnite, or itsFunneh who became one of our biggest gaming creators by making us all laugh with Minecraft and Roblox videos, we thank you for building a strong gaming community on YouTube. We’re committed to helping gaming creators succeed and look forward to seeing how you all continue to shape the future of gaming.

Posted by Christina Chen, Director of Product Management, who recently watched Warbringers: Azshara

Source: YouTube Blog


New tools for parents and content for older kids in the YouTube Kids app

We believe that no two families are the same -- and that their needs are ever-changing as they grow up. That’s why we are committed to building YouTube Kids in a way that offers kids the content they love and grown-ups the tools to customize the app as they see fit. Today we’re excited to launch two updates we think families will really enjoy: parent-approved content and a new experience for older kids.

First, we’re following up on our April announcement and sharing that we’ve launched parent-approved content. This highly requested parental control allows parents to handpick every video and channel available to their child in the app. It is available today globally on Android and coming soon to iOS.

For parents who want to enable this feature, open settings, go to the child’s profile and select “approved content only.” Now they’re ready to start picking videos for their kids.



Parents can choose any video, channel or collection of channels they like by tapping the "+" button. Parents can also search for a specific creator or video. If parents choose to enable this mode, their kids will not be able to search for content on their own.

What's more, YouTube Kids is growing up with our users. We have launched a new experience geared toward 8-12 year olds that includes additional new content, like popular music and gaming videos. If parents think their kids are ready, they can pick this "Older" version when setting up a new profile or updating an existing profile. The "Younger" version is the default content experience and will continue to have a wide selection of sing-alongs and age-appropriate learning videos. Parents can change between "Younger," "Older" and parent-approved content at any time. We've started to roll out the new older experience in the U.S. with plans to expand globally.




We work hard to make videos in the app family friendly, but no system is perfect. It’s always possible that a parent may find something they don’t want their child to watch in the “Younger” or “Older” experiences. If this happens, we ask that parents block and flag the video for review by our team. This makes YouTube Kids better for everyone.

As we continue to receive feedback from parents and turn that feedback into improvements to the YouTube Kids app, we hope that all families and kids can create the experience they want!

Happy watching from our family to yours,

James Beser, Product Director for YouTube Kids, recently viewed "Water Bottle Flip 2" from Dude Perfect

Source: YouTube Blog


Meet the creators heading to three special editions of NextUp: #YouTubeLatino, #YouTubeBlack and #WomentoWatch

This summer, we opened applications to three special editions of our NextUp camps designed to support up-and-coming Black, Latino and women creators on the platform: NextUp #YouTubeLatino, NextUp #YouTubeBlack, and NextUp #WomentoWatch.



After reviewing thousands of applications, we’re excited to introduce the winners who will be attending these NextUp camps in Los Angeles, New York and London this fall:



NextUp #YouTubeLatino (Los Angeles)





NextUp #YouTubeBlack (New York)





NextUp #WomenToWatch (London)





These creators will join us for week-long creator camps at our YouTube Spaces in Los Angeles, New York and London this fall. As part of the camps, creators will attend production workshops that provide a crash course on how to up-level their YouTube content through classes on advanced camera, lighting, and sound techniques. In addition to learning about video production, creators will receive one-on one-advice about their YouTube channel strategy from the YouTube Partnerships team, and they’ll have the chance to network with each other as well as NextUp grads. At the end of the week, creators will leave with a voucher for new production equipment that can help them put their new skills into practice.



We can’t wait to welcome these creators to our YouTube Spaces in Los Angeles, New York and London in the coming weeks! For more information, visit youtube.com/nextup and follow the action on Twitter with #YTNextUp.



Caitlin Morrissey, NextUp Global Lead, recently watched "Make habits, NOT resolutions”" by Jackson Bird, previous NextUp winner

Why creators should care about European copyright rules

One of the best parts of my job is meeting and speaking with creators and artists around the world. I’m excited to be heading to YouTube’s Creator Summit in Berlin next week where I'll have the chance to do exactly that. The community of YouTube creators that you are all a part of represents a new era of media: from news vlogger Ischtar Isik who has interviewed Chancellor Merkel, to philosopher Alain de Botton's School of Life; from educators such as robotics enthusiast Simone Giertz and Spanish science channel ExpCaseros, to MadeYewLook’s channel on body painting. I’m proud that YouTube can provide a place for creators to find fans, success and revenue.

The open internet eliminated the barriers of traditional media gatekeepers and ignited a new global creative economy for creators and artists. It has given anyone with an idea the ability to share their passion, find fans all over the world and build a business. Despite best intentions, I believe this may now be at risk as European policymakers prepare to vote on a new European Copyright Directive on September 12. In fact, some parts of the proposal under consideration – and in particular the part known as "Article 13” -- potentially undermine this creative economy, discouraging or even prohibiting platforms from hosting user-generated content. This outcome would not only stifle your creative freedom, it could have severe, negative consequences for the fans, the communities and the revenue you have all worked so hard to create.

Creators and artists have built businesses on the back of openness and supported by our sophisticated copyright management tools, including Content ID and the recently launched Copyright Match Tool that manages re-uploads of creators’ content. Copyright holders have control over their content: they can use our tools to block or remove their works, or they can keep them on YouTube and earn advertising revenue. In over 90% of cases, they choose to leave the content up. Enabling this new form of creativity and engagement with fans can lead to mass global promotion and even more revenue for the artist. For instance, a growing list of global artists have seen their songs go viral in fan-made dance videos, such as Drake’s “In My Feelings” and Maître Gims’ Sapés Comme Jamais. Dua Lipa got her start singing covers and Alan Walker allowed his track Fade to be used in user generated content and video games, which helped him build a massive global fanbase. That’s what makes platforms like YouTube special: fan videos have the power to help propel established songs to new heights and even break new artists. This is the new creative economy in action.

The Copyright Directive won’t just affect creators and artists on YouTube. It will also apply to many forms of user generated content across the Internet. And that’s why so many other people are raising concerns too. Individuals, organizations (like European Digital Rights and the Internet Archive), companies (like Patreon, Wordpress, and Medium), the Internet’s original architects and pioneers (like Sir Tim Berners Lee), and the UN Special Rapporteur for free expression have spoken out. Creators across the Internet are standing up for their right to create and express themselves, including Phil DeFranco, LeFloid, and TO JUZ Jutro.

Growing up behind the iron curtain in communist Czechoslovakia without the openness we now take for granted, I have a deep personal conviction to preserve this freedom. I have made my voice heard here and there’s still time for you to weigh in before September 12th. Every single creator, including you, deserves their say. I hope you will learn more and consider sharing your views on social media (#SaveYourInternet) and with policymakers. Along with the links above, you can also learn more at ChangeCopyright.org.


Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer, recently watched CHINASKI - Potkal jsem tě po letech (oficiální videoklip)

Introducing YouTube Giving: New tools for charitable giving on YouTube

#LoveArmyMexico, Cards Against Humanity LIVE, Dancember, Project for Awesome, Pride Live. From live streams to community campaigns, it’s humbling to see how creators around the world use YouTube as a platform to bring together communities and champion the causes they care about. These movements remind us about what is (and has always been) so special about YouTube -- the deep and meaningful connections between creators and their fans, and the powerful impact they build together.

Today we’re sharing a first look at YouTube Giving, a suite of features designed to strengthen the way creators and fans can make a difference through charitable giving on the platform to over 1M nonprofits. These features include Fundraisers (beta), Community fundraisers (beta), Campaign matching (beta), and Super Chat for Good.

Fundraisers (beta) - Use your voice for good

With this feature, YouTube creators and qualifying US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits can create and embed a fundraising campaign right next to their videos and live streams. Fundraisers allow fans to donate to creator-led campaigns directly on YouTube via a “Donate” button, making it easier than ever for creators and fans to raise funds for causes they care about on the platform. Creators can simply set up their campaigns, and let us take care of the logistics and payment processing.




This first beta period will be available to a limited group of creators in the US and Canada. If you’re looking to try this out today, check out this Hope for Paws Fundraiser dedicated to raising funds towards animal rescue and recovery. As part of this beta period, YouTube will also cover all transaction fees so that 100% of donations go to the nonprofit.

Community Fundraisers (beta) - Do more good together

We’re also rolling out a beta version of Community Fundraisers to a limited group of US creators and qualifying US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits that allows multiple creators to co-host the same fundraiser. The feature is designed so that a Community Fundraiser will appear on participating creators’ videos at the same time and reflect the collective amount of money their communities are raising together.

In time for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the US, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and 12 gaming creators with over 37 million subscribers combined are teaming up for a special edition of St. Jude PLAY LIVE on YouTube, a fundraising event using the Community Fundraisers beta feature. Check out these creators’ videos to get involved: AbdallahSmash026, Aphmau, AtomicMari, Blessious, Funhaus, IGN, ItsFunneh, JeromeASF, KreekCraft, LaurenzSide, Noahj456, and Smosh Games.



Campaign matching (beta) - Multiply your impact for good

In the coming weeks, we’ll also roll out Campaign Matching, allowing creators who organize Fundraisers and Community Fundraisers to receive matching pledges to help amplify their efforts. This beta feature will display matching pledges from other creators or brands directly within the Fundraiser to help inspire more fans to get involved and maximize impact. As with the above betas, access will roll out to additional creators in the coming weeks.

Super Chat for Good - Livestream for good

Additionally, we’re launching Super Chat for Good which enables creators to raise funds for qualifying US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits on live streams and Premiere videos. When an eligible creator enables Super Chat for Good, 100% of Super Chat for Good purchases will be automatically routed to a qualifying nonprofit chosen by the creator. They work like the Super Chats that you already know and love, highlighting your message in the chat stream and showing your support for your favorite creators and the causes they care about.

Our inspiration for building YouTube Giving tools has been you -- the way you use your voices to create impact on important issues, whether helping out in a crisis or championing a cause. Over the coming months, we’ll listen to your feedback on these beta features and continue to expand access to more creators. We can’t wait to see how you’ll use these tools to create even more impact with your YouTube channels!

Erin Turner, Product Manager for YouTube Giving, recently watched Model Halima Aden Returns to the Refugee Camp She was Born In | Teen Vogue


Tools to Take Charge of Your Digital Wellbeing

At Google I/O in May, we introduced new tools that help people better understand their tech usage, focus on what matters most and disconnect when needed. Starting today, you can find all of the YouTube tools in one place, alongside your personal time watched profile. Our goal is to provide a better understanding of time spent on YouTube, so you can make informed decisions about how you want YouTube to best fit into your life.

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started toward building your own sense of digital wellbeing:

Know how much you actually watch (new!): To give you a better understanding of how much you watch, we’ve built a profile that’s available in your account menu rolling out starting today. This profile tells you how long you’ve watched YouTube videos today, yesterday and over the past 7 days.


Remind yourself to take a break: Once you know how much time you’re spending in the app, you may want to set a limit. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re having fun, which is why we’ll help you set up a reminder to take a break. Just head over to your settings and pick the amount of YouTube time that’s right for you. Once you’ve hit that limit, a friendly reminder will pop up on your screen.



Keep it to one notification a day: If you want more control over when you receive notifications from YouTube, you can bundle all of your YouTube push notifications into a single notification each day and set a specific time to receive your digest. Just go to your settings to choose when you’d like to receive your digest, and from then on you’ll only receive one notification per day.




Disable notification sounds and vibrations: Resisting the urge to check your phone when it buzzes is really difficult, and this can make it hard to fall asleep. So we’ve recently made a change to send all notifications without sound and vibration between 10pm and 8am. You can enable sounds and vibrations, or customize the start and end time in your settings.



We’re dedicated to making sure that you have the information you need to better understand how you use YouTube and develop your own sense of digital wellbeing. We hope these tips are a good start.


Posted by: Brian Marquardt, Director of Product Management, who recently watched Take a Break: Backstreet Boys in Las Vegas

Source: YouTube Blog


Control your 360 videos with the YouTube IFrame Player API

Ever since we launched 360° videos in 2015, we've been exploring ways to unleash the full potential of this new video format, including Cardboard mode, 360° live streams, and improved video quality. We are excited to share with you some new APIs for controlling 360° videos in embedded videos.

The Spherical Video Control API gives developers full control over the user’s perspective when using the YouTube IFrame Player SDK. Developers can get and set the view’s current yaw, pitch, roll, and field-of-view. This opens the door to many different scenarios such as narration-driven tours, custom controllers, multi-display installations all via JavaScript.



Here is a simple example of using the API. Google Spotlight Stories, collaborating with Justin Lin, brought us this wonderful story centered around a mysterious alien. We loved the experience, but it is easy to lose track of the alien while exploring the surroundings, so we added an “Alien” button to the video. Try wandering through the story, using your mouse to look around, and using the button to bring the alien back to the center of the scene.

We hope this helps you to incorporate 360° videos as an integral part of your applications and to create new and novel 360° experiences. To get you started, this short script will create an embed that pans in the horizontal direction while oscillating vertically. 

<div id="player"></div>
<script src="https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api"></script>

<script>
    let player;
    let panStarted = false;

    function onYouTubeIframeAPIReady() {
        player = new YT.Player('player', {
            videoId: 'FAtdv94yzp4',
            events: {
                'onStateChange': onPlayerStateChange
            }
        });
    }

    // Start animation when video starts playing.
    function onPlayerStateChange(event) {
        if (event.data == 1 && !panStarted) {
            requestAnimationFrame(panVideo);
            panStarted = true;
        }
    }

    function panVideo() {
        // 20 seconds per rotation.
        const yaw = (performance.now() / 1000 / 20 * 360) % 360;
        // 2 up-down cycle per rotation.
        const pitch = 20 * Math.sin(2 * yaw / 360 * 2 * Math.PI);
        player.setSphericalProperties({
            yaw: yaw,
            pitch: pitch
        });
        requestAnimationFrame(panVideo);
    }
</script>

Yingyu Yao, Software Engineer, recently watched "The Earth's Internet: How Fungi Help Plants Communicate".