Author Archives: John G. Doe

Surprise, baby: It’s YouTube Rewind 2018!

In 2018, you danced your heart out to Drake, yodeled in Walmart, and played a lot of Fortnite. As we prepare to head into 2019, it's time for our annual look back at the year that was in video and the trends that you made possible.

This year was marked by surprising celebrity moments. In February, Kylie Jenner surprised the world with "To Our Daughter," an 11-minute film detailing her pregnancy and the birth of baby Stormi, which was watched over 53 million times on its way to becoming YouTube's global #1 Top Trending Video of 2018. Will Smith vlogged all over the world. Oh, and he also jumped out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon on a dare. Rihanna started her own "Tutorial Tuesdays" makeup series. And, of course, Beyoncé's livestream from Coachella took #Beychella worldwide.

Emerging and well-known YouTube stars also showed up in a big way in the year's "Top Trending Videos" list. Liza and David shared the news of their breakup through tears and laughter, the guys from Dude Perfect somehow perfectly tossed bread into a toaster, and AsapSCIENCE once again solved the Internet’s latest mystery. (Seriously, is it "Yanny" or "Laurel"?) India comedy sensation Amit Bhadana amassed an astounding 11 million subscribers in just one year and Lâm Chấn Khang's two-hour musical comedy set in the criminal underworld amassed more than 60 million views.

With more than 673 million collective views, these were the moments that had you watching, commenting and sharing in 2018:

Top Trending Videos



  1. To Our Daughter 
  2. Real Life Trick Shots 2 | Dude Perfect
  3. we broke up
  4. Walmart yodeling kid
  5. Do You Hear "Yanny" or "Laurel"? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
  6. Portugal v Spain - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - MATCH 3
  7. Build Swimming Pool Around Underground House
  8. Cobra Kai Ep 1 - “Ace Degenerate” - The Karate Kid Saga Continues
  9. Behan Bhai Ki School Life - Amit Bhadana
  10. NGƯỜI TRONG GIANG HỒ PHẦN 6 | L M CHẤN KHANG | FULL 4K | TRUYỀN NH N QUAN NHỊ CA | PHIM CA NHẠC 2018


Following the success of last year’s monster hit "Despacito," Latin Music has continued to explode on YouTube. in 2018. In fact, eight of the ten most-watched music videos over the past year were by Latin artists.


  1. Te Bote Remix - Casper, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, Ozuna | Video Oficial
  2. Nicky Jam x J. Balvin - X (EQUIS) | Video Oficial | Prod. Afro Bros & Jeon
  3. Maroon 5 - Girls Like You ft. Cardi B
  4. Daddy Yankee | Dura (Video Oficial)
  5. Ozuna x Romeo Santos - El Farsante (Remix) (Video Oficial)
  6. Becky G, Natti Natasha - Sin Pijama (Video Oficial)
  7. El Chombo - Dame Tu Cosita feat. Cutty Ranks (Official Video) [Ultra Music]
  8. Drake - God's Plan
  9. Reik - Me Niego ft. Ozuna, Wisin (Video Oficial)
  10. Vaina Loca - Ozuna x Manuel Turizo (Video Oficial)


It's also time for our annual Rewind mashup video. But rather than trying to sum up 2018's biggest memes, personalities, and hit videos ourselves, we tried something different this time around. We asked some of YouTube's biggest names to tell us what they wanted to see if they controlled Rewind.

Check out the full video below and head over to our Rewind site to get to know the creators and artists who shaped popular culture in 2018.



Kevin Allocca, Head of Culture & Trends, and the YouTube Rewind team, recently watched “YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind.”

Source: YouTube Blog


YouTube launches student plans for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium just in time for winter break

Today, we’re introducing new student plans for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, giving eligible university and college students discounted access to a world of music, original series and movies —  all ad-free and at a wallet-friendly price.

Looking for some classical music to concentrate while studying for finals or a crowd-pleaser playlist for that end-of-semester party? Need a great binge-worthy series for winter break like Cobra Kai or Origin? Could you use a physics boost from astrophysicist and former MIT professor Walter Lewin? We’ve got you covered!

Earlier this year, we introduced the new YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscription plans to help users get more from their YouTube experience. YouTube Music is a new music streaming service with official albums, playlists and singles, as well as a vast catalog of music videos, remixes, live performances, covers and more — all with ad-free, background and offline access. YouTube Premium extends that ad-free experience across all of YouTube, and includes access to YouTube Originals.

Student plans are available for YouTube Music Premium for $4.99 and YouTube Premium for $6.99. Students who sign up by 1/31/19 can lock in YouTube Premium at a special rate of just $5.99.






How to Watch, Listen and Stream

Student plans are currently available to all full-time students at an accredited college or university in the U.S. and will expand to more countries in the future. Click here to learn more about eligibility requirements.

Source: YouTube Blog


The Giving Season is Upon Us

Earlier this year we launched #YouTubeGiving, a suite of tools that empowers creators to raise money on behalf of their favorite charities. As we enter the giving season, we’re making these tools available to even more organizations and creators.

To kick things off, next week some of YouTube’s biggest creators will celebrate Giving Week and team up with charities that hold a special place in their hearts. See below for a preview of who and what to expect, and look for the donate button on their videos to lend your support:




Throughout the month of December, we’ll continue our season of giving with #Dancember, a charity fundraiser founded by YouTube creators Benji and Judy Travis of itsJudysLife. This is leading up to a 24-hour live stream fundraiser on December 14th, benefitting the global humanitarian organization, Save the Children.

At YouTube, we believe in the power of video to build community and empathy. We hope you’ll join us in supporting these incredible creators and organizations.

Julia Paige, Director of YouTube Social Impact, recently viewed Leaving Things in Mouthwash for a Month


Source: YouTube Blog


Every View Can Create Change: Introducing the 50+ new Creators for Change Impact Films

In anticipation of the International Day for Tolerance on November 16th, we are proud to celebrate the creators who are using the power of one view to open minds, inspire understanding, celebrate culture, and make a difference. From a beauty vlogger in California to a rapper in Sudan, a painter in Germany to a comedy collective in India, YouTube’s Creators for Change program brings together storytellers from around the world to share moments of hope, humanity, and acceptance. At YouTube, we believe that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories. YouTube Creators for Change is a critical part of this mission and we are incredibly proud of the continued momentum of the creators from around the world who are using their voices to overcome divisiveness and hate.

Today, YouTube’s Creators for Change Ambassadors came together to release over 50 new films that aim to promote tolerance, encourage empathy, and spark dialogue, locally and globally.


In May we announced that 47 Global Ambassadors joined the Creators for Change program, a global initiative dedicated to amplifying and multiplying the voices of YouTube creators who are using their platforms to spread messages of positivity, hope and acceptance. Since the announcement, they’ve been working with mentors like award-winning filmmaker Eliot Rausch, the Founder of The Nzinga Effect, Eliza Anyangwe, and Anthony Robinson, the Director of Training & Public Engagement at the Truman National Security Project on persuasive storytelling and bridge-building to create inspiring Impact Films. Some highlights from this year’s films include:


  • US-based singer-songwriter MILCK composed “A Little Peace” in response to violence globally. As part of her project she created a music video where multiple singers harmonized with one another in the name of peace.  
  • Australian-based YouTube Creator and rapper, L-FRESH the LION created a project that follows his work with Manbir SIngh (Akaal Fauj - kirtan teacher) trying to preserve Sikh culture through hip-hop and traditional music. 
  •  UK-based skin-positivity Creator Em Ford created a follow-up video to her 2015 viral video “You Look disgusting" called “Redefine Pretty;” a short film detailing how beauty standards psychologically affect young women. 
  • India’s biggest female comedy YouTube creator, MostlySane’s video “No Offence” is a funny yet timely follow-up rap video to “Shameless”, focused on dealing with various kinds of hate speech - both online and in real life. 
  • Dentist by day, YouTube creator by night, Maha AJ created the “Salimmik” music video as a way to pay homage to her home country of Sudan. This love-letter to Sudan aims to show a side of Sudan that is not typically portrayed in media


Driving impact locally

In addition to the global program, creators around the world are using their voices to stand for positivity through our local chapter efforts in 9 countries. Through a combination of creator-led videos that opens minds to educational workshops that inspire critical though, local initiatives span 9 markets and continue to inspire local communities. For example:


  • in Asia, Creators for Change joined forces with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and social change agency Love Frankie to support emerging YouTube creators committed to tackling tough social issues in their videos through a regional Creators for Change Fellows program. Following a series of kick-off Boot Camps across Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, a committee selected 15 regional Fellows from these 5 countries, collectively representing an audience of over 2 million fans. Armed with production funding and opportunities to work with civil society organizations, these up-and-coming voices have created over 15 inspiring videos. 
  • Be Internet Citizens, the United Kingdom’s local Creators for Change chapter, is on target to reach 20,000 students you the end of the year with content about responsible Internet use and empowering young adults to be positive voices online. 
  •  Israel hosted almost 100 top creators for a Tolerance Summit in connection with the local chapter initiative, #Ovdim_Al_Ze. The 2018 Tolerance Challenge was announced, an invitation for local creators to share meaningful and heartfelt videos for release on the International Day for Tolerance taking place on November 16th, 2018. 
  • The German chapter of Creators for Change, #NichtEgal, kicked off a nation-wide roll-out of school-focused workshops in October. Targeting 61 schools in all 16 German states, this program aims to train 200 teachers and 1,500 mentor students, who are forwarding their knowledge to 10,000+ students within the program until the beginning of December. These workshops are supported by our local YouTube creators who share their experiences and advise the students on how to have a positive impact in their communities. 
  • So far this year, 35 000 youth have benefited from anti fake-news and hate speech related workshops in France as part of the Toi-même Tu filmes program, working closely with partners like Les Petits Débrouillards and Génération Numérique to deliver trainings all over France. Additionally, YouTube Creators for Change has partnered with the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner to sponsor the 2018 Mobile Film Festival, encouraging youth around the globe to create short films that celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.


To all the creators who participated in this year’s program: thank you. We are grateful for your passion and dedication.

-- Juniper Downs, Head of YouTube Public Policy

Source: YouTube Blog


Election day: Live on YouTube

It’s election day in the United States. From candidates launching their campaigns to debating issues that matter to voters, you’ve come to YouTube to hear directly from the candidates and follow the midterm election.

Now it’s time to make your voice heard. If you haven’t already cast your ballot, head to Google and search “where to vote” to find your voting location and make your voice heard.

As polls close, tune into YouTube, where these news organizations will bring you live election results coverage throughout the evening:




 Brandon Feldman, YouTube News and Politics

Source: YouTube Blog


YouTube Learning: Investing in educational creators, resources, and tools for EduTubers

Iraq war veteran Joshua Carroll used to spend nights at his security post watching YouTube to learn trigonometry so he could pursue his passion for space. In just three weeks, YouTube helped him improve his math skills from a 10th grade level to the level required to take physics classes at New River Community College in Virginia. Today, he makes a living as a physicist, using Bernoulli differential equations in fluid flow systems. Joshua is not alone--people all over the world use YouTube to learn and follow their passions.


Whether it’s learning prerequisites for a college course or how to compete in Olympic javelin throwing, everyone seems to have turned to YouTube to learn something. Many of these learning stories are powered by an incredible community of EduTubers like PhysicsGirl and Manual do Mundo, whose videos have demonstrated the appeal of content that enriches as well as entertains.

In July, Susan, our CEO, announced YouTube Learning, an initiative to support all those who use YouTube to share their knowledge with the world and the millions of users who come to our platform to learn. And today she shared that we’ll be investing $20m to expand this initiative as we strive to make YouTube even better for educators and learners. Here’s more on the steps we’ll be taking:

Funding for Great Educational Creators on YouTube

High quality learning content is time-consuming to research, produce, and edit. That’s why we’re announcing a new Learning Fund to support creators who make some of the best learning content on YouTube. This includes videos covering a wide range of topics from career skills, like interviewing and resume building, to computer science, like coding for game development and JavaScript basics.

We’ve already completed our first round of investment in some of the most respected names in online education like TED-Ed or Hank and John Green’s Crash Course. We’re also supporting many of our emerging EduTubers like Socratica and Linda Raynier. Creators who are interested in applying to the Learning Fund can sign up for more information here.

In addition to investing in EduTubers through the Learning Fund, we’re also developing new YouTube Originals focused on learning like Mind Field: Season 3 from Vsauce creator Michael Stevens, and a new series with Vox Entertainment which was announced earlier this month.

Partnering with Trusted Institutions

We know it’s important to make quality learning content easier to find on YouTube, so we’re launching a new channel called Learning, where major partners like Goodwill and Year Up are contributing curated playlists highlighting videos that teach career skills. The channel will make it easy for users to find tutorials, DIY videos, explainers, and skill-based playlists.

We’re also excited to announce partnerships with leading online learning platforms, like edX, a non-profit offering courses from the world’s best universities and institutions, and OpenClassrooms, an education platform based in France. Together they will bring over some of their most popular video courses to YouTube.

Expanded Resources and Support for EduTubers

In 2018 we’ve held YouTube EduCon conferences in California, Mexico, and Brazil to connect EduTubers with new resources and each other. These creators are a testament that powerful educational content can come from anyone, anywhere. Here are a few more ways we plan to support them in 2019:


  • Expanding YouTube EduCon to Europe and Asia, starting with India in December and the UK in February.
  • Providing more resources to aspiring EduTubers like our Creator Academy course for educational channels, and our new Learning Best Practices.
  • Hosting a NextUp creator camp specifically for emerging EduTubers.
  • Working to connect EduTubers with brand partners through FameBit. We have already secured investments for sponsored content specifically for the EduTuber community.


We may not all become scientists or professional chefs by learning through videos, but we can promise that anyone who wants to learn and teach will have ever greater opportunities to do so on YouTube. Expect more announcements in the months and years to come as we continue to meet with you and hear how we can best support learning on YouTube.

Malik Ducard, Global Head of Learning, Social Impact, Family, Film & TV, recently viewed "Where Does the #Hashtag Symbol Come From?"

Source: YouTube Blog


YouTube makes it simple for fans to experience live performances with Eventbrite

Over 1 billion fans come to YouTube each month to connect with their favorite artists and discover new music. Thanks to a new partnership with Eventbrite, we’re making it simple for fans to go from experiencing music online to seeing live performances.

Starting today, fans watching videos from YouTube Official Artist Channels will see Eventbrite listings for live music performances throughout the U.S. below the video. With one easy click on the “Tickets” button, they’ll be able to purchase directly from Eventbrite.

Live events continue to be a major source of revenue for artists, so we want to help artists keep fans updated on their upcoming shows and sell more tickets to live performances. YouTube’s global audience also lets artists find new fans with 26% of Millenials (44% of teens) claiming they discover live music events on YouTube, according to Nielsen.

Through our partnerships with Eventbrite and Ticketmaster, YouTube now covers more than 70% of the US ticketing market and we’ll continue to add new artists and venues of all sizes to our list in North America as well as expand globally.

We're excited to further the power of video discovery on Youtube to bring artists and fans together and continue supporting those connections through live shows.
The YouTube Music Team

Source: YouTube Blog


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 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