Several times a year, CEO Susan Wojcicki updates users and creators on YouTube’s priorities. This Letter addresses initiatives to support the Black community, the impact of COVID-19, and how YouTube is working on behalf of creators.

In the last few months, we’ve experienced enormous tragedy and loss.

As people around the world have felt the devastating impact of the COVID-19 crisis, they’ve dealt with illness, loneliness, unemployment, and juggled added responsibilities with kids at home.

And over the past few weeks, we’ve grieved together as the Black community has endured more senseless acts of racial terror and violence. We know that for many, tragedies like these are a persistent reminder of the harm caused by systemic racism. They also compound the toll of the pandemic, which disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities in the U.S. and abroad.

At YouTube, we believe Black lives matter and we all need to do more to dismantle systemic racism. We join in protest against the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others before them.

The painful events of this year have reminded us of the importance of human connection and the need to continue to strengthen human rights around the world.

Our platform has been a place where people come together since YouTube first launched 15 years ago. And in the midst of uncertainty, creators continue to share stories that might not otherwise be heard while also building online communities.

Supporting the Black community

We have always been proud that we are a platform that celebrates a broad and diverse set of voices. And we have implemented many policies and product features to protect our communities.

But we recognize we need to do more, in particular with the Black community, and that is why we are committing to following actions.

Amplifying Black voices

We’re committed to doing better as a platform to center and amplify Black voices and perspectives.

• Today, we’re announcing a multi-year $100 million fund dedicated to amplifying and developing the voices of Black creators and artists and their stories.


• And one example of the type of content we’d like to elevate on the platform will premiere this Saturday, June 13. We’ll host a live stream fundraising event produced by YouTube Originals (YTO), “Bear Witness, Take Action.” The YTO will bring together creators, artists, influential public figures and prominent activist voices for roundtable discussions and musical performances, with donations benefiting the Equal Justice Initiative.


• Through the month of June, our Spotlight channel will highlight racial justice issues, including the latest perspectives from the Black community on YouTube alongside historical content, educational videos, and protest coverage. This content showcases incredibly important stories about the centuries-long fight for equity.

Protection from hate and harassment

We’ve taken many steps over the years to help protect diverse communities from hate and harassment across the platform, including Black creators and artists. And last year, we developed more stringent hate speech and harassment policies. Our updated hate speech policy specifically bans videos alleging that a group is superior based on qualities like race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion.

As a result of these changes and our ongoing enforcement, last quarter alone we removed over 100,000 videos and 100 million comments for hate and harassment.

That said, we know there’s more work to do.

Building on our work over the past several years, we’re taking this moment to examine how our policies and products are working for everyone ⁠— but specifically for the Black community ⁠— and close any gaps. And more broadly, we will work to ensure Black users, artists, and creators can share their stories and be protected from hateful, white supremacist, and bullying content.

Generations of Black Americans have been waiting for justice in the United States, and we know the effect of inequality is felt around the world.

I’m committed to listening — to Black employees at YouTube, to Black creators, to Black artists, to leaders in the Black community, and to Black users who tune in to YouTube every day.

There is much work to do to advance racial equity in the long-term, and these efforts will continue in the months and years ahead.

Connecting people with useful information, responsibly

Over the past few months, another top priority has been connecting people to trusted information as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the globe. Our teams started by engaging with public health officials in more than 90 countries so they could make locally relevant information available, which we display on our homepage and in panels that appear on videos and in search results about COVID-19. Collectively, these panels have been shown more than 200 billion times.

YouTube also launched a dedicated COVID-19 news shelf, with videos from health authorities and news organizations, in more than 30 countries around the world. We’ve found that when people come to YouTube searching for coronavirus topics, on average 94 percent of the videos they see in the top 10 results come from high authority channels. We think this is important progress, even as we keep working to bring that number higher.

In addition to raising up trusted information, we have also been focused on combating harmful medical misinformation. We’re consulting on an ongoing basis with health authorities like the WHO and local organizations like the CDC, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, and India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as well as expert medical and public health professionals, to design policies based on the latest science. We updated our policies to prohibit content with harmful medical information, for example saying the virus is a hoax or claiming there is a guaranteed cure. To date, we’ve removed over 200,000 videos for violating these policies.

We also understand the importance of representing a broad set of voices in the public debate. There are a range of opinions on topics like how governments respond to the crisis, when and how we should reopen economies, and criticism of health authorities and government officials. We want to ensure these important discussions continue on the platform, even as we work to combat misinformation.

Creators also have an important role to play in helping connect people to useful information. Forty high-profile creators have spoken with leading health officials, including Dr. Jaime Sepúlveda’s Spanish-language interviews with creators and Dr. Anthony Fauci’s conversations with Trevor Noah, Dr. Mike, Lilly Singh, Phil DeFranco, Dr. Regina Benjamin and Dr. Georges Benjamin also spoke with Black creators about the impact of COVID-19 on the Black community. These creator interviews have been seen in more than 160 countries and received more than 43 million views.

And more than 700 creators and artists joined YouTube’s #withme PSA campaign, encouraging users to stay home and highlighting important messages about how to stop the virus.

These public service announcements are reaching people around the world - they’ve received over three billion impressions.

Thank you to all of our creators who led the way with this initiative.

Learning

YouTube has always been a key learning resource, but we are now seeing a record amount of engagement. The average daily views of videos with homeschooling in the title have more than tripled globally in the last three months.

As students began learning from home, some of the first events we featured on Learn@Home were live streams hosted by The College Board to help high school students prepare for Advanced Placement tests in May. The response exceeded our expectations - the videos from the first day of live streaming have received more than 700,000 views. And students preparing for AP exams through the daily live streams received unexpected support from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who recently hosted a special edition U.S. History master class.

Creators have launched live stream series to help students of all ages stay motivated to learn at home, from Khan Academy to Mark Rober to 3Blue1Brown. And we’ve seen new read-alongs for children, like PBS Kids with Michelle Obama and Dolly Parton’s weekly Goodnight with Dolly.

And students are even finding ways to keep up with physical education on YouTube by tuning in to daily shows like PE with Joe or taking a dance break with KIDZ BOP.

Enabling Online Connections and Communities

In our house, kids aren’t just learning online, they’re also virtually celebrating holidays, birthdays, and even hosting sleepovers with their friends.

We’re finding new ways to connect, and at YouTube, we’re seeing communities bringing people together online.

People are using live streams at a much higher rate, with live watchtime on TV screens up over 250 percent year-over-year on YouTube globally during the height of stay at home measures around the world.

Live streams are also helping us capture moments that otherwise would have been lost, like graduation ceremonies. To mark this key milestone, we developed an online #DearClassof2020 commencement headlined by President Barack Obama and featuring Lady Gaga, Dude Perfect, Jackie Aina, The Try Guys, Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Google’s own Sundar Pichai.

Creators have also stepped in to support global relief efforts, like jacksepticeye’s live stream #HopeFromHome, which raised money for the United Way. Creators in the United Kingdom came together for Stream #WithMe, a live fundraiser benefiting NHS. And artists and creators joined One Love Asia, a concert benefiting UNICEF.

To enable the YouTube community to have even more impact, this year we’ve expanded the access to our donate button from 1,500 eligible channels to more than 40,000, allowing more creators to easily engage their audiences on causes they care about.

Welcoming new creativity

Even during these incredibly difficult times, we’re seeing unprecedented creativity from our creative community. Because creators are experts at filming to suit any style, from high-production to garage studios, they were able to quickly adapt and make content that reflected our new reality, from yoga for stress release to quarantine routines.

And artists are bringing fans together online and making YouTube a virtual concert venue. Bands like the Rolling Stones, Radiohead, and the Grateful Dead are releasing live concert footage every week, giving fans something to look forward to while staying at home. Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça hosted a live stream concert on YouTube from her home last month, and the video has been viewed more than 20 million times.

We’re also welcoming cultural institutions that are creating or expanding their YouTube channels, giving audiences the chance to tune in to legendary performances from The Bolshoi Ballet, weekly releases of Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals on The Shows Must Go On, and Shakespeare plays streamed by The Globe Theatre.

And there’s been a rise in new formats for content during quarantine. We’ve seen YouTube’s first virtual fashion show and a streaming global film festival.

Gaming creators are also drawing new audiences. Viewers tuned in live to streams from Flakes Power, Muselk, Avxry, Valkyrae and other gaming creators, with all four concerts garnering 100 million views on YouTube.

Thank you to all the creators and organizations who are releasing new content during this time, from tips for working at home to DIY advice from a dad who launched a YouTube channel to answer questions like how to hang a shelf or unclog a drain.

Whether your views are in the hundreds or in the millions, you’re making the world a little brighter for someone watching from home.

YouTube creator updates

As creators rose to meet the challenges of the pandemic, they also faced obstacles along the way. We know the uncertainty of the past few months has been hard and our team is working to provide support. In March, we adjusted our policy to enable ads for content from creators and news organizations discussing the coronavirus.

Given fluctuations with the advertising market, we are encouraging creators to also invest in other forms of monetization to grow and diversify their revenue. Since the beginning of March, we saw over two million viewers support creators by purchasing their first Super Chat, Super Sticker or membership on YouTube.

The number of creators earning the majority of their YouTube revenue from memberships and paid digital goods is up 40 percent since January.

And with more artists now going live on YouTube, we recently announced that we’ll be extending the availability of Super Chat and Super Stickers to more artist channels.

This year we’ve also worked to give creators more control over monetization decisions and to provide transparency with our policies by expanding Self Certification to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). With Self-Certification, creators tell us what’s in their video and how it complies with our ad-friendly guidelines.

In the past few weeks, you may have heard questions raised about Section 230, a regulation in United States law that allows YouTube to be an open platform while protecting the community from harmful content, like content that incites violence or endangers children. We believe undermining Section 230 would impact our ability to protect our users and would also significantly limit content from a wide range of creators across the political spectrum who have a voice on our platform. Such a change might require online services like YouTube to "over-filter" content, making it more difficult for creators to share breaking news, create learning content, expose injustice, and amplify a diversity of voices and opinions.

We'll continue to work on your behalf to explain how eroding 230 would harm the creator ecosystem globally.

Mental health

YouTube creators have long been known for their authenticity, and I appreciate how creators have openly shared how hard it is to create content as we navigate new challenges. It’s important for all of us to make our mental health and wellbeing a top priority.

People come to YouTube every day looking for information and resources, and we realize we have a tremendous opportunity to shine a light on various health issues.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen a 45 percent increase in views of meditation videos and a growing popularity of mindfulness and wellbeing content.

Our teams also recently expanded the tools available to users to help prioritize wellbeing. We’ve added a new bedtime reminder, in addition to our “take a break” option, to help viewers manage their time on YouTube.

And through our Get By #WithMe campaign, we’ve partnered with creators to spotlight videos like Why Support Helps with Kati Morton. Creators like Kati are helping educate and reduce the stigma associated with mental health.

The past few months have been incredibly challenging, and we still have a long road ahead of us. But even in these difficult circumstances, I’m finding glimmers of hope every day on YouTube - your passion and creativity have been inspiring.

Thank you for all the ways you’re coming together to support one another, and for all the ways you’re giving back.

You’re reminding us to look for the good, even when so many things about life feel out of order.

Thank you for being a part of our community. Whether you’re connecting with people on YouTube across your city or across the world, your voices are coming together to make a difference.

Susan Wojcicki

Yesterday afternoon, YouTube virtually gathered for a star-studded event called “Dear Class of 2020” — an online graduation special. It’s a strange and hard time to be entering this new stage of life, but each speaker delivered a unique message of hope to the next generation of leaders. There were tributes, there were performances and moments of surprise-and-delight planted throughout. (Hint: You’ll hear an arrangement from Finneas O’Connell, plus an appearance from a classic, animated American sitcom.) From the Obamas to Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, the over four-hour event also peppered in celebrity powerhouses like J.Lo and Mariah Carey.

“Dear Class of 2020” definitely can’t replace the feeling of physically walking across a stage to receive your diploma, but it was memorable. The 10 following quotes left more than an impression on us. These words will be ringing in our heads in the days to come, as we ready ourselves for the second half of 2020.

1. President Barack Obama: “America changed — has always changed — because young people dared to hope. As someone once said, 'Hope is not a lottery ticket. It’s a hammer for us to use in a national emergency to break the glass, sound the alarm and sprint into action. '” 



2. Beyoncé: “Look how far you’ve come and how much you’ve contributed. Keep pushing. Forget the fear. Forget the doubt. Keep investing and keep betting on yourself.”



3.  Jimmy Kimmel: “I know this is a lousy time to enter the real world, but years from this, you will have what few people do: a cool story. Know what year I graduated high school? 1985. You know the most interesting thing that happened in 1985 was? “Police Academy 2,” ‘kay? Look it up. But when you tell people the year you graduated, everyone will be super interested, they’ll wanna know what was it like? Did you live underground? Did you used to touch hands with each other? Who did you take to the prom: your mom or your dad? Did the president really tell people to drink bleach?”



4. Alicia Keys: “You, my friends, you are graduates in the most powerful time to be coming of age. And there’s nothing and no one that can stop you from changing the world. I see you. You’re unstoppable. We honor you and celebrate you.” 



5. Sundar Pichai: “You will prevail.” (Read his transcripted speech here.)



6. Michelle Obama: “In an uncertain world, time-tested values like honesty and integrity, empathy and compassion — that’s the only real currency in life.” 



7. Liza Koshy: “You should also know you’re not alone. You’ve got a lot of company. And being stuck at home meant you had to find creative new ways to celebrate, which made #DearClassof2020 really blow up.”



8. Stephen Colbert: “I have no doubt you will be the heroes of so many who have not yet been born. And years from now, if you have the good fortune to hold your own child’s face in your hands and tell them how proud you are of them, you’ll understand how we feel about you right now. And they’ll wonder how you did what you are about to go do.” 



9. Malala Yousafzai: “Don’t be defined by what you’re losing during this crisis, but by how you respond to it.” 



10. Sec. Condoleezza Rice: “You are the next generation of Americans who will fight for what is right, and one day make impossible seem inevitable.”

— The YouTube Team

Yesterday afternoon, YouTube virtually gathered for a star-studded event called “Dear Class of 2020” — an online graduation special. It’s a strange and hard time to be entering this new stage of life, but each speaker delivered a unique message of hope to the next generation of leaders. There were tributes, there were performances and moments of surprise-and-delight planted throughout. (Hint: You’ll hear an arrangement from Finneas O’Connell, plus an appearance from a classic, animated American sitcom.) From the Obamas to Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, the over four-hour event also peppered in celebrity powerhouses like J.Lo and Mariah Carey.

“Dear Class of 2020” definitely can’t replace the feeling of physically walking across a stage to receive your diploma, but it was memorable. The 10 following quotes left more than an impression on us. These words will be ringing in our heads in the days to come, as we ready ourselves for the second half of 2020.

1. President Barack Obama: “America changed — has always changed — because young people dared to hope. As someone once said, 'Hope is not a lottery ticket. It’s a hammer for us to use in a national emergency to break the glass, sound the alarm and sprint into action. '” 



2. Beyoncé: “Look how far you’ve come and how much you’ve contributed. Keep pushing. Forget the fear. Forget the doubt. Keep investing and keep betting on yourself.”



3.  Jimmy Kimmel: “I know this is a lousy time to enter the real world, but years from this, you will have what few people do: a cool story. Know what year I graduated high school? 1985. You know the most interesting thing that happened in 1985 was? “Police Academy 2,” ‘kay? Look it up. But when you tell people the year you graduated, everyone will be super interested, they’ll wanna know what was it like? Did you live underground? Did you used to touch hands with each other? Who did you take to the prom: your mom or your dad? Did the president really tell people to drink bleach?”



4. Alicia Keys: “You, my friends, you are graduates in the most powerful time to be coming of age. And there’s nothing and no one that can stop you from changing the world. I see you. You’re unstoppable. We honor you and celebrate you.” 



5. Sundar Pichai: “You will prevail.” (Read his transcripted speech here.)



6. Michelle Obama: “In an uncertain world, time-tested values like honesty and integrity, empathy and compassion — that’s the only real currency in life.” 



7. Liza Koshy: “You should also know you’re not alone. You’ve got a lot of company. And being stuck at home meant you had to find creative new ways to celebrate, which made #DearClassof2020 really blow up.”



8. Stephen Colbert: “I have no doubt you will be the heroes of so many who have not yet been born. And years from now, if you have the good fortune to hold your own child’s face in your hands and tell them how proud you are of them, you’ll understand how we feel about you right now. And they’ll wonder how you did what you are about to go do.” 



9. Malala Yousafzai: “Don’t be defined by what you’re losing during this crisis, but by how you respond to it.” 



10. Sec. Condoleezza Rice: “You are the next generation of Americans who will fight for what is right, and one day make impossible seem inevitable.”

— The YouTube Team

Like millions of families around the world, my family and I have been breaking our fast this Ramadan in the safety of our own home in the sunny city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — something I am very grateful for. Although I love my family, and I am thankful to have them here with me this Ramadan, something was still missing.

So I reached out to a few of my friends (Omar Hussein, Noor Stars, the Saudi Reporters, Asrar Aref, and the Anasala Family) and asked them if they wanted to come over for Iftar, and to bring millions of their friends with them.



On Tuesday, May 19, we decided to break our fast together at 6:32 p.m. — sunset in Saudi Arabia. We played games, showed-off our cooking skills, and finally broke our fast along with thousands of people who joined us from across the country and beyond.

What’s incredible is that people all around the world have been trying to find innovative ways to create that sense of togetherness during the holy month while staying safe. Earlier this month, creators in Indonesia came together and hosted a virtual Iftar, bringing together people from all over the country. Also next week, on May 26 at 8 p.m. EEST, Arab popstar Nancy Ajram is going to host a special Eid celebration concert on her YouTube channel.

I am proud I got to be part of this incredible experience that showed the world the power of YouTube and the creator community. Bringing this many people together during this difficult time is truly rewarding.

From all of us, we wish you a Ramadan Kareem and a blessed Eid ahead.

Mohamed Moshaya, YouTube Creator based in Saudi Arabia

Over the past few years, we have enhanced YouTube Music to deliver a comprehensive listening experience, and have also added features to make Google Play Music users feel right at home. Starting today, we’re excited to officially begin inviting Google Play Music listeners to effortlessly transfer their music libraries, personal taste preferences and playlists to YouTube Music, their new home for music listening and discovery.

For now, users will continue to have access to both services. We want to ensure everyone has time to transfer their content and get used to YouTube Music, so we’ll provide plenty of notice ahead of users no longer having access to Google Play Music later this year.

Easy transfer and transition

We know many listeners have spent a lot of time creating their perfect music and podcast libraries in Google Play Music, so we’ve made it simple to move both to their new homes. All Google Play Music users will soon receive an email with detailed instructions on how to begin transferring your full Google Play Music history and content, as well as podcasts, to their new homes.

Music fans will be able to start the transfer process of their music library to YouTube Music by following these simple steps:

• Download the YouTube Music app (iOS/Android).

• Click on the transfer button in YouTube Music, and your uploads, purchases, added songs and albums, personal and subscribed playlists, likes and dislikes, curated stations and personal taste preferences will move right over.

• Your updated recommendations will appear immediately on the YouTube Music home screen, and we’ll notify you via email and notifications when your music library transfer is complete and your music is in the “Library” tab.

You can also check out the video with transfer details HERE.



And if you’re a podcast listener, you can visit this web page and transfer your subscriptions and episode progress to Google Podcasts with a single click. Google Podcasts is our dedicated podcast player available for free on Android and iOS, and accessible from Google Assistant, Google Search, Google Home and more.

We’re looking forward to Google Play Music users transferring their libraries, so they can begin listening and exploring on YouTube Music and Google Podcasts.

Your New Home For Music: YouTube Music

For listeners new to YouTube Music, the streaming service is your personal guide to the world of music, simply organized in an app and web player. A bit more on what YouTube Music has to offer:

• Catalog: YouTube Music offers over 50 million official tracks, albums and high quality audio, as well as deep cuts, B-sides, live performances, and remixes you can’t find anywhere else.

• Listen everywhere: Explore YouTube Music’s audio-first music app, desktop and smart speaker experience. Recommendations: Discover new music through YouTube Music’s home screen recommendations and personalized mixes - My Mix, Discovery Mix, and New Release Mix - based on taste, location, time of day and Play Music preferences after transferring.

• Official Playlists: Listen to thousands of official playlists from both YouTube Music and Google Play Music.

We’ve listened to Google Play Music user feedback and recently introduced additional new features to YouTube Music for fans to enjoy. Some of the YouTube Music features we’re most excited to share include the following (with more updates on the way!):

• Playlist Creation: We’ve increased playlist length from 1,000 to 5,000 songs to make room for even more of your favorites songs.

• Uploads: You can listen to your uploaded and purchased music from Google Play Music after your transfer, or add up to 100,000 personal tracks to your library in YouTube Music (an increase of more than 50,000 compared to Google Play Music).

• Offline listening: Paying members can download any song, playlist, music video or let smart downloads (Android only for now) do it for you so you always have something to listen to, even when you don’t have service.

• Lyrics: Lyrics offer highly visible access to follow along to tracks.

• Explore Tab: An all-new Explore tab offering one go-to place to discover new music and YouTube Music’s vast catalog of playlists through New Releases and Moods & Genres sections.

Pricing

Existing pricing is the same between Google Play Music and YouTube Music. Fans can enjoy the ad-supported version of YouTube Music for free, or enjoy YouTube Music Premium, a paid membership that gives listeners background listening, downloads and an ad-free experience for $9.99 a month. Or you can try YouTube Premium to extend ad-free, background listening and offline playback across all of YouTube for $11.99 (USD).

Google Play Music Unlimited members will be automatically granted the equivalent tier of YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium based on the level of benefits with their current subscription, at the same price*.

We can’t wait for you to start exploring YouTube Music features and discovering new music favorites along the way. Have more questions or need help? Check out all of our support resources here.

*Some users may see a price difference upon transfer. Learn more here.

Over the past several years, we've seen more and more people coming to YouTube for news and information. They want to get the latest on an election, to find multiple perspectives on a topic, or to learn about a major breaking news event. More recently, the outbreak of COVID-19 and its spread around the world has reaffirmed how important it is for viewers to get accurate information during fast-moving events. That's why we're continuing to improve the news experience on YouTube, including raising up authoritative sources of information across the site. Today, we’re continuing this work by expanding our fact check information panels — which we launched in Brazil and India last year — to the United States.



The fact check feature expands upon the other ways we raise and connect people with authoritative sources. For example, our Breaking News and Top News shelves help our viewers find information from authoritative sources both on their YouTube homepage and when searching for news topics. In 2018, we introduced information panels that help surface a wide array of contextual information, from links to sources like Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia for topics prone to longstanding misinformation (e.g. "flat earth" theories), or more recently, linking to the WHO, CDC or local health authorities for videos and searches related to COVID-19. We're now using these panels to help address an additional challenge: Misinformation that comes up quickly as part of a fast-moving news cycle, where unfounded claims and uncertainty about facts are common. (For example, a false report that COVID-19 is a bio-weapon.) Our fact check information panels provide fresh context in these situations by highlighting relevant, third-party fact-checked articles above search results for relevant queries, so that our viewers can make their own informed decision about claims made in the news.

There are a few factors that determine whether a fact check information panel will appear for any given search. Most important, there must be a relevant fact check article available from an eligible publisher. And in order to match a viewer’s needs with the information we provide, fact checks will only show when people search for a specific claim. For example, if someone searches for "did a tornado hit Los Angeles," they might see a relevant fact check article, but if they search for a more general query like "tornado," they may not. All fact check articles must also comply with our Community Guidelines, and viewers can send feedback to our team.

Our fact check information panel relies on an open network of third-party publishers and leverages the ClaimReview tagging system. All U.S. publishers are welcome to participate as long as they follow the publicly-available ClaimReview standards and are either a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network’s (IFCN) Code of Principles or are an authoritative publisher. Over a dozen U.S. publishers are participating today, including The Dispatch, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact and The Washington Post Fact Checker, and we encourage more publishers and fact checkers to explore using ClaimReview. In addition to this roll out, YouTube will provide $1M through the Google News Initiative to the IFCN to bolster fact-checking and verification efforts across the world. This follows Google’s efforts to support the ecosystem in the midst of the challenging COVID-19 environment, and we'll be looking for more ways to support the fact check ecosystem in the future.

As always, it will take some time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our systems will become more accurate, and over time, we'll roll this feature out to more countries. We are committed to our responsibility to protect the YouTube community, and expanding our fact check information panels is one of the many steps we are taking to raise up authoritative sources, provide relevant and authoritative context to our users, and continue to reduce the spread of harmful misinformation on YouTube.

The month of Ramadan begins today, with millions around the world beginning a time of reflection, fasting and prayer that will feel very different than in years past, as faith communities find new ways to celebrate safely in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within their communities.

During these difficult times, it’s incredibly important for us to continue to connect with each other and feel part of our wider communities, even from home. Community is an important part of Ramadan, and Muslims around the world are going online to share and celebrate safely while staying at home.

To assist faith organizations everywhere who may be new to online services, YouTube has brought together helpful information to get started with live streaming. Please visit our Playlist and Help Center for best practices, or check out instructions for hosting a live stream event either from a mobile device or desktop.

YouTube will also be home to a wide range of Ramadan content over the coming weeks. From sahur (pre-dawn meal) and iftar (breaking of fast) activities, to faithful fashion to live streams of religious ceremonies, please visit our Stay Home #WithMe and YouTube Arabia channels for the latest.

Upcoming highlights:

• Daily prayer services from Mecca and Madinah are live streamed from both SaudiQuranTV and haraminfo.

• Major Indonesian TV networks TRANS7 and MetroTV will launch a series of shows and news segments throughout Ramadan, focusing on entertaining, informing, and educating viewers on Ramadan topics from breakfasting, sahur, family life, and looking after the needy during this challenging time. Music label 3D Entertainment recently released Ramadan Berkah to celebrate the Holy Month, while NAGASWARA will publish ten episodes of Ramadan acoustic music sessions.

• In Singapore, Muslim.Sg is producing many videos that you can binge-watch in the comfort of your home: a weekly talk show with Asatizah Youth Network, a video where religious teachers answer the most Googled questions on Ramadan and a moving short film about celebrating Hari Raya (Eid) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

• JAKIM, Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development, is planning to use their YouTube channel to launch daily live streams of Quran reading sessions, talk shows featuring religious leaders in Malaysia, and tutorials on how to perform Ramadan rituals.

• Aysha Harun, an LA-based hijabi fashion and beauty vlogger, will kick off the third year of her annual Ramadan Daily series, giving viewers a glimpse into her everyday life with family and iftar preparations.

• Baim Wong, a famous actor in Indonesia and his wife Paula, are joining other Muslim families on YouTube in Indonesia to share daily content around their sahur, iftar, and other family activities while they #StayHome. As part of GEMAS (Gerakan Memakai Masker), a nationwide initiative that Baim Wong founded to provide 30 million free masks for the underprivileged in Indonesia, Baim Wong will also release content on how people from different regions in Indonesia are helping each other during this difficult time.

• The Saudi Reporters are one of the oldest and most successful creators in Saudi Arabia. From sketches and competitions, to comedy series and vlogs, they make millions across the Arab world laugh with them through their videos. This year they will be releasing the second season of their animation series Boody and Zozo.

• Dina Tokio is a UK stylist who began vlogging while working in a call centre. Today, she has her own clothing line and is one of the most high profile modest fashion influencers in the world. As a proud member of the Muslim community, Dina will be posting Ramavlogs as often possible during the month, including plans to host a live iftar once a week on YouTube with her husband Sid.

• Turkish chef, TV presenter, and food columnist, Refika Birgül, is planning a number of videos focused on Ramadan, for both her Turkish and English channels, including how to set the dream iftar table, a Ramadan recipe series, and much more.

• Anas and Asala, known as the Anasala Family, are a young Syrian couple, living in Canada, who vlog about daily life as Arabs in the Western world. This Ramadan they will be releasing a series of videos about what it’s like observing Ramadan while under quarantine.

We wish safe and healthy holidays for faith communities across the world.

— The YouTube Team

YouTube Originals today announced a new slate of projects aimed to support, entertain and educate viewers around the world. Among the announcements, celebrities and educators come together to energize distance learning in “Celebrity Substitute” including Karlie Kloss working through a coding problem and Ken Jeong giving a Biology lesson; a weekly series “Stay Home With: YUNGBLUD,” following the UK recording artist and his band as they adjust to a remote lifestyle while creating music; a short-form family series, “Create Together #WithMe,” hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt featuring the creations of everyday people collaborating to make art on HITRECORD and YouTube while being at home; and “The Secret Life of Lele Pons” which gives an intimate look at battling Tourette Syndrome and OCD while juggling life in the spotlight.

In addition, engaging new content will come directly from notable YouTube personalities who will be able to leverage the global platform’s quality livestream capabilities from a safe space. Kicking off this new wave of content is a first-of-its-kind global live event, "The Creator Games Presented by MrBeast," hosted by top Creator and philanthropist MrBeast (34M subscribers) on April 25, where he will challenge some of the platform’s biggest stars to remotely go head-to-head in a battle of stay-at-home games where there can be only one winner. The proceeds will go to a COVID-19-related charitable organization.

"YouTube’s greatest strength is its ability as a global platform to build community and connection among people from all walks of life,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. "We’re working to develop exciting new original content that is relevant, useful, and entertaining in order to deepen those connections and give people an outlet to come together."

Also, as part of YouTube’s continued commitment to families, beginning in May, several new kids & family Originals will launch and be available on YouTube and YouTube Kids. These new Originals will help inspire kids’ curiosity, creativity, resourcefulness and resiliency during these unusual times.

Below is the current list of planned new Originals rolling out within the next few months:

"Money Talks: Taxes" — Streaming now!

In this new Learning Playlist, a roundtable of leading female financial experts provide answers to the questions surrounding personal finances that we are all desperate to know. Offering a step by step guide for viewers, this first series of videos covers pressing questions about filing taxes and the COVID-19 stimulus check. “Money Talks” is produced by Refinery29.

"The Creator Games Presented by MrBeast" — Live stream premieres April 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT

A global LIVE event where popular YouTube creator, MrBeast (34M subscribers), challenges the platform’s biggest stars to remotely go head-to-head in a first-of-its-kind battle of stay-at-home games where there can be only one winner. “The Creator Games Presented by MrBeast” will encourage viewers to donate to support COVID-19-related charitable organizations and is produced by Night Media and Fly On the Wall.

"Stay Home With: YUNGBLUD" — Series premieres April 27

This weekly episodic series follows UK recording artist, YUNGBLUD, through a month at a rental apartment in L.A. Along with four friends - his manager, videographer and two bandmates with whom he is quarantined - YUNGBLUD attempts to shoot a music video, write new songs, cook meals and stay connected to his UK-based family and avid global fanbase, all within the disconcerting shelter-at-home restrictions. “Stay Home With: YUNGBLUD” will encourage viewers to donate to support No Kid Hungry and is produced by Stick Figure Entertainment.

"#MoveWithMe" — Global Dance Event premieres April 29

In celebration of International Dance Day (April 29), this special will feature acclaimed choreographer Matt Steffanina as host, and talented dancers and choreographers from across the globe as they come together to provide dance-lovers with high octane performances to today’s chart topping songs in a way that can only be done on YouTube. Choreographers and dancers including LaurieAnn Gibson, WilldaBeast Adams, Chachi Gonzales, Kasia Jukowska, Vale Merino, Sonali Bhadauria, FitDance, Kaelynn KK Harris, Twist And Pulse, D-trix and more will be featured. “#MoveWithMe” will encourage viewers to donate to support the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO during the event and is produced by Den of Thieves.

"Stream #WithMe (UK)" — Live stream premieres April 30

In “Stream #WithMe”, a star-studded crew of some of the UK’s most loved YouTube creators and stars let us in on how they are coping with the lockdown experience in a livestream celebration of solidarity. The all-star group of creators and celebrities will share tips on how to keep entertained, upbeat, and active as they tag-team their way through four hours of joyful unexpected performances and exciting challenges culminating in an almighty stunt for the nation. “Stream #WithMe" will encourage viewers to donate to support NHS Charities Together and is made in partnership with Electric Robin (part of EndemolShine UK).

"Celebrity Substitute" — Series premieres May 7

Around the world, millions of students are joining virtual classrooms as part of the current distance learning initiative and teachers are looking for ways to keep their students engaged and focused to stay on target with their curriculum. In this series, some of the brightest celebrities and educators come together to energize distance learning. In each episode, a celebrity steps in to teach crucial high school lessons with real teachers. Some examples include Karlie Kloss working through a coding problem, or Ken Jeong giving a biology lesson that will be remembered for years to come. Additional celebrity substitutes include: Bill Nye, Camila Mendes, Janelle Monáe, and Terry Crews. “Celebrity Substitute” is produced by B17 Entertainment.

"The Secret Life of Lele Pons" — Series premieres May 19

In this raw and intimate five-part series, internet personality and music artist Lele Pons shares a side to her that no one knows about… Her lifelong struggle with Tourette Syndrome and OCD. Viewers will follow along on her journey of building and expanding her music career while battling what was previously hidden. Link to official trailer HERE. “The Secret Life of Lele Pons” is a Shots Studios Production.

"BookTube - Read with Me Special and Mental Health Episode" — Premieres May 21 and June 2020

The critically-acclaimed monthly book club, “BookTube,” is creating a special “Read With Me” episode premiering May 21. Now more than ever, people around the world are turning to books to help them feel connected. This special episode will feature several celebrities, booktubers, and authors - including Melinda Gates, John Grisham, James Patterson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Nicholas Sparks, Elaine Welteroth, and many more - sharing their current book recommendations. Additionally, the June 2020 episode of “BookTube” will feature authors Dr. Vivek Murthy, former U.S. Surgeon General (author of Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World), Lori Gottlieb (author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) and Haemin Sunim (author of The Things You Can Only See When You Slow Down) discussing anxiety, mental health, and advice for self care during these uncertain times. “BookTube” is produced by Boardwalk Pictures.

"Create Together #WithMe" (working title) — Series premieres May 2020

This mini-series, hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, invites friends and families from all over the world who are coping with this unprecedented time of isolation to come together and showcase their creativity and collaboration. Rather than profiling lone artists and showcasing their finished work, each weekly episode will document the creative process as people find each other online and remotely collaborate on a variety of family friendly projects—short films, short documentaries, music videos, and more. Anybody can come be a part of the show on HITRECORD, Gordon-Levitt’s Emmy-winning platform for creative collaboration. “Create Together #WithMe” is produced by Brian Graden Media and HITRECORD.

"Locked Down" (working title) — Scripted series premieres May 2020

A social media mystery in a social distancing era! This scripted event series follows a group of bored teens working together online to solve a mystery involving one of their neighbors. Shot entirely via webcam and smartphone, “Locked Down” is a suspenseful look at how young people stay in touch while having to stay away, as well as what happens when boredom leads to suspicion. The story unfolds almost in real-time as the friend group works together - from a distance - to solve the mystery, while also exploring their own anxieties and frustrations about life during a pandemic. “Locked Down” is created and produced by Toronto-based Sinking Ship Entertainment (Dino Dana, Endlings, Odd Squad).

"Untitled Juanpa and Luisito Project" (LATAM) — Series premieres May 2020

Latin America’s top YouTube creators Juanpa Zurita (10.2M subscribers) and Luisito Communica (30.6M subscribers) come together for the first time to document an unprecedented situation (COVID-19 quarantine) in an unprecedented way. Filmed entirely under quarantine with no physical interaction, viewers will hear first hand personal stories from around the globe, including YouTube creators, health specialists, and everyday people as they reflect on their reality. Their challenges, their hopes, their solutions, their stories of inspiration and most importantly the resilience of human nature. This limited series will give a voice to individuals around the globe to unify us regardless of region or language. This project is produced by DW Entertainment & Media.

These new projects join a robust slate of learning, music and personality-focused original series and specials including “Kevin Hart: What the Fit,” (new episodes premiere each Thursday), YouTube Originals’ first beauty competition series, “Instant Influencer with James Charles” (premiering April 24), “TWICE: Seize the Light,” an 8-part docu-series on the K-pop girl group (premiering April 29 KST) and “Dude Perfect: Backstage Pass” chronicling the YouTube supergroup’s rise to fame (premiering May 11). Personality-driven projects including third seasons of hit scripted series “Cobra Kai” and “Liza on Demand,” “This is Paris” starring Paris Hilton and an unprecedented live event with David Blaine are scheduled to come later this year.

As part of YouTube Originals’ programming strategy, YouTube’s audience of two billion logged-in monthly users will continue to have the opportunity to enjoy new, upcoming original series and specials, focused on music, learning, personalities and kids & families, for free with ads. YouTube’s subscription service, YouTube Premium, will continue to offer ad-free access to all YouTube Originals as well as bingeabilty and exclusive content for select programs behind the paywall.

This news comes on the heels of YouTube’s recent announcements to release popular legacy and kids & family original content in front of the paywall, and the larger global initiative to encourage the world to stay home and save lives through the platform’s At Home #WithMe campaign. The campaign expands upon #WithMe -- a trend continuing to grow on YouTube over the past 15 years -- showcasing how people all around the world find community and engage with one another, especially during this time of crisis. From Emma Chamberlain, Markiplier and The Dolan Twins, to Karlie Kloss, Venus Williams, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Hailee Steinfeld, J Balvin and many more, the campaign features YouTube creators, music artists, athletes and celebrities who have all made a home on YouTube.

This week, millions of people across the globe will celebrate Passover and Easter. And in the coming weeks, millions will begin to observe Ramadan. This year, these important religious holidays will feel very different, as faith organizations all over the world look for new ways to celebrate safely in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within their communities.

During these difficult times, it’s important for us to continue to connect with each other and feel part of our wider communities, even from home.

While some faith organizations have used digital tools to connect with their congregations for many years, this year’s broadly mandated orders to stay home will make it essential for churches, synagogues, mosques, families and individuals to find new ways of coming together, online.

The shift has already begun. Since the start of March, the combined subscribers of all Vatican News channels has more than doubled.

To assist faith organizations everywhere who are new to online services, YouTube has brought together helpful information to get started with live streaming. Please visit our Playlist and Help Center for best practices, or check out instructions for hosting a live stream event either from a mobile device or desktop.

For those who are observing Passover this week, synagogues are offering many ways to share and celebrate online. Park Avenue Synagogue, in New York City, is live streaming Seders and festival services throughout the week, starting with a one hour Seder on Wednesday, April 8 at 6 p.m. ET.

We also invite you to celebrate with a special Saturday Night Seder, premiering exclusively on YouTube via Tasty and SaturdayNightSeder on Saturday, April 11 at 8 p.m. ET. This Passover-themed variety show will raise funds for the CDC Foundation, and includes comedy sketches, heartfelt moments and music, with an impressive list of participants including Jason Alexander, Ben Platt, Idina Menzel, Dan Levy, Henry Winkler, Tan France and Senator Chuck Schumer, among many others.

For those celebrating Good Friday and Easter, many churches are hosting live streams for their local congregations, so please check in with your church. The Vatican will live stream all of its Holy Week services from St. Peter’s Basilica, including Easter Sunday mass at 11 a.m. CET.

Renowned opera singer Andrea Bocelli will perform live at 7 p.m. CET on Sunday, April 12 from Milan’s historic Duomo Cathedral, available exclusively on YouTube. The concert entitled, “Music For Hope,” will represent a message of love, healing and hope to Italy and the world. The Duomo, currently closed, will open its doors exceptionally for Andrea Bocelli who will be accompanied only by the cathedral organist, Emanuele Vianelli, playing one of world’s largest pipe organs. The “Music For Hope” trailer can be seen here.

We’ll have more to share in the next few weeks about upcoming Ramadan celebrations.

We wish safe and healthy holidays for faith communities across the world.

—The YouTube Team