YouTube

While YouTube remains the gold standard for uploading videos online, a new study finds that its presence on Facebook is increasingly declining as page owners opt to upload more video directly to the social network over sharing YouTube embeds. The latest research from social media analytics company Socialbakers reveal that, in November, the number of Facebook videos uploaded directly to the site overtook the number of YouTube videos on Facebook for the first time ever.
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Salesforce appoints YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki to board of directors

Mike Beasley Dec 8 2014 - 9:42 pm PT

Photo: makers.com

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki will become the 11th member—and the first woman—on the Salesforce.com board of directors, the company announced today in a press release.

Wojcicki, Google’s 16th employee, has been with the Mountain View company since the very beginning. She previously ran the company’s advertising unit, and was in charge of products like AdSense and AdWords until she took over YouTube earlier this year.

The full Salesforce press release is below:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Dec. 8, 2014 – Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the Customer Success Platform and world’s #1 CRM company, announced today the appointment of Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, to its Board of Directors. The appointment was effective as of Dec. 5, 2014, and increases the size of the Salesforce Board of Directors to 11 members.

“We are delighted that Susan has joined our Board of Directors,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce. “Susan is an extraordinary executive who has been instrumental in helping to build the world’s largest consumer cloud company, where scale, reliability and security are of critical importance. Her experience will make her an outstanding addition to our board.”

“Salesforce has revolutionized enterprise software and has an amazing culture of innovation,” said Susan Wojcicki. “I’m very excited to be joining the Salesforce Board of Directors.”

With this appointment, the Salesforce Board of Directors now consists of Marc Benioff, Salesforce chairman and CEO; Keith Block, Salesforce vice chairman and president; Craig Conway, former CEO of PeopleSoft; Alan Hassenfeld, former chairman and CEO of Hasbro; General Colin Powell, retired four star general in the U.S. Army and former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Sanford Robertson, principal of Francisco Partners; John Roos, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan; Lawrence Tomlinson, former senior vice president and treasurer of Hewlett-Packard; Robin Washington, CFO of Gilead Sciences; Maynard Webb, chairman of Yahoo! Inc.; and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube.

Background on Susan Wojcicki

• Wojcicki is currently CEO of YouTube, the world’s most popular digital video platform, which was acquired by Google in 2006.
• Prior to joining YouTube in February 2014, Wojcicki was senior vice president of Advertising & Commerce at Google, where she oversaw the design and engineering of AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, and Google Analytics.
• Wojcicki joined Google in 1999. In 2002, she began working on Google’s advertising products and over the next 12 years she led teams that helped define the vision and direction of Google’s monetization platforms.
• Wojcicki graduated with honors from Harvard University, holds a master’s in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MBA from UCLA.

About Salesforce
Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world’s #1 CRM company, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world’s #1 CRM, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

YouTube Audio Library can now be searched for ad-supported music

9to5 Staff Dec 8 2014 - 1:28 pm PT

When a content creator uploads a video to YouTube with music, an automated system called Content ID automatically matches the clip against an extensive database to see if the audio is permitted or infringes copyright. Yet, until now, it was impossible for a YouTube creator to know whether a specific track was allowed or not until after uploading a video.
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YouTube stars being offered retention bonuses in face of offers from Facebook & others

Ben Lovejoy Dec 8 2014 - 6:17 am PT

YouTube style star Michelle Phan, whose videos have 3.6M views

Top YouTube video creators are being offered bonuses in return for multi-year exclusivity deals in which they guarantee to post content on YouTube first, reports the WSJ.

Facebook Inc. and video startup Vessel, among others, have tried to lure YouTube creators to their services in recent months, according to people familiar with the discussions.

In response, Google is offering some of its top video makers bonuses to sign multiyear deals in which they agree to post content exclusively on YouTube for a time before putting it on a rival service.

YouTube is reportedly particularly concerned about subscription video startup Vessel, founded by former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar …
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YouTube for Android updated to version 6 with Material Design and new search filters (Update)

Mike Beasley Dec 5 2014 - 5:45 pm PT

YouTube for Android has finally been updated with a Material Design interface for devices running Lollipop. The entire app has been redesigned, from the “What to Watch” screen to individual channel and video pages.

Aside from the new design, the updated app also includes many new filter options for searches, allowing users to find videos that meet specific criteria. For example, you can now search only for videos that are available in HD, or have closed captioning enabled. You can also search for live streams.

Google reveals plans for kid-friendly versions of Chrome, YouTube, Search, and more

Chance Miller Dec 3 2014 - 12:41 pm PT

Earlier this year, a report emerged claiming that Google was hard at work making its services more appropriate and accessible for children. The report noted that the company wanted to overhaul its online products to allow children to legally use them. USA Today has now published a new report, confirming the rumors earlier this year regarding specific services catered to young kids. Google VP of Engineering Pavni Diwanji told the news outlet that Google is currently working on versions of its most popular products, such as Search and YouTube, for kids aged 12 and under.

Gangnam Style video so popular it forced YouTube to upgrade its viewing counter

Ben Lovejoy Dec 3 2014 - 6:04 am PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0]

A Gangnam Style video posted on the officialpsy YouTube channel has proven so popular, YouTube has been forced to upgrade its viewing counter from 32- to 64-bit, as the company explained in a Google+ post.

We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer (=2,147,483,647 views), but that was before we met PSY. “Gangnam Style” has been viewed so many times we have to upgrade!

At the time of writing, the video was showing around 5 million views above the old limit. YouTube has marked the achievement by creating a little mouse-over animation on the number.

If you want to see which video might be next in line to break the old viewing limit, Google Trends now shows the most popular videos of the day.

YouTube also recently allowed channel owners to create custom URLs to match their channel names, after a number of popular ones rebranded as they expanded their content or chose a new focus.

YouTube is now offering creators custom URLs that match their channel names

Jordan Kahn Nov 25 2014 - 9:00 am PT

YouTube will now let creators get a hold of a custom channel URL that matches their channel name. The company noted in a blog post that many YouTubers have a channel name, which is often the user-facing brand of their channel, that doesn’t match the original URL they received when first signing up for YouTube. Users that want to change their URL to match their channel name will soon have the ability to do so:

When Tati joined YouTube, her username was GlamLifeGuru, which made her channel’s URL youtube.com/GlamLifeGuru. But as her channel grew, her fans embraced “Tati” as her brand. So her channel web address — often the quickest way back for her fans to watch more of her content — didn’t match her channel name and branding… To make sure creators like Tati and all of you have a consistent place for new and existing fans to find you, we’re introducing an easier way to pick custom URLs that match your channel names and branding.

YouTube is reaching out to creators with more than 500 subscribers starting this week allowing them to claim a custom URL. The company says it will offer several URL choices that are “based on your channel’s description, Google identity and associated websites.”

It doesn’t look like users can initiate the process manually yet, but instead will have to keep an eye out for the “Get a new custom URL” notification in YouTube’s Creator Studio.

YouTube has full instructions and more info in a support document here.

PSA: Google Play Music now comes with access to YouTube Music Key

Mark Hearn Nov 20 2014 - 11:52 am PT

Last week, we found out that YouTube’s new music streaming service dubbed YouTube Music Key would be accessible to Google Play Music subscribers, however the company didn’t provide an exact date. Today, via Google Play’s official Twitter account, the search giant announced that the service is now available to Music customers at no additional charge.

YouTube Music Awards set to return in March 2015

Mark Hearn Nov 20 2014 - 11:16 am PT

After a bit of a hiatus, YouTube announced today that it’s bringing back its Music Awards for a second showing. The event is set to take place sometime in March with the Google-owned company dishing out awards to recording artists selected by its viewers. In addition to having a say-so in who receives top honors, fans will also have some type of creative influence over the content being streamed.
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Google says Play Music subscribers automatically get access to YouTube Music Key starting next week

Stephen Hall Nov 14 2014 - 9:27 am PT

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When YouTube Music Key was announced earlier this week, we were left with many details about the service unexplained. Of these, was the question of whether or not current Google Play Music subscribers were going to have access to the service automatically. While the announcement said that subscribers of Music Key would be getting All Access subscriptions included, it wasn’t exactly clear whether or not it worked the other way around. Now we have the answer:

Starting next week, as a Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll get free and complete access to the YouTube Music Key beta, a new service from YouTube where you can watch ad-free music videos, and keep the music playing in the background or when you’re offline. The Google Play Music app will also include ad-free music videos alongside select tracks. Stay tuned for more information.

In an email sent out to Google Play Music subscribers this morning, the above snippet of text explained that those who already subscribe to Google’s music service will be getting access to the Music Key beta starting “next week.” The service promises ad-free listening to music on YouTube, offline playback, and the ability to listen to music in the background on your mobile devices.

If you’re not a Google Play Music All Access subscriber and you still want to get access to the Music Key beta, head over to the Music Key splash page and hand over your email address.

YouTube launches Music Key streaming service for $10/mo: no ads, offline playback, full albums & Play Music access

Zac Hall Nov 12 2014 - 10:21 am PT

Google today officially announced its highly rumored YouTube music subscription service and its calling it YouTube Music Key. YouTube’s Music Key service with be available for a monthly subscription of $9.99 and unlock ad-free music, offline playback and video viewing, and the ability to play music in the background when using other apps.

The service is rolling out as a beta next week with a promotional price of $7.99/month, and early adopters will be able to request access from YouTube.com/MusicKey. YouTube’s Music Key beta service will be available through the YouTube apps on Android and iOS and through YouTube.com.

Google Trends updated to show top YouTube videos of the day

Stephen Hall Nov 11 2014 - 12:58 pm PT

Google Trends is a great place to go if you want to know what the web is up to on any given day; it does a great job of showing you trending search terms—and charts that put a ranking on basically everything—from almost any country in the world. Today, the functionality of this website has expanded, with Google announcing that they’ve added a new “Trending on YouTube” section which shows some of the most popular YouTube videos of the day.

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YouTube reaches deal with indie labels, plans to launch subscription streaming service “within weeks”

Jordan Kahn Nov 11 2014 - 11:36 am PT

According to a report from The Financial Times, YouTube has made a deal to license music from a long list of independent record labels for its much rumored upcoming music streaming service.

Reports that Google has been working on a new YouTube music streaming service have been popping up for over a year, but FT says the company is finally ready to launch it as it makes a deal with the rights agency representing thousands of independent labels:
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YouTube launching its second weekly SiriusXM satellite radio show on November 21st

Mark Hearn Nov 11 2014 - 7:25 am PT

A few months back, YouTube launched its own weekly radio show on SiriusXM and today the Google-owned video sharing company announced a follow up program that will start airing on November 21st. Furthering its partnership with the satellite radio heavyweight, YouTube EDM 15 will run on BPM, the broadcasting outfit’s electronic dance channel.

Google launches official YouTube app for PlayStation 4 w/ 1080p viewing and gameplay sharing

Dom Esposito Oct 29 2014 - 8:48 am PT

Google has finally made a PlayStation 4 version of its YouTube app available for download. The app can be downloaded for free via the PlayStation Store and enables features that most YouTubers/gamers have been waiting for…

Google’s new open source project lets developers add live YouTube streaming to their Android apps

Mark Hearn Oct 28 2014 - 1:44 pm PT

With the new YouTube WatchMe for Android project, developers can now integrate live streaming into their apps. Thanks to this new open source project, more third-party devs will be able to offer video streaming features similar to Sony’s Live on YouTube by – Xperia and HTC’s upcoming RE camera.

YouTube CEO once again confirms a music service is on the way as company investigates paid video subscriptions

Mike Beasley Oct 27 2014 - 10:31 pm PT

Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s CEO, said tonight during Re/code’s Code Mobile conference that the video site is still working on a subscription music service that was originally said to be debuting later this year, although the company may or may not end of meeting that estimate as it continues to hammer out the details of the offering.

YouTube confirmed in June that the service was on the way, so Wojcicki’s admission doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The service will reportedly be called YouTube Music Key and tie in with Google’s existing Play Music service.

Wojcicki indicated that the company is still trying to work out all of the details, but says she’s “optimistic” about a near-future launch, although she wouldn’t give any specific dates. The service has been under construction since 2013, and YouTube is apparently in final stages of figuring out how exactly to price it.

The CEO also said that YouTube is considering other ways to make money, perhaps by offering users the choice of a paid subscription that would eliminate ads from the site. From her remarks it seems that this isn’t something that will be launching any time soon, but is an interesting idea that’s currently being toyed with.

Google Plus and related services are currently experiencing an outage (Updated)

Dom Esposito Oct 22 2014 - 12:48 am PT

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It appears that Google Plus and related services are down at the moment. This issue was recently discovered by 9to5Google and has been confirmed by several users on Twitter. Because Google Plus is down, it seems to be affecting any other connected services such as Hangouts and even YouTube comments…

Google’s latest moves to fight pirate sites “will visibly affect rankings of most notorious sites”

Ben Lovejoy Oct 20 2014 - 6:14 am PT

Google has updated its How Google Fights Piracy report with details of its latest moves to remove pirate sites from its search results. A key element is improved automated demotion of sites that have received high numbers of DMCA takedown notices.

In August 2012 we first announced that we would downrank sites for which we received a large number of valid DMCA notices. We’ve now refined the signal in ways we expect to visibly affect the rankings of some of the most notorious sites. This update will roll out globally starting [this week].

The “most notorious sites” are likely to include rapidgator.net, filestube.com and dilandau.eu, each of which has, notes Gizmodo, received at least 11 million individual takedown requests …
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Live stream: Watch HTC’s Double Exposure event right here at 4PM ET

Chance Miller Oct 8 2014 - 12:00 pm PT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQzqjPx-50Y

After months of rumors and speculation, HTC is finally holding its Double Exposure press event today in New York City. Thankfully, for those of you not attending the event itself, the company will also be live streaming it for everyone to see on YouTube.

European Union tells Google combining user data across services without opt-out is illegal

Ben Lovejoy Sep 26 2014 - 4:07 am PT

Google has come under fire from European Union officials on a number of fronts already. It’s been accused of unfair search results, been criticized for the way it has implemented the controversial ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling and asked to stop describing apps which offer in-app purchases as ‘free.’

Reuters now reports that the EU believes Google is breaking the law in combining user data across unrelated services like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps without offering users an opt-out, and the way in which it has consolidated 60 separate privacy policies into one …
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YouTube once again looking to help fund original content

Chance Miller Sep 18 2014 - 5:10 pm PT

YouTube announced this evening in a blog post that, once again, it plans to start funding original content. Two years ago, YouTube announced plans to spend more than $100 million to get content creators to create YouTube channels on which to share videos. With that plan, they focused on bringing in outside entertainers. With this new push, however, YouTube says it will focus on helping the self-funded and self-published stars on the site grow.