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YouTube CEO apologizes for channel verification mess (updated)
YouTube came under fire Thursday after changes to its verification program meant several prominent YouTubers will lose the coveted status. CEO Susan Wojcicki has since apologized for the "frustration and hurt that we caused with our new approach to verification." Update (6:25 PM ET): Wojcicki has announced that currently verified channels will keep their badges without needing to appeal.
YouTube execs reportedly shrugged off warnings about toxic videos
YouTube leaders ignored proposals to alter recommendations to stamp out toxic videos and to tackle conspiracy theories, several former and current employees told Bloomberg. Executives were more concerned with keeping viewers engaged, according to the report.
Even the YouTube CEO's kids thought that Rewind video was 'cringey'
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has published some thoughts about the year ahead for the platform. But as well as looking forward, she took a little time to reflect on recent events, including the Rewind 2018 debacle. The widely derided recap of YouTube's year is the site's most-disliked video with almost 16 million thumbs down ratings, and even Wojcicki's own kids thought it stunk.
YouTube CEO says proposed EU copyright law threatens creators
Europe is currently considering new legislation that would require companies like Google and Facebook to scan all uploaded content and remove any copyrighted material. Known as Article 13, the move has faced a lot of pushback, and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has addressed the issue in her latest letter to creators. "This growing creative economy is at risk, as the EU Parliament voted on Article 13, copyright legislation that could drastically change the internet that you see today," she wrote.
YouTube gets 1.8 billion logged-in viewers monthly
On stage today at Radio City Music Hall, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki made a surprising revelation: the service gets 1.8 billion logged-in viewers every month. And that doesn't include people who aren't logged in -- which means the actual number of people watching YouTube is definitely much higher. Last June, the service had 1.5 billion logged-in watchers. On TVs alone, people are now watching 150 million hours of YouTube every day. The latest figures are yet another sign that YouTube's reach is staggering, something that Wojcicki wanted to make crystal clear for the audience of advertisers and potential partners at its annual BrandCast event.
YouTube CEO talks misinformation, creators and comments at SXSW
YouTube's presence at SXSW 2018 extended beyond its Story HQ, a space where it turned ads into videos that feel more like art. The company's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, was part of a panel at the event titled "Navigating the Video Revolution in the Digital Age." There, she talked about a wide range of topics, including experiments for YouTube's comments section and how much money creators are making. But the biggest news Wojcicki dropped on stage was about a new feature she called "information cues," which will help fight hoaxes by linking viewers to articles on Wikipedia that debunks those.
YouTube plans 'information cues' to combat hoaxes
During a talk at SXSW 2018, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki revealed one way her company will push back against the spread of misinformation. "Information cues" including a text box linking to a third party source like Wikipedia could appear under some videos that could debunk hoaxes around "widely accepted events" like the moon landing. While she said that YouTube is "not a news organization" she said that it wants to deliver the "right information." At least at first, however, the boxes will only appear around videos regarding conspiracies that have "significant debate."
We're live from SXSW 2018!
We have arrived in Austin, Texas for the 2018 edition of SXSW, the festival that showcases some of the best things in the tech (interactive), film and music industries. This year, we'll be taking a look at HBO's Westworld installation here on the ground, which promises to be one of the most exciting events at the show. We'll also attend panels featuring Apple's Eddy Cue and YouTube's CEO Susan Wojcicki, among others, as well cover new gadgets like Bose's audio-focused augmented-reality glasses. You can keep up with all the news from SXSW by bookmarking this page here.
YouTube will address ‘egregious’ acts by creators in new policies
The massive backlash to Logan Paul's Aokigahara forest video pushed YouTube to make a few changes in how it handles the content it hosts. The company took some specific actions against Paul himself, putting his original projects on hold and pulling his Preferred status, but it has also begun to tweak its policies and regulations overall. Now, in a blog post, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki says there are more changes to come. "We're also currently developing policies that would lead to consequences if a creator does something egregious that causes significant harm to our community as a whole," she wrote. "While these instances are rare, they can damage the reputation and revenue of your fellow creators, so we want to make sure we have policies in place that allow us to respond appropriately."
YouTube's 2017 lineup of Red Originals includes six new shows
Other than its innovated VR180 format and YouTube TV expansion, Google's video streaming site found time to mention its subscription package during Vidcon 2017. For 2017 the YouTube Red Originals lineup has a mix of new series on the way including an eSports comedy from Dan Harmon (Community) called Good Game starring Game Grumps personalities Dan Avidan and Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson, and its first reality series, Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge. As far as renewals, we knew of a cancellation for PewDiePie's show, but one of Red's first shows, Foursome, will return for a third go-round, alongside four other returning series and one movie sequel. YouTube also finally dropped a number showing some of the activity on its service, saying its originals have notched "nearly" a quarter billion views. After the break, check out a quick teaser trailer for the new shows plus more details on all of them.
YouTube's 'VR180' format works on screens and in headsets
At today's Vidcon event, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki rolled out a new format for videos called VR180. Intended to split the difference between 360/VR formats and standard videos, it lets creators shoot videos that are immersive when viewed in a virtual reality headset, but still have a normal perspective -- with slight stretching and flattening -- for anyone watching on their 2D computer screen or phone. The Daydream team is apparently working with Lenovo, LG, and YI Technology to build new cameras that will record in the format, which creators will be able to edit using tools like Adobe Premiere.
Google hires industry vet Lyor Cohen as YouTube's head of music
In a music world where exclusives and direct ties to artists are increasingly important, Google is hoping to give YouTube a boost with its latest hire: Lyor Cohen. The former Def Jam president has most recently been heading up his 300 Entertainment label that started in 2013 with financial backing from companies that included Google. In a letter to employees, Cohen said he will continue running 300, which has been home to artists including Fetty Wap, Migos and Young Thug for another 60 days.
23andMe given permission to offer some limited health reports
23andMe has been given the green light to resume some, but not all, of the health reporting that the FDA prohibited it from carrying out in 2013. The startup launched with the pitch that a sample of your saliva was enough to tell you where your ancestors came from as well as if you would go bald in old age. Controversially, the company also told you if you were at risk of a wide variety of diseases, but never asked for permission to do so. That's why regulators shut it down, since the outfit was unable to supply the data to prove that the tests were accurate.
YouTube has a new mobile app now, 3D VR video coming soon
During a keynote speech tonight at the 6th annual Vidcon event, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced a new version of its mobile app. Available on Android and mobile web browsers now (iOS coming soon), it makes it easier for creators to publish and edit directly in the app, and easier for viewers to subscribe to a channel with just one button touch (and with ten million of those touches, channel owners can earn the new Diamond play button reward). The redesign even puts your subscriptions and profile right at the top for easy access. This is also the version that adds the ability to watch those vertical videos in full screen, so expect that to come your way soon if you don't have it already. Update: An update to the iOS app is out that brings fullscreen vertical video support to your iPhone too.
YouTube CEO confirms music subscription service is coming soon
There have been plenty of rumors about YouTube starting up a music subscription service, including a confirmation from the Google-owned group in June that it was coming later in the summer (which has obviously come and gone). Tonight we heard another confirmation, this time straight from the mouth of CEO Susan Wojcicki. In an interview at Code/Mobile, the executive said that her team was indeed "working on it" and that this is a near-term goal. While she didn't get into specifics on the program, which may or may not be called Music Key (according to rumors, that is), she stated that one of the obstacles is figuring out "how to give people options" -- likely a way of saying that YouTube is still working out the pricing tiers and what features would be available for each individual plan. And given that the service will supposedly include concert footage and other videos, it may be a bit more complex than what competitors like Spotify offer. It's not clear when exactly we'll see this service ready for the public, but this is at least a solid indication that it didn't just completely vanish, never to be enjoyed by our eyes and ears. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Google refocuses under Larry Page; Eric Schmidt says Microsoft is bigger competition than Facebook
Now that the dust has settled from the Google CEO shuffle that will see Larry Page take the top spot from Eric Schmidt in April, it's time for the profiles of the company to hit -- and Bloomberg BusinessWeek is up first with a piece that examines the company's past and future challenges, as well the key leaders of what it calls "Google 3.0": Vic Gundotra, who's heading up a now-not-so-secret social networking initiative called Google +1, Android chief Andy Rubin, YouTube head Salar Kamangar, advertising lead Susan Wojcicki, Chrome head Sundar Pichai, and search leads Udi Manber and Amit Singhal. It's all very fascinating, and it includes some great anecdotes, like Vic Gundotra and Phil Schiller getting into an argument about user location-tracking so heated that Eric Schmidt and Steve Jobs had to intervene. Yeah, it's like that. Speaking of Eric Schmidt, he was in Davos this week, and he had some choice words for reporters on Google's competition -- and it's not Facebook. "Microsoft has more cash, more engineers, more global reach. We see competition from Microsoft every day," says Eric, while Facebook "has clearly stated they don't want to get into the search business. Facebook users tend to use Google search." As for Apple, he gave the usual line about both partnering with and competing with Cupertino, while taking a moment to laud Steve Jobs as "the most successful CEO in the world anywhere," who's built an "elegant, scalable, closed system" while "Google is attempting to do something with a completely different approach." Spoken like a true frenemy, we suppose. Check out the source links to read both pieces.
