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YouTube has announced that is is opening a program for a "small group" of providers who will offer a subscription service of video content starting at $1 per month, but averaging overall just over $3 per channel. Starting today, partners such as Sesame Street, UFC, National Geographic, Jim Henson and the rest of the test channels will offer paid content with a 14-day free trial.
Google has created a new map that shows videos trending on YouTube by area. The Trends Map displays the most popular videos being viewed in major markets across the US, with the added option of viewing the top videos in areas by age band and gender. While it is covering the United States initially, the YouTube Trends blog states that there are updates due in future, which could include providing data on regional viewing habits in other countries.
Google will launch a paid subscription service for YouTube channels in order to increase per-video revenues, according to a report. The search giant will allegedly allow a number of channels to charge as little as $1.99 per month for access to video content, and could be officially announced at some point this week.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt is big on YouTube, saying that the Google-owned video sharing service is the way of the future. Speaking at an event for advertisers and brands this week, Schmidt said that YouTube enables an interactivity that's not possible on regular television. The service recently passed one billion unique users, and Schmidt believes it will determine the way that video content is consumed from here forward.
Google today announced that starting later this week, all US Congressional members will have access to YouTube channel "enhanced features." While no pertinent details have emerged from the search engine, the new permissions allows the elected officials to live stream video, much the same way that the State of the Union address was broadcast on the video streaming service.
After a three-year gap, the judge that ruled against Viacom declaring that YouTube was protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has reaffirmed his earlier ruling. In doing so, he has confirmed that YouTube and owner Google are protected against copyright violation claims and penalties for infringement by users.
On Monday, Google updated its YouTube app for iOS (free) with support for live streaming, one channel branding for video content creators, additional AirPlay and other wireless-video support for non-AirPlay devices such as smart TVs, a subscription feed to allow users to quickly find new videos on the channels they are subscribed to and general stability and performance enhancements. The live streaming feature will add native support for the previously web-only feature, which runs special events as a live telecast.
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley has revealed the name of his upcoming video collaboration site, while also poking fun at his previous endeavors. MixBit was officially named by Hurley on Twitter, after hinting in a SXSW talk last month that he was close to finally launching the service, and claims it is not a competitor to YouTube
Google has created a set of APIs for sending video content from games to YouTube. The new APIs will make it easier for game developers to offer players the option of uploading gameplay recordings to the site, as well as being able to broadcast gameplay footage live as the game is played on a console.
According to a report on the official YouTube blog, in eight years the video streaming service has built up to more than a billion unique users per month. As a result of the success, the company notes that all of the Ad Age Top 100 brands have campaigns on the Google-owned service.
TV network CBS has launched a new, self-named app for the iPhone and iPad. The software allows streaming of CBS shows within 24 hours of their original broadcast time, with the exception of new episodes of primetime programs, which are only available eight days after broadcast. Once the fall season starts the title will integrate with the CBS Connect app, letting people use an iOS device as a second screen, with things like synced content and integrated social network feeds.
One of the co-founders of YouTube is working on a new project that also uses video. Chad Hurley revealed he was working on something during a talk at SXSW, and though mentioning it would be used for content creation, opted not to offer any further details ahead of its launch, itself expected to be within the next few months.
Google is planning to launch a music streaming service by the end of this year, according to a report. The search giant will apparently be leveraging YouTube to offer a subscription music service to users, something that would place Google directly competing with other music services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio.
British free-to-air satellite television provider Freesat will be allowing users to view YouTube videos through it's set-top box. The app will soon launch on the service under it's web-based On Demand service, and joins existing streaming offerings from the BBC, ITV, and soon Channel 4 and Channel 5.
A court in Egypt has ordered for video sharing site YouTube to be blocked for hosting a video deemed blasphemous by a number of parties. Access to YouTube will be restricted over a 30-day period as it continues to offer the film "Innocence of Muslims" for viewing, something which has already provoked strong reactions in the last few months.
Google and Microsoft's competition in the search market has resulted in Google blocking phones running Microsoft's Windows Phone platform from operating properly with Google-owned YouTube, according to Microsoft representatives. The allegation came today as part of a larger explanation of Microsoft's ongoing effort to encourage regulators to take action against the search giant for anticompetitive actions. According to Microsoft, Google executives have told YouTube personnel "not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones."
Pakistan lifted its ban on video-sharing site YouTube, only to block it shortly afterwards. The block, originally started due to content deemed blasphemous appearing on the service, has seen the website inaccessible within the country, though both the length of time and the reasons for the block being reinstated varies between reports.
Google-owned YouTube has finally launched its Android API, which will allow developers to more fully integrate their apps with the world's most popular video sharing service. The new API allows developers to embed high-quality videos without having to route users to YouTube's website. The API was pre-announced at this year's Google I/O, but launched just yesterday in an experimental form. YouTube does not expect that there will be any major interface changes going forward.
Google has launched YouTube Capture, a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The title lets people shoot video specifically for uploading to YouTube. Unlike Apple's native Camera app, though, Capture includes a variety of editing functions, including not just trimming but color correction, stabilization, and the option of adding backing music. Once a video is ready, it can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Google+ simultaneously. The app is a free download and requires iOS 5.
Google's YouTube is taking to the air in its latest bid to supplant traditional television, as content from the Google-owned streaming service will now be featured as in-flight entertainment on Virgin America's flights in the US and Mexico. The partnership will see Virgin making five YouTube channels available on its in-flight entertainment system starting December 15. The deal is part of Virgin America's ongoing effort to quadruple the number of videos it would offer on its in-flight entertainment systems.
Following a nearly three-month gap with no official app for Apple's latest iOS devices, Google has released a version of its iPhone YouTube app optimized for the iPad and iPhone 5. The new universal version also adds video streaming with AirPlay, a feature missing from the original iOS 6 version of the app, which worked only with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Google originally released a version just before the launch of iOS 6, which brought some new features (and also ads for the first time), but left out iPad compatibility.
In the near future, a software update will give owners of Samsung's Galaxy Note II versions of YouTube and Gmail that are compatible with the device's novel multi-window feature. This according to the Twitter account for Samsung Support USA, which confirmed that the feature would be "available soon." The multi-window feature allows users to split their screens to show multiple apps at the same time, but not all apps are compatible with it.
As expected, the Boxee TV is now available for purchase at Walmart. The big box store chain is the only retail location to purchase the device, with online purchasing at Boxee's site the other option. The $98 piece of hardware includes a digital antenna, and word is buyers will get a three-month trial period to the No Limits DVR service.
Walmart will begin stocking the Boxee TV at 3,000 of its locations across the US starting on November 1, the two revealed. The device will sell for $98 and Walmart will set up displays just for the device along with dedicated marketing materials. Other than streaming Netflix and YouTube content, the device can also pick up free over the air content in HD.
Boxee, which traditionally made products that focused on streaming multimedia content from local storage and the web, has now introduced the aptly named Boxee TV. It will let users watch live TV content from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and other channels in high definition. It also doubles as a DVR and bring Internet Apps to a connected HDTV.
Google has broken a record for streaming a live event. A 120,000-foot parachute jump by Felix Baumgartner on the Red Bull Stratos project saw over 8 million simultaneous live streams running through YouTube, alongside live television coverage of the balloon's launch, the skydive, and the landing.
Google has accelerated its plans for premium channels on YouTube for the next year. Funds for a further 60 original channels have been advanced to content creators in the US, France, Germany, and the UK, which will add to the existing 100-channel YouTube programming roster created in the last 12 months.
Authorities in Iran have unblocked access to Google's email service, it was announced today. Access to Gmail had been blocked last week in protest over a YouTube video that had been deemed blasphemous by religious leaders. Reuters reports that the reversal came partly as a result of complaints from officials within Iran's own government, and Iranian officials now claim that the blocking of Gmail was unintentional.
Google's Brazilian unit announced today that the company would be complying with a court order calling for Google to take down a YouTube video critical of a Brazilian mayoral candidate. The video had been the source of some conflict between the Brazilian court and the world's largest search engine, with the court ordering the arrest of a Google executive yesterday. Now, though, Reuters reports that Google will remove the video, though the company lamented it would not be afforded the opportunity to debate the free speech and expression implications of the controversy surrounding the order.
Fabio Coelho, president of Google's Brazilian operations, was arrested today in São Paulo after the search giant failed to comply with a court order to take down a YouTube video. As the BBC reported, a Judge ordered Coelho's arrest yesterday, and Brazilian site G1 confirms that Federal Police took Coelho into custody today. Coelho will not remain under arrest, according to the police, but will be released upon signing a document in which he commits to obey a subpoena.
Iran has blocked its citizens from accessing Google and Gmail. The country is blocking access to the web giant's websites as part of the ongoing protests over a YouTube video deemed blasphemous by religious leaders, however some see it as the first stage in the country creating its own national network, separate from the Internet.
Google was one of many on Tuesday to reveal that it has signed a new deal with Twentieth Century Fox to bring over 600 titles to Google Play and YouTube. Dubbed Digital HD and available on the premium services, the shows and movies will be available to rent or buy, with many in high-definition. The campaign is highlighted by Fox's Prometheus, which can be purchased on Tuesday in HD for just under $15, a full three weeks before it comes out on Blu-ray, DVD, and video-on-demand services.
YouTube has been banned in Pakistan after Google refused to remove a video deemed "blasphemous" from the site. Prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has ordered the Ministry of Information and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block the site, preventing the country's inhabitants from viewing a controversial video mocking the prophet Muhammad.
Malaysia-based Syabas this week revealed its upcoming networked media player, the Popcorn Hour A-400. The most significant upgrade compared to the previous A-300 media player is the ability to playback 3D video content, though a Blu-ray drive isn't present. It also gets advanced features like detail enhancement and debanding.
Google is streaming the 2012 London Summer Paralympic Games live on YouTube. Over 500 hours of live competitions accompanied by real-time commenting will be available to viewers in the US and Canada through the ParalympicSportsTV channel, in lieu of sufficient viewing options through other broadcasters.
September is shaping up to be a busy month for new product announcements, as Nokia has its Nokia World event on September 5, where Windows Phone 8 devices are expected to be debuted, while Motorola and Intel have an event of their own scheduled for September 18. The reveal at this event is expected to be an Intel Medfield-powered phone. The teaser invitation for the event reveals that it will be held at the Victoria House in London.
Teenaged Americans will more readily turn to YouTube to listen to music than they will any other source. This according to a new study out from Nielsen Music 360, which found that, though radio remains the most popular medium for discovering new music, Google's video streaming site is more popular than radio, iTunes, or CDs when it comes to listening. The study also revealed that nearly half of teens have radio apps on their smartphones and that digital music has surpassed physical CDs in terms of perception of value.
YouTube has just detailed a new application for Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming console. The app should up the experience of the movie-sharing resource, which was always accessible through Sony's Flash-ready browser. The app will also allow users to use their smartphones to control the playback on the big screen.
Canon North America has just announced the launch of its dedicated YouTube channel that gives visitors the chance to learn about the company's products. The videos currently up are fairly short, but don't go in-depth. Still, there are a few beginner-friendly tips and tricks for setting up and using the features of various Canon products, including the EOS DSLRs, point-and-shoot cameras, and flashes.
In a surprise move, Apple has stripped the native YouTube app out of iOS 6 beta 4, developers note. The app has been a staple of iOS since 2007, when Apple in fact promoted it as one of the original iPhone's selling points. Google has since fallen out of Apple's favor, though, and the iOS 6 version of Maps substitutes Google content either with Apple's work or content created by a host of third parties. Apple has explained the YouTube change in a statement. "Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store," the company says.
Google is putting another $200 million towards the YouTube premium channel experiment it is conducting. The extra funding would go towards marketing the channels to a wider audience, and to build upon the existing content that benefited from the original $150 million funding, according to the Wall Street Journal. So far, nearly 100 channels have been created this year, ten of which average more than one million views a week.
Google has built a studio dedicated to filming YouTube video. The "creator space" in Google's London offices will be open to YouTube filmmakers in the next few weeks, allowing them to create new works for the streaming service with the space, equipment, and advice from more experienced video professionals and the YouTube Next Lab team.
YouTube has launched a new feature for its video-sharing service, allowing video owners to make their subjects anonymous and thus protect their identities. This could prove useful when uploading political protests or less sensitive footage such as kids' games. The blur can be applied to new or existing videos and is available under the Video Enhancements tool and Additional Features.
YouTube is partnering with French content producers to bring premium channels like those seen in the US to its French operations. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, the premium offerings are due to launch in October, and the company is in the final stages of negotiations with content makers. The planned channels are said to include content from high-profile producers such as Oscar winner Jean Dujardin and Endemol.
Google Australia and Lego have created Build, a WebGL-based Lego construction app. Users can claim a plot of land on a map of Australia and New Zealand, and can build an object on a 32x32 starting base. Using 12 shapes in 10 different colors, builds can be saved and viewed by others on the Build with Chrome website. In a blog post, Google Australia voices hope that Build will expand to more regions in the future.
Google isn't shedding any light on how much money the company is pulling in from YouTube, but one analyst says that revenues for the video-sharing site may be massive. As AllThingsD has noted, Citi analyst Mark Mahaney pegs YouTube's 2012 gross revenues at more than $3.6 billion per year. That figure is more than twice the amount Mahaney predicted in 2011.
YouTube will be streaming the London 2012 Olympic Games to countries in Asia and Africa. The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) YouTube channel will be streaming various live feeds from the games, allowing potential viewers the chance to see the events in countries where it may not normally be broadcast. The countries list, including 42 Sub-Saharan African territories, was made public yesterday on the official Olympic website.
Netgear has now followed up its NeoTV 200 media hub with a new NeoTV Pro version that most significantly adds support for Intel's WiDi tech. This lets compatible Intel desktops and notebooks wirelessly stream what's on their displays through the media hub to an HDTV. The box otherwise retains the same Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube, and Pandora streaming of the original.
Courts in France have sided with YouTube in its copyright fight with French TV channel TF1. The Tribunal de Grande Instance heard from TF1 that users of YouTube uploaded clips of films and sports that the channel had rights to, with an expectation of €141 million ($176 million) in damages, but instead chose to rule in favor of the Google-owned video site. TF1 has been ordered to pay $99,000 in legal fees to Google, but is considering appealing, writes The New York Times.
Space X has launched its Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS), aiming to become the first private company to take on the task. While the live webcast of the launch and flight is now finished, a recap is available online and it can be also be watched below, although from a different source. The unmanned mission will take a few days to reach the space station, and eventually, the plan is to offer space travel to Mars as well.
