Skip to main content

YouTube Turns Five…And Easily Beats Prime Time TV

Believe it or not, Google’s online video sharing site YouTube is now five years old. Despite being something of a lawsuit magnet for corporate owner Google—and despite the fact Google is still working out exactly how to make money from YouTube—the site nonetheless racks up some impressive stats. According to Google, YouTube is now pushing more than two billion videos per day to Internet users…and that translates to more than double the prime time audience of the three major U.S. broadcast networks.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

“What started as a site for bedroom vloggers and viral videos has evolved into a global platform that supports HD and 3D, broadcasts entire sports seasons live to 200+ countries,” co-founder Chad Hurley wrote in the YouTube blog. “We bring feature films from Hollywood studios and independent filmmakers to far-flung audiences. Activists document social unrest seeking to transform societies, and leading civic and political figures stream interviews to the world.”

YouTube is launching a “Five Year Channel,” where used can upload videos showing how youTube has changed or impacted their lives.

Despite YouTube’s popularity, Google spent some $1.65 billion to acquire the service way back in 2006…and has yet to make any money off it. However, earlier this year Google CEO Eric Schmidt said 2010 might finally be the year YouTube creeps into profitability.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Celebrate our 1,000,000 YouTube subscriber milestone with us and win!
YouTube Subscriber Giveaway

Digital Trends 1,000,000 YouTube Subscriber Giveaway!

We did it! On November 27, 2022, the Digital Trends YouTube channel reached a major milestone: 1 million subscribers! We’ve been counting down for weeks, and now that the moment has finally arrived, we’re ready to celebrate with those who helped us get here (you!) by giving away more than $4,500 in prizes!

Read more
How to post a Short on YouTube
Two mobile devices showing two people dancing in YouTube Shorts videos.

Shorts are short-form videos and they're basically YouTube's answer to TikTok. And similar to how you can create and post TikTok videos using the TikTok app, you can record, edit, and post Shorts directly from the YouTube mobile app.

And in this guide, we're going to show you how to do just that. Keep reading to learn how to post a Short on YouTube.

Read more
What is Ambient Mode on YouTube?
The red and white YouTube logo on a phone screen. The phone is on a white background.

YouTube recently announced a number of changes to its video-watching interface. One of these changes is a new feature known as Ambient Mode.

In this guide, we'll go over exactly what Ambient Mode on YouTube is and show you how to enable or disable it.
What is Ambient Mode on YouTube?
Ambient Mode is basically a lighting effect that surrounds a given YouTube video with a soft, glowing light that usually reflects the colors featured in the video itself. The effect kind of resembles the glow of a television screen in a room where the lights are off (which YouTube has said was the inspiration for the effect). YouTube also said that Ambient Mode is supposed to make the video-watching experience of its dark mode "more immersive." Ambient Mode was officially announced in late-October 2022 and is available on the web, Android, and iOS.

Read more