Follow the audience...

It has been an exciting year of growth for YouTube and its partners.

We recently announced that YouTube hit an incredible milestone of 1 billion unique monthly visitors, connecting 15 percent of the planet to the videos they love. And those global fan communities are watching more than 6 billion hours of video each month on YouTube; almost an hour a month for every person on Earth and 50 percent more this year than last.

In addition, media companies like Time Warner, The Chernin Group, Bertelsman, Discovery Communications and Comcast have all made significant investments in companies that create, aggregate or service content for YouTube in the last 12 months. And tonight at our Brandcast event for advertisers in New York, another major media company continued that momentum. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that his company acquired AwesomenessTV, one of the most subscribed-to, teen-focused networks on YouTube. This acquisition gives DreamWorks an opportunity to align itself with Brian Robbins’ powerful, next-generation, online video powerhouse. By partnering with more than 55,000 YouTube channels that collectively represent more than 14 million subscribers and almost 800 million video views, Brian successfully created a YouTube network comprised of one of the most valuable consumer groups--Generation C. This audience is defined by its desire to be constantly connected, and at the center of creating and curating content for social communities.

DreamWorks Animation’s major announcement underscores a shift in consumer behavior, and now, Nielsen has further amplified this point by concluding that YouTube reaches more U.S. adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. And history--from the transition to radio, then TV, from network to cable--tells us that advertisers always follow the audience. In line with that trend, we also unveiled this evening that the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment (AFE)--a group of nearly 40 national advertisers, whose combined ad spend represents 37 percent of all U.S. television advertising dollars--will buy media across 32 channels of family-friendly content on YouTube.

Much like our content creators, we find that brands on YouTube--like T-Mobile, Samsung, Dove and Pepsi--all share a common objective: to cultivate a direct relationship with their consumers--one built on engagement and authenticity. These companies know that on YouTube, it isn’t just about rallying behind one show; it is about reaching the passionate fan communities of Gen C, an audience that influences more than $500 billion in annual consumer spending. As a result, we’re seeing a myriad of brands increasing their media spend, building channels, and discovering first-hand that the interactions they have with their fans on YouTube drive engagement.

Content creators have long recognized the power of YouTube’s platform to connect with an audience. Advertisers are increasingly doing the same. Together we’ll continue to build YouTube as a global destination for the next generation of entertainment.



Robert Kyncl, Vice President, Global Head of Content Partnerships for YouTube recently watched "Brent and Johnson - Equality Street."
To learn more about how brands can reach key audiences on YouTube, please visit our AdWords Agency Blog.

Congress, now live on YouTube

Video plays a powerful role in bringing us closer together, especially when it connects people in real time. By transcending borders, empowering citizens, and increasing transparency, it’s one of the many ways technology allows democracy to thrive. Starting this week, all members of the U.S. Congress will have the opportunity to access enhanced features on their YouTube channels, including the ability to live stream video.

Live video is already allowing elected officials and their constituents to reach one another in innovative ways. Thousands tuned in to YouTube to watch the president’s State of the Union address and the corresponding Republican response this February. Engagement is growing across many types of platforms--Google+ Hangouts, for example, have sparked face-to-face conversations on topics ranging from gun control to the national economy, and have allowed people on the other side of the world to share their stories at Congressional hearings.

If you’re a member of Congress and would like to know more, check out these Dear Colleague letters issued by the House and Senate. Whether it’s to share a look into your daily work, broadcast speeches and meetings, or showcase events in your state or district, we can’t wait to see how you connect with your constituents.

Robert Kyncl, Vice President, Global Head of Content Partnerships for YouTube recently watched "Dove Real Beauty Sketches" & Susan Molinari, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Relations recently watched “If there's one thing you do today, get a business online.”

ManjulasKitchen is our April On The Rise partner

Congratulations to chef Manjula, our featured "On The Rise" partner this month. Her YouTube channel, ManjulasKitchen, is in the spotlight on the YouTube Spotlight channel today.

Manjula has posted cooking videos on YouTube for more than six years, but her history with the kitchen dates back to her childhood in North India, where she assisted her mother with cooking for their family. From a young age, Manjula learned the importance of fresh ingredients and simple spices. She carried this knowledge and experience with her to the United States many years later, and continued to hone her craft. Her loyal following on YouTube includes beginners and experienced chefs who are also interested in producing authentic Indian vegetarian cuisine. Check out Manjula’s channel to learn for yourself how to make chai masala tea, sweet almond brittle, or classic Indian vegetable curry. You’ll appreciate the clear video walkthrough as well as the written instructions you’ll find for each recipe, and we’re betting the end result will delight you as well!


Manjula has a few words to share:

I would first like to acknowledge and thank my subscribers and everyone who voted for me. I truly enjoy creating these recipes and sharing with you. I take a lot of pride in my work through Manjula's Kitchen. I often spend a lot of time perfecting each recipe. I have to admit that the right recipe and the right combination of ingredients is not always the easiest to come up with! Despite this, I must say I truly enjoy this process. You, the viewers, have given me so much love and encouragement over the years. Your feedback and enthusiasm for Manjula's Kitchen is invaluable. It has really given me the motivation and desire to continue coming up with creative and new recipes to share with you. YouTube has given me a wonderful platform to promote my passion and love for cooking.

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series, and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the YouTube Creators channel. You can participate and help us surface YouTube talent by nominating a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who drive more watch time and produce engaging content on a regular basis. See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched "Lie Witness News - Coachella 2013."

Vampire Weekend + Steve Buscemi = One awesome YouTube live streamed concert this Sunday

If you’ve ever spent a Sunday night enjoying "Boardwalk Empire" or rocking out to (and properly using the) "Oxford Comma," you’re in for a treat this weekend.

On Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, Vampire Weekend will perform a concert directed by none other than award-winning actor, director and producer Steve Buscemi to close out this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. And the best news of all is that you won’t need tickets to the Roseland Ballroom to take in the show. You can experience the entire event from the comfort of your couch via YouTube.



This concert, which is a lead-up to the release of Vampire Weekend’s next album, marks the 12th installment of “American Express Unstaged,” a concert series in partnership with YouTube and VEVO that brings together musical artists and film directors to create innovative performances.

The show’s sure to be full of great songs and surprises, including an opportunity for fans at home to unlock an exclusive BACKSTAGED performance, so mark your calendar and be sure to tune in. Here’s some trivia you may not even know: just last month, vocalist and bassist Chris Baio learned he’s actually related to Buscemi (thank you, genealogy websites).

Check out Vampire Weekend’s channel to see new, exclusive videos from this zany collaboration. We can’t wait to see what happens live.

Nicola Young, Marketing Programs Manager, recently watched "How to Destroy Angels - Ice Age - Live From Coachella, April 12, 2013."

YouTube wins case against Viacom (again)

Today is an important day for the Internet. For the second time, a federal court correctly rejected Viacom’s lawsuit against YouTube. This is a win not just for YouTube, but for the billions of people worldwide who depend on the web to freely exchange ideas and information.

In enacting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Congress effectively balanced the public interest in free expression with the rights of copyright holders. The court today reaffirmed an established judicial consensus that the DMCA protects web platforms like YouTube that work with rightsholders and take appropriate steps to remove user-generated content that rightsholders notify them is infringing.

The growing YouTube community includes not only a billion individual users, but tens of thousands of partners who earn revenue from the platform -- from independent musicians and creators to some of the world’s biggest record labels, movie studios, and news organizations. Today’s decision recognizes YouTube as a thriving and vibrant forum for all these users, creators and consumers alike. Today is an important day for the Internet.

Kent Walker, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Google

And the winners are ...

Since its inception, organizations and individuals looking to change the world have used YouTube to rally an audience around a cause. Working at YouTube, we love seeing inspiring videos shared around the world everyday. “Good” videos have in turn inspired us to build tools to make it easier to run a campaign on YouTube and turn video views into action. We’ve made a 30-page “Playbook for Good” full of best practices to help you make the most inspiring and impactful cause videos possible and the videos just keep getting better and better.

That is why, for the fourth year in a row, we joined with See3 Communications to run the annual DoGooder Video Awards to recognize the year’s best nonprofit and cause videos. This year there were four different categories. And, for the first time, we accepted videos from creators looking to change the world one view at a time, not just nonprofit organizations.

The finalists chosen in the first round were all excellent examples of how far "cause video" has come since we first launched the YouTube Nonprofit Program in 2007. Nonprofits (and other DoGooders) are becoming increasingly savvy with online video; they're making funny, creative, episodic, and interactive cause-related content. They’re turning video views into awareness, petition signatures, donations, volunteer hours, and more. The four winners were chosen from more than a dozen finalists by public voting. Here they are:

Best Nonprofit Video Award: Follow the Frog 



The Rainforest Alliance’s “Follow the Frog” is a humorous tale of a well-intentioned epic misadventure, showing that sustainability-minded consumer choices can be more effective for change than vigilante conservation.

Change Agent Award: 350km message for women with ovarian cancer



After losing his mother to cancer, Raf Bauer set out on a 350-kilometer walk across Scotland to raise awareness and funds for Target Ovarian Cancer.

Funny for Good: No Joke. Choice Matters. Everywhere.



Pathfinder International’s “No Joke. Choice Matters. Everywhere.” comically portrays the difficulties many women face when trying to access reproductive health care. While presented in a comical light, the video outlines actions to help women for whom a lack of access to health care is no joke.

ImpactX Award: END7: How to Shock a Celebrity



The Sabin Vaccine Institute’s “How to Shock a Celebrity” successfully brought attention to seven Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) and helped generate funds to end these diseases by 2020. The campaign used video to, first, grab attention and then present a solution that donors could easily fund. The video translated into donations that averaged 20 cents per view. At more than 220,000 views, that’s quite a few vaccines, considering it only takes 50 cents to provide one person with treatment and protection against all seven NTDs for up to one year.

You can check out all of the 2013 finalists here.

Jessica Mason, YouTube for Good, recently watched African Men. Hollywood Stereotypes. [mamahope.org]

Heyyyy, sexy music fans: PSY to perform new single live on YouTube this Saturday

After putting Seoul’s Gangnam district on the map and single-handedly reviving the powder blue tux, PSY’s got big plans this weekend and you’re invited to get involved.

Less than four months after he shattered records by hitting the 1 billion mark, the artist who made K-Pop global is back to perform his second single, “Gentleman” live for the first time ever. Where? On YouTube, of course.

This Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Korean Standard Time (2:30 a.m. PST), PSY will kick off a live streamed concert from the Seoul World Cup Stadium and share his new single with the world. You can check out the action at www.youtube.com/officialpsy, where the concert will be rebroadcast for 24 hours after the live event.

In the meantime, check out this message from our favorite sunglass-rocking pop star himself and make sure to mark your calendars for this Saturday.

Sun Lee, Product Marketing Manager, APAC YouTube recently watched "TEENS REACT TO GANGNAM STYLE," and Ali Rivera, West Coast Head Artist Label Relations, recently watched “BABY TWINS DANCING TO GANGNAM STYLE.”

Introducing Your April 'On The Rise' Nominees

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your help, we’re excited to share four partners who are just shy of that milestone this month. The nominees this April are each invested in a specific craft that helps them stand out on YouTube: friendship bracelets, guitars, skateboards, and cooking.

Here’s where you come in--you actually have the chance to help push these partners even further on YouTube. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like psychosoprano and devinanderica have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until April 17, 5 p.m. PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on April 30.

beyondbracelets
Lisa has been making friendship bracelets for the past 15 years and has now expanded into string crafts. Her channel hosts tutorials on making a variety of bracelets out of different materials and is organized by level so you can learn regardless of your experience.



premierguitar
Premier Guitar’s print magazine launched in 2007, and their multimedia content has always been sourced by musicians, for musicians. Guitar enthusiasts at any level of experience will find entertaining and educational videos on this channel, and can continue their relentless pursuit of tone.



sprocker7
Aaron has been skateboarding for almost 20 years himself and shares that passion by teaching others how to skateboard and sharing skateboarding culture and news. His channel is filled with videos that can help beginners as well as awe even the most experienced skaters.



manjulaskitchen
Manjula has been sharing her passion for vegetarian Indian cooking on YouTube since 2006. She includes written recipes with the videos to help beginner cooks, and invites more advanced cooks to add their own twist on her dishes.



If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. You can also check out some of our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “MAKEUP PET PEEVES!”

Coachella 2013 - Live on YouTube

Every April, tens of thousands of the world’s most avid music fans flock to Southern California to kick off music festival season at Coachella. This year, you don’t even need a ticket to be a part of the show. 

For the third year in a row, you can catch the entire first weekend live from Indio on Coachella's official YouTube channel. Starting this Friday at 3:30 p.m. PT, YouTube's three-channel feed, which is presented by T-Mobile, will live stream performances from five stages (including, for the first time, the Sahara Tent). You'll be able to catch artists' interviews with and live shows from more than 60 bands, including the xx, Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.



So whether you can't stand the desert heat or are just suffering from massive FOMO, be sure to check out the entire Coachella schedule here on YouTube.

Chelsea Maughan, Communications Manager, recently watched "The Postal Service 'Nothing Better.'"

YouTube Contest Submissions Closing Tomorrow at Midnight

To our incredible YouTube community,

When we started out in 2005, we focused on rapidly increasing user engagement. We wanted an inventive way to draw people in and catalyze their creativity. The result? A contest for the best video on our site.

Nearly eight years later, with 72 hours of video being uploaded every minute, we finally have enough content to close the competition. We’ve started the process to select a winner and as of tomorrow at midnight, we will be closing the site to submissions.

Watch the video below to hear from our leadership, the minds behind some of our most famous entries, and the panel of judges who will select our nominees, and ultimately, the winner for "Best Video."



And be sure to tune in for Day 1 of our live ceremony from 9 a.m. PT, April 1, when we will begin announcing the “Best Video” nominees. This announcement will resume for 12 hours every day for the next two years.

Thank you for sharing your creativity, irreverence, ideas and knowledge with us and with viewers around the world.

Tim Liston, Competition Director, recently watched “Charlie bit my finger- again!”

PsychoSoprano is your March featured partner On The Rise

Congratulations to Colleen Ballinger of PsychoSoprano, our featured “On The Rise” partner this March. You can find her videos featured on our YouTube channel today, along with Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

Hailing from Southern California, Colleen has spent several years growing her YouTube audience and is a successful comedienne. She guarantees that you’ll enjoy a lot of laughs on PsychoSoprano, where she uploads vlogs, skits, character sketches, and “a lot of awkwardness” across two weekly shows. You can tune in for random fun videos every Friday; or, if you have a question for Colleen, you can submit it and check out her Tuesday show, ‘Colleen’s Corner,’ where she takes the time to interact and talk with her audience. In addition to PsychoSoprano, Colleen runs the mirandasings08 channel where she hosts her music content - she’s a professional singer who tours and teaches as well.



Here are a few words from Colleen:

Thank you so much for all of your votes... I am so excited to have been chosen! I try my hardest to keep my subscribers entertained with comedic skits, crazy characters, fun vlogs, singing, and a lot of awkwardness twice a week. I love building relationships with my viewers and want them to feel like my friends and not just my audience so no topics are off limits. You never know what you're gonna find on my channel, but I guarantee you'll smile a lot. :) Thanks again for voting for me! It means more than you know!

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series, and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the YouTube Creators channel.

You can participate and help us surface YouTube talent by nominating a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who produce engaging content on a regular basis. See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Solving three cubes while juggling them.”

YouTube Hits a Billion Monthly Users

In the last eight years you’ve come to YouTube to watch, share and fall in love with videos from all over the world. Tens of thousands of partners have created channels that have found and built businesses for passionate, engaged audiences. Advertisers have taken notice: all of the Ad Age Top 100 brands are now running campaigns on YouTube. And today, we’re announcing a new milestone: YouTube now has more than a billion unique users every single month.

What does a billion people tuning into YouTube look like?

• Nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube.
• Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly ten Super Bowl audiences.
• If YouTube were a country, we’d be the third largest in the world after China and India.
• PSY and Madonna would have to repeat their Madison Square Garden performance in front of a packed house 200,000 more times. That’s a lot of Gangnam Style!

From the aspiring filmmaker in his basement and the next great pop musician, to the fans all around the world who tune in, subscribe and share their favorite videos with the planet, thank you for making YouTube what it is today. You have truly created something special.

The YouTube Team

P.S.: To learn more about what’s powering this growth, check out our blog post about Gen C and mobile devices.

Simon Cowell and Ricky Gervais on YouTube

Whether you prefer your humor extra dry or love watching the next big talents rise to stardom, two of the biggest names in entertainment are bringing their star power to YouTube.

The You Generation

Simon Cowell, the mastermind (and trademark take-no-prisoners judge) behind hit shows like “The X-Factor” and “American Idol,” is launching a global talent contest. Through 26 different talent competitions over the year, The You Generation will uncover YouTube’s rising stars, whatever their skills.

 

The Ricky Gervais YouTube Channel

Whether you’re a devout fan of David Brent or can’t get enough of Michael Scott, “The Office,” otherwise known as Ricky Gervais’ brainchild, has permeated pop culture on both sides of the pond. In case you’re wondering where this classic character’s been over the past decade, David’s back--this time, on YouTube, alongside brand new personalities, sketches and comedy creations via his existing YouTube channel.

To make sure you don’t miss a laugh or an introduction to the next generation of stars, click the “Subscribe” button when visiting each channel.

Ben McOwen Wilson, Content Partnerships Director, recently watched “What Can You Do?” and “Equality Street.”

Meet Your March 2013 “On The Rise” Nominees

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Your suggestions helped us identify four dedicated partners who are well over halfway to that milestone, and you get the opportunity to help them grow even further. This March, our On The Rise nominees have established themselves and built loyal fan bases who support their music, video effects, comedy, vlogs, and group sketches.

Here’s where you come in--you actually have the chance to help push these partners even further on YouTube. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like DevinandErica and MyCupcakeAddiction have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until March 19, 5 p.m. PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on March 27.

thefumusic
Jacob and Josh Fu have been playing together since birth, and as adults have taken their music to YouTube. In their videos, the brothers combine musical talent (including covers and “furiginals”) with a passion for creativity and special effects.



psychosoprano
Colleen is the woman behind the YouTube character, Miranda Sings. Her psychosoprano channel features a combination of vlogs and comedy sketches made with her friends and family. She has also performed in a couple theatres around the world, but you can check out some of her work on her channel.


Trickniks
Nikki Limo is an actress and comedienne by profession, and you might catch her stand-up if you go to a Los Angeles comedy club. On YouTube, Nikki creates comic vlogs, collaborations, and answers her fans’ questions in her Q&As.



petergilroy
Peter formed a sketch comedy group with his friends Tyler, Jacob, Scott, Kurt, Brock, Josh, Roger and Alex and have named themselves “The Bath Boys.” The channel hosts everything from short films to music videos so go take a look.



If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. You can also check out some of our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “MinuteEarth: The Story of Our Planet.”

Zero Makes Counting a Billion Times More Fun

Occasionally, we invite special guests to share their thoughts on the YouTube Blog. Today, Sesame Street became the first nonprofit to reach 1 billion channel views on YouTube. In honor of that achievement, we bring you a guest post from the Count Von Count about the number zero.

Greetings, it is I, the Count Von Count from Sesame Street. It is a pleasure to be blogging to you today because when I blog I get to count the words. That is 31, 31 wonderful words in my blog post, ah-ha-ha.

Today I want to pay tribute to one of my favorite numbers. What number is it? I am glad you asked. Today I pay tribute to the number zero. A surprising number, I know. For when you have zero there is nothing to count. So why do I, a person who loves to count, love the number zero?

Well, for one thing, zero comes in very handy when there is nothing around to count. For you can count zero of that thing. Like right now, as I look around the castle, I count zero elephants, zero airplanes, and zero Justin Bieber CDs. Wonderful.

But that is not the only reason to love zero. For you see zero can make a little number much bigger. How? Like so—say you have a little number 1, a very nice number indeed. But, when you take that one and put a zero next to it, all of a sudden you have 10, 10 wonderful things to count. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – ten little fingers on your hands. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – ten little toes on your feet. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – ten little hot dogs in the meat drawer of my refrigerator. Oh! I love counting to ten.

But that is not all that zero can do. Take that 10 and put another zero on the end, and suddenly you have 100. 100 is a glorious number to count. I can count 100 seats in a movie theater; I count 100 golf balls at the golf course. I count 100 senators in the U.S. Senate. I love counting to 100!

Now what if you take that 100 and place another glorious zero beside it? Then all of a sudden you have 1,000. 1,000 is an extraordinary number to count. You can count 1,000 seashells on the seashore, 1,000 paperclips in Bert’s paperclip collection, 1,000 hairs growing out of your uncle’s ear. I love counting to 1,000!

Let’s not stop there! Let’s add three zeros to that 1,000 and all of a sudden we have 1,000,000 things to count. Have you ever counted to 1 million? I did. When I worked for the census bureau in Rhode Island. You should try it one time, or every four years, your choice.

Now take that 1,000,000 and add three more wonderful zeroes and what do you get? I’ll tell you: you get a number so big, so great, and so huge! When you have nine zeroes after a 1 you get the number 1,000,000,000. Yes 1 billion things to count! And it is all thanks to that lovely number zero. Thank you, zero, you make counting a billion times more fun. By the way, that is 510 words, 512, 513, 514 … 515 words in my YouTube blog post! Ah-ha-ha!




Count Von Count recently watched "Sesame Street: Pinball #12 New"

The 2013 DoGooder Video Awards Open for Nominations

Awards season is upon us. And for the fourth year, YouTube is teaming up with See3 Communications to present the DoGooder Video Awards, a celebration of the best nonprofit videos of the year. If you’re a nonprofit who made a video in 2012, you’re eligible and encouraged to submit your video.

But wait, there’s more! For the first time ever, we’re opening up the awards for submissions from individuals who are making videos to change their communities or the world. So if you’re a YouTube creator trying to save the whales one video at a time, or if you made a video on behalf of your favorite nonprofit this year, visit YouTube.com/DoGooder to nominate your video.

There are four separate categories in this year’s DoGooder Awards: the ImpactX Award for videos that drove clear real-world impact; Best Nonprofit Video; Funny for Good, recognizing effective use of comedy; and the Change Agent Award, for individuals who’ve gotten involved and produced their own cause-focused video.

We’ll award prizes like $3,500 grants, free admission to the Nonprofit Technology Conference, and special promotion on YouTube.

 

The deadline to enter is March 22, 2013. Official rules are available here.

Jessica Mason, YouTube for Good, recently watched “YouTubers Support Matt Damon's Strike!”

Support Free Expression: Vote for the Netizen of the Year

One in three Internet users suffers from restricted access to the web due to government censorship, filtering or online surveillance, according to the free expression advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. Around the world, bloggers and cyber-dissidents are jailed for expressing their views. Reporters Without Borders makes sure their struggles are not forgotten.

We believe in a free and open Internet where everyone can express their opinions and learn from others. For this reason, for the past several years we’ve partnered with Reporters Without Borders to organize their annual Netizen of the Year Award, which honors an Internet user, blogger or cyber-dissident who has made a notable contribution in defense of online freedom of expression.

This year for the first time, Reporters Without Borders is asking you to help decide who will win the award. Nine “netizens”—from Bulgaria, Egypt, Honduras, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mali, Russia, Senegal and Vietnam—have been nominated for consideration. Watch the videos showing their stories and then vote at youtube.com/netizen2013.

We hope you’ll be as inspired as we have been by these brave people. The winner, based on votes from people like you around the world, will be announced on March 7. He or she will be invited to the award ceremony taking place at Google’s Paris office on March 12—the World Day Against Cyber Censorship.

Posted by Florian Maganza, Policy Analyst, Paris

Autism Speaks Premieres Inspiring Documentary on YouTube

Occasionally, we invite special guests to share their thoughts on the YouTube Blog. This guest post is from Autism Speaks about a documentary they are premiering on YouTube. The film was previously only available at small regional screenings and will now be available to viewers across the globe. 

Today we’re announcing the online premiere of "I Want to Say," a documentary short about technology and hope. It tells the story of how technology is making a difference in the lives of some people who need it most: children with autism.

This documentary is part of our Hacking Autism initiative to facilitate and accelerate technology-based ideas to help give those with autism a voice. Technology is radically remaking the world of autism. It is creating opportunities for those with autism to find their passion, develop their skills and eventually compete for jobs.

Autism Speaks is supporting the development of therapies and assistive technologies by promoting collaboration among designers, engineers, scientists, and individuals and families affected by autism.

We wanted to premiere this documentary on YouTube to show the world the power of technology for people with autism. Our hope is that you find "I Want to Say" as compelling and powerful as we do.




Alison Dyer, Social Marketing Manager at Autism Speaks, recently watched “How to BEND light !!”

TED’s Ads Worth Spreading 2013 Winners

Today’s guest blog post comes from Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships from TED.

For the third year, TED and YouTube teamed up on Ads Worth Spreading, an initiative to recognize ads that inspire, educate and engage. Today at the TED2013 conference in Long Beach, Calif., this year’s ten winners were announced.

Ads were nominated in six categories: Talk, Social Good, Cultural Compass, Creative Wonder, Brand Bravery, and Education. Six nomination teams made up of one TED speaker and one rising thinker in advertising searched for ads in each category, while 25 leading figures in the ad industry searched for ads across categories.

Each of these ten ads go beyond the creative brief to spark imagination and create moments of emotional connection with audiences. The winning work will be showcased at TED2013 as well as on TED.com and you can watch them all here on YouTube. Combined, they have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube.

 

TED 2013 Ads Worth Spreading:

1. Expedia - “Find Yours”
2. Coke - “Security Cameras”
3. Melbourne Metro Rail - “Dumb Ways to Die”
4. Dell - “Meet Annie: The Girl Who Could Fly”
5. TNT - “Your Daily Dose of Drama”
6. Rainforest Alliance - “Follow the Frog”
7. Channel 4 (UK) - “Meet the Superhumans”
8. GlaxoSmithKline - “The Crowd”
9. Dodge - “The Farmer”
10. The Guardian - “Three Little Pigs”

Guest to the YouTube Blog Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships from TED, recently watched “Young-Ha Kim: Be an artist, right now!”

DevinandErica Are Your February Featured Rising Partner!

Congratulations to Devin and Erica, whose YouTube channel DevinandErica is our featured “On The Rise” partner this February. These loving parents have documented their family’s development, creativity and silliness on YouTube for more than three years, and today they’re featured on the YouTube Spotlight channel.

This channel was born when Erica was pregnant with the couple’s eldest daughter, whom they affectionately refer to as "Baby Bug." Their "reality show" on YouTube has grown to include a variety of content ranging from vlogs to homemade skits to original songs, and this fun-loving family has developed a dedicated following. In fact, support from their viewers helped them with the expense of a second IVF cycle, and Devin, Erica and Bug welcomed baby "DudeL" about six months ago. After more than three years and 300 videos on YouTube, Devin and Erica have amassed a library of heartwarming moments--get to know their family with channel classics like the ABCs "Baby Jam" and Devin’s baby proposal, and then check out some of the other fun videos from the playlist linked in the video below.



Here are a few words directly from Devin:

We would like to thank our subscribers first and foremost. Without you, we would not have come so far within this community. For that our utmost appreciation will now and always play the biggest role. Our subscribers have helped us grow as a YouTube Partner, as well as a family by helping give us a son just by watching and following our crazy family. For those who have not seen us before, our channel is packed full of family fun! We do vlogs, skits and original songs about our crazy life and family in Charlotte, N.C. We like to have fun and would love to have you with us! Thank you for watching and we look forward to you joining our journey. 

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly "On The Rise" blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our Google+ Hangouts with past featured partners on the YouTube Creators channel.

You can participate and help us surface YouTube talent by nominating a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who have fewer than 100,000 subscribers and produce engaging content on a regular basis. See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Evolution Of Mom Dancing (w/ Jimmy Fallon & Michelle Obama).”

Context Is King: Share Your Story

From artists to activists, teachers to students, kids to grandparents, YouTube is a place for people all over the globe to share their stories. YouTube’s Community Guidelines represent the rules of the road for all of them. They state that, in general, YouTube is not a place for shocking or violent content. When material of this nature is flagged by our community, our teams work around the clock to remove anything that breaks the rules.

That said, YouTube is an important global platform for news and information, and we realize that sometimes graphic material is vital to our understanding of the world. It can be posted to document wars or revolutions, to expose an injustice, or to ensure local events are seen globally. Because of this, we take great care when reviewing flagged videos, and allow graphic videos that are intended to have news or documentary value. This is where we need your help.

Why adding context to your video is so important

For all types of content you share on YouTube, but particularly with graphic content, adding context is very important. The information you add in the title and description is what helps other people find and understand your video. It will also help the YouTube team review your video if it does get flagged. 

Take a look at the following examples.

Example 1:

Example 2:

 



















While the content of these videos is similar, the experience of viewing them is quite different. In the first example, the user provides very little information. In the second, we understand what we see, and see that the user’s intent is to educate and tell a story.

How to contextualize your videos: some tips to follow

• Provide an informative and relevant title--you can pack in a lot of information here, even if you’re on the move on a mobile device
• Fill your description with information: who, what, when, where and why did it occur?
• Think about narrating what you see as you film, or add detail later using our annotations tool
• Feel free to link to relevant websites, such as a related news story or artist statement
• Organizations such as Witness and Small World News also produce great tip sheets
• Remember YouTube’s tools--if your footage is sensitive and requires visual anonymity, check out YouTube’s blurring tool. If you feel your content was removed in error, you can appeal the decision.

Our goal at YouTube is to allow as much content as possible on the site, and still ensure that our Community Guidelines are followed. It is a delicate balancing act, and we depend on our uploaders to help. So whether you’re a performance artist, a citizen journalist or a human rights activist, remember: context is king. The information you add to your video helps tell your story, find an audience, and make an impact--it could even help your video be an important part of history.

Ali Glenesk, Policy Associate, recently watched “Grandma’s Advice.”

YouTube Just Got Hotter: Views Added to Billboard’s Charts

Billboard and Nielsen have shaped the core measures of success for entertainers around the world. These institutions created the standard we all look to when assessing the popularity of an artist, an album or that song you just can’t stop playing. Each week, their rankings are eagerly awaited by budding musicians, bona fide rock stars and music executives alike.

Of course, the music industry has changed dramatically in recent years. We’ve seen artists become stars through channels that simply didn’t exist a decade or two ago. From Gangnam Style and grandpa style to the Alabama Shakes and the Harlem Shake, YouTube has become a place where artists connect with new audiences, and music fans are finding songs, bands and genres they never knew they loved.

That’s why we’re partnering with Billboard and Nielsen to include our U.S. data into their “Hot” charts--the Hot 100 List, Hot Country Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B Songs, Rap Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Dance/Electronic Songs. Meaning, all official videos on YouTube, including user-generated clips that utilize authorized audio, will now factor into how a song’s popularity is determined.

This announcement marks a big step in accurately reflecting how music lovers are finding their new favorite songs. And it builds upon our efforts to share this kind of data with key industry analytical tools like Next Big Sound and BigChampagne, which also help artists succeed both on and offline. Most importantly, we hope this news will excite our users, who have helped us discover some of the biggest stars and songs of the past seven years.

AJ Frank, New Business Development, recently watched “Harlem Shake (Matt and Kim Edition).”

A-Pop Channel Brings the Best Pop From Asia to You

Over the past seven years, YouTube has become a global stage where music lovers can follow their top bands and find new favorite artists. After all, it wasn't so long ago that K-Pop exploded with PSY's "Gangnam Style" becoming the first YouTube video to hit 1 billion views. Similar music movements have continued to cross borders with legendary Taiwanese rock band Mayday live streaming a concert from the YouTube headquarters and Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu starring in a new channel about Tokyo's ultra-cute Harajuku fashion neighborhood.

Keeping up with the latest in Asian pop on YouTube will be even easier after today's official launch of A-Pop. The channel will be a hub for live-streaming concerts from Asian artists, directly hosting shows in progress or otherwise displaying a calendar of upcoming events. You can also find the newest videos from Asian pop artists and a playlist of the week's Top 20. There are also individual tabs for K-Pop, C-Pop or J-Pop if you want to narrow down to one of the three.

The A-Pop Channel already has a few big events planned. A-Pop Star Week kicks off on March 8 and fans will be able to connect with top A-Pop stars using Google+ Hangouts. Here's the lineup so far:

March 8 SHINee (K-Pop)
March 9 Wang Leehom (C-Pop)
March 10 Super Junior (K-Pop)
March 11 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (J-Pop)
March 12 flumpool (J-Pop)
March 13 2PM (K-Pop)
March 14 Mayday (C-Pop)

You can tune in to Hangouts from A-Pop and ask questions of the stars by submitting questions on Google+ via a special hashtag. Visit www.google.com/+jpop, www.google.com/+kpop, or www.google.com/+cpop for more information on how to participate. The stars will be hand-picking five lucky participants for each Hangout, so be sure to submit a creative question!



There are a lot of exciting things yet to come from the Asian pop explosion, so make sure you subscribe to the A-Pop channel to get the latest news and updates.

Sun Lee, YouTube Asia-Pacific Marketing Manager, recently watched "Super Junior-M - Break Down."

2013 YouTube Ad Blitz Winners Revealed

This year’s game day was was full of action--both on and off the field. After Baltimore and San Francisco battled it out during the game, you went online to vote for your favorite game day commercial in our annual YouTube Ad Blitz contest. After a week of intense competition, we’ve tallied the final votes and you chose Ram Truck brand’s "Farmer" commercial as your favorite ad of the big game!



Rounding out the top five commercials of the big game are spots from Budweiser, Samsung, Jeep and Hyundai:

2. Budweiser "The Clydesdales"
3. Samsung "The Next Big Thing"
4. Jeep "Whole Again"
5. Hyundai "Team"

From celebrity cameos to poetic images, these commercials represent the game day ads that resonated most with viewers online. In addition to being the highest voted ads on Ad Blitz, the five spots combined generated more than 61 million views on YouTube in two weeks--making up more than 30 percent of all total views of game day ads and teasers on YouTube (as of February 14). And the Ad Blitz channel had more than 46 million interactions with this year’s new features such as "Call the Coach" and "Paper Football."

In a new addition to our yearly celebration of advertising excellence, we welcome you to join us Saturday, February 16, at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT as we host a Google+ Hangout with the creative heavyweights behind these winning ads, along with ADWEEK editors James Cooper and Tim Nudd. 

Tune into the YouTube homepage today to check out the top five spots!

Sue McCauley, Ad Blitz Program Manager, recently watched DeStorm’s "1 Pinky Pull Up."

Haters and Celebrators Unite: This Valentine’s Day, There’s Something for Everybody on YouTube

Every year on February 14, we see endless pairings of pink and red, while our reactions remain pretty black and white. This polarizing holiday tends to inspire only one of two passionate responses: Valentine’s Day stinks--or it rocks. Depending on whom you ask, it’s a special day to shower your loved one with sweet nothings and gifts galore, or a saccharine minefield of prix fixe menus and overpriced chocolates.

Whether you’re toasting St. Valentine with champagne and long-stemmed roses, or fighting off nausea at the sight of every teddy bear and heart-shaped cupcake, YouTube is the place to be. This is all rather apropos given YouTube’s roots. A little known fact: we registered our domain on Valentine's Day.

This year, we canoodled with some of our partners and our Trends Manager Kevin Allocca to find the right videos for romantics and eye-rollers alike.

True romantics will swoon over the most-viewed proposals of all time while singing along to our top cheesy love songs.

All the single ladies (and gentlemen) may want to sharpen their A-game by studying our worst pickup lines list and the science of love lessons, which teach the essentials, such as how to stay out of the "friend zone."

And for those who spend today counting the hours ‘til the 15th can play our break-up ballads at full blast and bask in some schadenfreude while taking in marriage proposal fails. On second thought, if you’re pondering the merits of popping The Question today, you might want to check that out, too (don’t say we didn’t warn you).

Enjoy hating or celebrating today and check out all of our Valentine’s Day playlists at http://www.youtube.com/youtube.

Chelsea Maughan, Communications Manager, recently watched "I Swear (Official Music Video) - All 4 One."

Meet Our February “On The Rise” Nominees!

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your suggestions, this month we bring you four partners who are still relatively early on in the journey, but your support can help them make progress and build on their success. Our nominees for February use YouTube to share healthy recipes, demonstrate creative art projects, vlog about life in London, and share a family’s story.

Here’s where you come in - you actually have the chance to help push these partners even further on YouTube. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like polcan99 and MyCupcakeaddiction have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until February 19, 5 p.m. PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on February 26.

veggietorials
Cobi has been on a plant-based diet for more than 10 years and has created recipes that put a vegan twist on classic dishes. Her channel hosts a ton of these instructional videos as well as some reviews on vegan products and snacks.


SheSellsSeaShellscom
Debi started designing handmade crafts in college and thrives on turning everyday and vintage items into new treasures with her DIY and crafting skills. Watch her turn paint can lids into a funky mirror and other creative projects on her YouTube channel.


DevinandErica
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Devin and Erica began uploading to YouTube before their eldest daughter was born and they referred to her as "Baby Bug" more than three years ago. A self-described "reality and variety show," their channel content includes skits, vlogs and even original songs!


emmablackery
Emma posted her first vlog to YouTube a mere seven months ago, but has already developed a loyal YouTube following. This 21-year-old from London vlogs about school, family and relationships, and regularly hosts Q&As with her fans.


If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. You can also check out some of our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Caught Red (Sprinkle) Faced.”

Turning the PSA on Its Head With YouTube

Today’s guest post is from Water.org about an exciting campaign they’re working on to raise awareness about the water crisis. For more information on the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit YouTube.com/nonprofits.

While Water.org is known for our innovative approach to solving the world water crisis, we're less well known as YouTube stars. But every week we use YouTube to share the stories of the people we meet who don't have safe water to drink and to educate people about the water crisis.

With Matt Damon as our co-founder, Water.org can’t claim a lack of star power, but our experiences on YouTube have taught us that having a Hollywood celebrity in frame is not always a guarantee for viral online success.

Over the past few years we've included Matt in a variety of our videos, visiting our project sites, doing interviews, and in other cases "dressed up" for a specific role (like in Damon Claus for a Cause). From looking at our views, it is clear that "one-on-one" interviews with Matt and humorous videos are more popular than what people call traditional "public service announcement" (PSA) videos. It's not all that surprising since both humor and connectedness are key to the YouTube experience.

However, as interesting as this might be, our most successful YouTube moments happened when we invited established YouTube stars to visit our project sites and report back to their own audiences what they experienced. Cummulatively, these videos have nearly 3 million views - more than the lifetime views on our entire channel. Check them out:



So when we sat down and were brainstorming about new ways we could bring the water crisis to new audiences it made sense to integrate what we've learned and try something completely new: Matt Damon + YouTube Creators + humor + information = turning video views into awareness and action. 

Today we are launching an online campaign of videos that feature Matt Damon and a collection of YouTube stars like Wheezywaiter, Lisbug, Shaycarl, and LivePrudeGirls. Check out these videos and watch out for more in the coming weeks.



Finally, support the campaign by signing up here and we'll keep you up to date. Collectively, we will be raising awareness for the water crisis that, in the end, will make the lives better for the millions of people who struggle each day to find a safe drink of water.

Mike McCamon, chief community officer at Water.org, recently watched “When is Thanksgiving? Colonizing America: Crash Course US History #2.”

YouTube NextUp: Collaborators Ahoy!

Back in December last year, we announced our second YouTube NextUp program and called for your most creative ideas of how to collaborate with other talented creators. And you didn’t disappoint! We were overwhelmed with the imaginative and ambitious proposals and those selected represent a spectrum of determined creators who are all taking their channels to the next level. From comedic musicals and adventures of remote-controlled cars to special effects and holistic living, some great “collabs” are coming from these creators soon. Meet all of them in this video and subscribe to their channels today:


Along with grant money and new production equipment, these 30 channels were also invited to come to the YouTube Space LA and get creating. They’ve spent this week attending production workshops, learning about how to build their audiences, and filming new and exciting collaboration videos. We put together a short video showing you what they’ve been up to:


Austin Lau, YouTube Creator Programs Manager, recently watched “25 videos from YouTube NextUp 2011”

Safer Internet Day Tips From YouTube

Community is important to us at YouTube. And we want to see the YouTube community continue to flourish. To ensure that everyone has a safe, positive experience on YouTube, we rely on each of you to act responsibly and to respect others on the site. In honor of Safer Internet Day, please take a moment to make yourself familiar with some of the resources and tools available on YouTube.

• The Safety Center features tips, tools and advice for users, parents and educators.
• You can also report inappropriate content on YouTube.
• Play your part by flagging videos that you believe are not in line with our Community Guidelines or that should be age-restricted.
• In addition to flagging, you can report channels and/or comments using our Help and Safety Tool.
• Use Safety Mode to filter out potentially objectionable content.
• Last year we launched the YouTube Digital Citizenship Curriculum designed specifically for educators and students.

Also be sure to check out how our colleagues at Google are celebrating Safer Internet Day!

Amanda Conway and Claire Rush, YouTube Policy Strategists, recently watched ”Born This Way Foundation Launch Event.”

YouTube and ADWEEK Tackle the Super Bowl XLVII Ads with Ad Blitz 2013

Around this time each year, the viewing public gears up for an epic competition of professional powerhouses operating at the top of their respective games. Legends are made, accolades given and dynasties rise and fall through the glory of one night.

Oh, and there's a football game as well!

We kid of course, but it's true that the big game has become as important to the world of advertising as it is to the world of sports. Fans huddle during commercial breaks, eager to see which spots will become conversation pieces both on Monday and well into 2013. To make it easier to catch up on all the commercials, the YouTube Ad Blitz channel will let you watch your favorite ads soon as they air live on TV and vote for your favorite ad at the end of the game.

 

To make this year bigger than ever, we've partnered with ADWEEK to feature the Ad Blitz voting gallery on Adweek.com as well as on YouTube, and ADWEEK’s executive editor James Cooper and senior editor Tim Nudd will break down the night’s highlights via a post-game Google+ hangout. We also added a slew of new social and gaming components to make the Ad Blitz YouTube channel the perfect big game companion whether you’re on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. New features include:

• Touchdown dance GIF generator: Create and share your own touchdown dance GIF
• Smack Talk: Log in to all your social media channels from the channel to share your team spirit with friends and see a real-time visualization of which team is winning the internet (if not the actual game)
• Paper Football: Test your accuracy in this age old finger flick game
• Call the Coach: Get instant advertising advice from our resident ad coach, DeStorm
• Fun Facts: Learn interesting facts about big game advertising, provided by ADWEEK

As seen in last year's viral spots from Volkswagen, Honda, Audi and many others, savvy advertisers are using YouTube to not only generate excitement for their big game plans, but to dramatically bolster the effectiveness of their game-day spend. With new ad innovations to the Ad Blitz program this year, such as Lightbox ads, marketers can now extend their video presence across the web.

As always, voting begins at the end of the game and continues until February 11. So after the broadcast, be sure to vote on your favorite ads from the big game!

Sue McCauley, Ad Blitz Program Manager, recently watched "Road To The Superdome: 49ers"

Our January featured On The Rise partner is MyCupcakeAddiction!

Congratulations to Elise Strachan, the master chef for this month’s "On The Rise” featured partner channel, MyCupcakeAddiction. Not only is her channel the first featured in 2013, but it’s also the first Australian channel we’ve featured in the program, and Elise was recently appointed as one of the 15 Next How-To Gurus! MyCupcakeAddiction hosts tutorials on how to decorate and make cupcakes, cake pops and other sweet treats, and is in the spotlight on YouTube’s own channel today. Check it out to see some of Elise’s delicious creations!

Elise’s kitchen is based in Queensland, Australia, where she’s been cooking up sweet treats for several years. She often bakes for private events and weddings, on top of selling her cupcakes at a local market twice a week. In October 2011, she decided to expand beyond her Gold Coast clientele by producing videos on YouTube to inspire bakers worldwide. Now, no matter where you live, you can find do-it-yourself tips and tutorials for fun creations like Elise’s Angry Birds cake pops, stiletto heel cupcakes, or even a giant cupcake pinata!



Here are a few words from Elise:

This is an exciting accolade for our little channel, and a huge thank you goes out to the best subscribers in the world for your votes and support throughout voting week. We aim to provide high quality, step-by-step instructional videos showing you how to create the weird and wonderful out of cupcakes and cakepops. MyCupcakeAddiction has something sweet and stunning for any occasion. Make sure you head over to our channel to catch all the latest uploads: now bringing you 3 new tutorials each week! 

If you’ve enjoyed this monthly On The Rise blog series, and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our Google Hangouts with past featured partners on the Partner Support channel.

You can participate and help us surface YouTube talent by nominating a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program. Feel free to submit nominations for your own channel, or for channels you follow that you think deserve more attention or could be the next YouTube sensation. We’ll continue to feature promising partners who have fewer than 100,000 subscribers and produce engaging content on a regular basis. See you next month!

Christine Wang and Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Mission Impossible- Lindsey Stirling and the Piano Guys.”

Watch Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Global Town Hall Live on YouTube

You don’t need to text with "Hillz" to know that she’s truly a 21st century diplomat. As the most traveled secretary of state in U.S. history, she’s been to 112 countries and traveled almost one million miles over the last four years. So how is the world’s busiest diplomat spending one of her last days on the job? On YouTube, of course.

Tomorrow at 9:30 am ET, YouTube will live stream the Secretary's Global Townterview (think: town hall meets interview) from the Newseum in Washington, DC. She’ll answer questions from youth in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America and is taking questions via social media as well (find details here).

Tune in to the Department of State’s channel to hear about Secretary Clinton’s global adventures during her last week as secretary of state. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get a few tips on mastering jet lag, too. 

Chelsea Maughan, Communications Manager, recently watched “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You”

Bringing YouTube to Sundance and Sundance to you

It’s that time of year, film buffs! The 2013 Sundance Film Festival kicks off this weekend, celebrating innovation in independent cinema and introducing creative talent to the world.

Can’t make it to the festival? In The Screening Room, a YouTube channel curated by Sundance Institute and dedicated to showcasing ambitious and entertaining short films, you can watch 12 short films debuting at Sundance right now. These films were selected from the 64 shorts showing at the festival, out of more than 8,100 submissions this year.

Sundance is known for its diverse range of films, and with everything from trippy cats and zombies to a rooster king and an ambitious rodeo cowboy, The Screening Room shorts are no exception. When the festival ends, Sundance Institute will continue to curate The Screening Room, highlighting cutting edge short films from past Sundance filmmakers and the film festival circuit each week.

Lucky enough to be in Park City? We’re here too, presenting the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Shorts Program, where we’ll introduce original content from select YouTube channels to the audience at each screening.

At YouTube, we're proud to show our support and admiration for independent creators through our partnership with Sundance, and we hope you enjoy all the exciting new short form content that is uploaded to our platform every day.

Happy viewing!

Raymond Braun, YouTube Entertainment Marketing, recently watched "Broken Night" in The Screening Room

Plan your Big Game party on YouTube

You don’t have to be an American football fan to know that the Big Game is almost here. It’s one of the biggest sports moments of the year, and we’re doing our bit to share the authentic Big Game experience, with the Ad Blitz Pre-Game program.

All those recipes for hot wings, multi-layer dips and things-wrapped-in-bacon that you’ve been searching for? The Ad Blitz Pre-Game channel has them all in one place with videos on party recipes and ideas. We’ve also curated playoff coverage and predictions for the Big Game, so you can sound like an expert. There’s even a video on how to freeze a six-pack in under three minutes, in case you’re stuck with warm drinks at kick-off time.

Ad Blitz Pre-Game is presented by Tide, and features sports content from channels like FOX Sports and Bleacher Report, plus great food suggestions from party-planning experts like Howcast and FoodWishes. The Pre-Game runs through February 2, after that you’ll be able to watch and vote on your favorite game commercials on the same Ad Blitz channel.

Whether you’re really invested in the outcome of the game, or even more excited about all the snacks, we hope you’ll have something to cheer about.

Leena El-Omar, YouTube sports program manager, recently watched “How to Make a Fried Onion Blossom.”

Vote for your favorite January “On The Rise” nominee

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. This month, with your help, we’re excited to introduce you to four popular and promising partners so you can help them grow their audience and channels.

Our January nominees include a filmmaker, a cupcake artist, a vlogger, and a singer-songwriter, and you can help jumpstart their YouTube careers. Review their videos below, vote for your favorite here, and one of these candidates will have the opportunity to be featured across YouTube later this month. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner we’ll feature.

In past months, featured On The Rise partners like RichardGaleFilms and polcan99 have gained many subscribers and seen their careers take off, in large part due to your support. This month’s poll will be open until January 18, 5pm PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see which channel will be featured on January 30.

thefrugalfilmmaker
Scott believes anyone can be a filmmaker if they have the ambition, and he’s spent several years demonstrating tips and tricks for how to make films on a strict budget and without top-of-the-line equipment. Check out his videos for low-cost DIY equipment ideas, Q&As and behind-the-scenes tutorials that support his philosophy, “it’s about technique, not the gear.”


MyCupcakeAddiction
You don’t have to have spent years in the kitchen in order to create professional-looking cupcakes or cake pops - and you don’t even have to travel to the Gold Coast to try them! Australian baker extraordinaire Elise will teach you how to make your own sweet treats with her step-by-step instructional videos.



tristopiaTV
Tris of TristopiaTV is a British vlogger who shares his thoughts and comments on a wide range of topics on his weekly vlog show, T-Time. Check out his channel to listen to his views from everything from the nationwide fascination with tea to the world ending.



tomlawmusic
A self-described “musician and hopeless romantic,” Tom hails from London and shares original music and covers of some popular songs with his audience via his channel. He writes and composes his own music for songs like “Pavement Sleeper” and puts his own spin on works from Bob Marley and Lana Del Ray to name a few.



If you’re interested in participating or have suggestions for partners you think should be featured, you can nominate a YouTube partner to be considered for the “On The Rise” program.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “WORLDS BEST SIGN FLIPPER.”

Turning your phone and tablet into the best remote control for YouTube

We bet you a billion views you can find your way around YouTube faster on your mobile device than on your TV. That’s why we launched a feature making it easy to send videos from your mobile to your TV with just one button.

This year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we’re bringing that mobile/TV pairing feature to devices from our friends including Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony. In 2013, you’ll see this feature come to even more devices like those from Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Western Digital and others.

These new devices will also have the latest look and feel for YouTube on TV, letting you watch HD videos and channels on the big screen with everyone at home. Catch the latest videos from your subscriptions, watch playlists full of 1080p videos and find the next great video faster with search suggestions.

Whether you’re at CES or at home, you can now watch YouTube on 400 million devices: from tablets to TVs, smartphones to streaming boxes, and consoles to cable providers. When you sign in and subscribe on any of these devices, you’ll always have something great to watch next.

Francisco Varela, global director, platform partnerships, recently watched “Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome : "Episode 1".”