YouTube launched in 2005 as a video sharing platform, and was acquired by Google (now Alphabet) in 2006. It has built an entire community of creators that run channels dedicated to topics like gaming, tech reviews, and beauty. It also houses news videos and entertainment such as music videos, movie trailers, and clips from late-night TV shows.
YouTube’s rapid growth has not been without problems. YouTubers typically make money from ads that run in front of their videos, but if they break the platform’s rules, their channels and videos can be demonetized. Executives and moderators have worked to combat harassment, misinformation, terrorist propaganda, hate content, and other abuse.
The Verge runs two YouTube channels, The Verge and Verge Science.
Android Central and leak hunter Assemble Debug point out that the feature has started to appear, as shown in this Reddit post. Beyond just displaying lyrics for certain songs, it allows users to highlight specific ones to create a social media-friendly sharing card, just like Spotify does.
Let us know if you’re seeing this in your app.
Now, all creators in the YouTube Partner Program have access to auto-dubbing, according to a video from YouTube’s Creator Insider channel. The company is working on bringing auto-dubbing to “more creators” down the line.
In December, YouTube said that the AI-powered feature was expanding to “hundreds of thousands of channels” in the program.
YouTube’s deal to stream Coachella performances continues through 2026, and tonight you can start watching the festival’s first weekend, free of charge.
This year, aside from the long list of performing artists and occasional special guests, the options include split-screen multiview, “watch with” commentary streams by creators if you need some narration, a vertical livestream if you prefer the YouTube Shorts look, and dedicated apps for your Android device or iPhone / iPad.
24-year-old Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov took an inflatable boat to North Sentinel Island located in the Bay of Bengal. There, he left an “offering” of Diet Coke and a coconut to the remote Sentinelese tribe, which has resisted outsiders in the past, The New York Times reports.
Police arrested Polyakov when he returned to India’s Port Blair, as it’s illegal to attempt to contact the tribe to “protect their Indigenous way of life,” according to a police statement.
YouTube’s policy page that lists groups the company protects against hate speech recently removed the phrase “gender identity,” reports Taylor Lorenz in User Mag. It’s similar to recent changes made by Meta that could leave LGBTQ members more vulnerable on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and appear to align with Trump administration directives against “wokeness” and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In replies on X, YouTube said, “...our hate speech policies haven’t changed and these were routine copy edits to our Help Center.”
Under the list of examples of hate speech provided on YouTube’s policy site, the line “[Protected group status] is just a form of mental illness that needs to be cured,” was also removed.
Why just livestream Coachella when you can also have someone talking over it? YouTube is testing a new “Watch With” feature that allows creators to react and commentate over live event streams, giving viewers the “experience of watching Coachella alongside your favorite creator.”
Starting April 11th, the Coachella streams will be available on creators’ channels across mobile, desktop, and TV (in addition to a new dedicated Coachella Livestream app for Android and iOS), though YouTube hasn’t announced which creators or performances will be available yet.
Last week, YouTube acknowledged an issue causing videos and shorts on iOS, desktop, and smart TVs to automatically stream in 144p or 360p even with a strong internet connection. Now YouTube says the problem has been fixed and “all streaming should be back to normal now.”
To get folks hyped up for the upcoming debut of Andor’s second season on Disney Plus April 22nd, Disney has put the show’s entire first season on Hulu and uploaded its first three episodes on YouTube. Additionally, on March 13th, Andor creator Tony Gilroy will host a live, hour-long rewatch event streamed on YouTube “with select talent,” which better be code for “Diego Luna and national treasure Kathryn Hunter.”
The company was founded on today’s date, back in 2005, by three former PayPal employees: Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. On April 23rd Karim uploaded “Me at the Zoo” which is considered to be the first YouTube video. It’s just 19 seconds long.
“We’ve reached a short term extension as we work toward a deal with Paramount to keep their content on YouTube TV. YouTube TV subscribers continue to have access to Paramount channels, including CBS, and any recordings that are in their Library. We appreciate your patience as we continued to negotiate on your behalf. We also value Paramount’s partnership and willingness to work towards an agreement.”
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Unless YouTube and Paramount come to a last-minute agreement on a new contract, “after February 13, 2025, all Paramount content, including CBS and CBS Sports, will be unavailable on YouTube TV,” according to a YouTube blog post. “If we can’t reach an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer subscribers an $8 credit,” YouTube adds.
Paramount has a website about the potential changes, too.
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As lawmakers continue to pressure online platforms about child safety, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said on Tuesday that the company is working on a machine learning-powered tool that will “help provide the best and most age-appropriate experiences and protections” for users later this year. Meta rolled out a similar feature that uses AI to scan for “signals” that someone might be lying about their age.
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