YouTube has cemented itself as the best video-sharing platform in the whole world. Nothing comes close to its reach and size, so it’s only safe to assume that you already know what it is. But what if we tell you that there are some very interesting facts about YouTube that might be hiding from you? Worry not, as we’re here to tackle as much as possible. Here are some YouTube facts that you’ll surely be happy to know.
PayPal indirectly funded YouTube’s launch
Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim are the three founders of the video-sharing platform giant. In the early days of their career, all of them worked for PayPal. But since the head of PayPal decided to sell the company to eBay, all of them were forced to look for another venture, which they did for YouTube. So, the money that they got from the PayPal sale was enough to fund YouTube’s launch.
The first YouTube advertisement appeared in 2007
It was more than a decade ago when the very first YouTube advertisement appeared on the platform. However, it is important to take note that this move was all possible because Google bought the platform. Apparently, Google has been pushing its ad system as much as it can, and knowing how many people are using YouTube, they saw and seized the opportunity.
YouTube is censored in some parts of the globe
Unfortunately, YouTube’s vision to provide entertainment and reach every household around the world is being held back by censorship. Around 25 countries have since then blocked YouTube access for their citizens. While the numbers have been stable, there is a very big chance that this can change abruptly.
YouTube defeated cable TV
While there are still some households that are subscribers of cable TV, YouTube has undeniably won the battle, with most households preferring to have YouTube on their television rather than the older form of entertainment. Perhaps the ability to switch from one video to another is the reason why people favour YouTube. Apparently, we like to control more than anything else, and also freedom.
The first HD video was uploaded in 2009
Another feat that was achieved more than a decade ago is the inclusion of HD videos in the platform. Back then, bandwidth was a big thing, and not everyone could afford to sit and wait for their YouTube videos to load. Still, this didn’t discourage several creators from upscaling their production and making sure that there is an HD quality option for their videos. Right now, 1080p is still the quality standard on YouTube, but surely, in just a couple of years, 4K will reach the top.
There are 57,000 years of YouTube video footage
There are more than 7 billion videos on the platform and counting, and it is possible to break the eight billionths in just a couple of years. If the average length of a YouTube video is 4 minutes and 20 seconds, then it means that there is a total of 57,000 years of footage in the whole platform alone!
YouTube topples Microsoft’s Bing in terms of search
We all know Bing, Microsoft’s search engine that is supposed to rival Google. However, it turns out that even YouTube has better and higher search numbers than Bing itself. If you think about it, Google has two search engines under its belt, so it’s up to you to decide if it’s a good thing or what.
A decade of watch time is generated every day
Approximately 72 hours of watch time is being uploaded every minute, and if we total it to match a whole day, it sums up to a whopping decade of watch time!
YouTube will surely stay at the top for decades to come, or who knows, maybe even forever. It’s hard to compete with YouTube at this point; that’s why it possesses mind-blowing statistics that we have just featured. We hope you enjoyed this article as much as we enjoyed writing it.
