YouTube is, no doubt, the biggest video-sharing service in the world.
It would certainly be a surprise if that changed anytime soon!
Most of us use their website or app daily, either for going from video to video until we end up watching conspiracy theories or entertaining ourselves with cute cat videos.
No matter how you use it, these 40 terrific facts about YouTube are certainly worth a read!
YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by three ex-PayPal employees.
It was originally funded with the bonuses that the employees received when eBay bought out PayPal.
The first-ever YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005. It is a video of its co-founder at the San Diego Zoo.
Initially, YouTube was created as a video dating site called “Tune In Hook Up.”
Only 18 months after YouTube was founded, Google bought it for $1.65 billion in stocks.
There are over one billion users on YouTube, which is nearly one-third of everyone on the Internet.
YouTube opened a production space in Los Angeles that is free to use – but only if you have at least 10,000 subscribers.
The oldest cat video on YouTube dates back to 1894. It features two cats boxing.
Every minute, over 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.
In 2014, the famous YouTube star, Grumpy Cat, earned more money than Gwyneth Paltrow – an Oscar-Winning Actress.
Google, of course, is the biggest search engine in the world. But right behind it is Youtube, which is bigger than Bing, Yahoo!, and Ask combined.
Every April Fool’s Day, YouTube plays a prank on its millions of users.
When they played their first prank, they turned the website upside down, and Rick Rolled everyone.
Rickrolling made its first appearance on YouTube in 2009. At the height of Rickrolling, which was 2008, over 18 million US adults were Rickrolled.
Every month, YouTubers watch 6 billion hours of videos per month and 4 billion videos every day.
Aside from the US, most YouTube views come from Saudi Arabia. This is because TV, Facebook, and Twitter are banned in Saudi Arabia, but YouTube is unrestricted.
The most popular tutorial that is searched for is “How to kiss.” The second most searched-for tutorial is “how to tie a tie.”
The most popular topic that people search for is, of course, music!
The total number of videos uploaded in 2010 is equivalent to 150,000+ full-length movies in theaters every week.
The first world leader to create a YouTube channel was British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who made his account in 2007.
Based on a 2013 study, 60% of the 1,000 most viewed YouTube videos are banned in Germany.
The longest video on YouTube is 571 hours, 1 minute, and 41 seconds long. That’s the same as 23 days and 19 hours!
The first video to reach one billion views the fastest was Hello by Adele. It reached one billion views in just 88 days.
The video to reach the most views on the first day of being uploaded is Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2. It reached 112 million views in 24 hours.
Justin Bieber is one of the first YouTube success stories. He posted covers on YouTube that were discovered by Usher, which paved the road to his astounding level of fame.
Every day, over 150 years of YouTube are watched on Facebook.
In Thailand, YouTube was blocked for five months in 2007 due to a 44-second video that showed pictures of the king being defaced.
There is a program to scan for copyright infringement called Automated Content ID – it scans over 100 years of video daily.
On April 3, 2018, an incident occurred at YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, California. Nasim Najafi Aghdam shot three people before taking her own life.
In 2011, 30% of all the videos on YouTube accounted for over 99% of views.
YouTube is banned in 23 countries, including China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, and Turkmenistan, to name a few.
When the site launched in May 2005, it only attracted 30,000 visitors per day.
In 2021, YouTube’s advertising revenue reached a whopping $28 billion.
Americans just can’t get enough of YouTube! With 81% of adults in the US visiting the streaming platform to consume content as of 2021.
Can’t get the song Baby Shark out of your head? We can’t blame you. The children’s animated video song became the platform’s first video to reach over 10 billion views.
In November 2009, YouTube announced that they were updating the resolution for their videos from 720p to 1080p. Talk about living in HD!
Remember “Charlie bit my finger?” The video racked up so many views that the family was able to purchase a new home with over $1.3 million in royalties and ads as of 2017.
Tired of ads ruining your video? Well, over 20 million users paid to join YouTube Premium in 2022 to prevent ads from interrupting their viewing experience.
If you’re looking to promote your business, YouTube might just be the way to go. Over 70% of viewers bought a product or service after they saw it on the platform.
In 2020, tech giant Apple spent a jaw-dropping $237.15 million to advertise its products on YouTube. Guess that explains why their products aren’t cheap!
YouTube is a massive video-sharing platform that was founded in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Since then, it has grown to have over one billion users, making it one of the most popular websites on the internet.
From grumpy cats earning more than Oscar-winning actresses to users watching over six billion hours of videos per month, YouTube’s impact on pop culture and society cannot be denied.
With its advertising revenue reaching $28 billion in 2021 and over 70% of viewers purchasing products or services after seeing them on the platform, YouTube has become a vital tool for businesses and content creators alike.
