2 Billion People Watch YouTube a Month
By Tess Farrand, Staff Writer
As of the time of this writing, there are 7.7 billion people on planet Earth. Of those 7 billion, 2 billion are using YouTube each month…
The numbers come from YouTubes marketing event in NYC on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Variety reports, “the Google-owned video behemoth now counts 2 billion monthly unique users globally, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced… That’s up around 5% from its previously reported 1.9 billion monthly logged-in users last summer.”
Access to information has never been easier in human history. Want to know how to cut an avocado? How long should you wait to go swimming after eating? The answers to these questions and others of the sort are as simple as typing into your web browser and presto! One of the number one ways people use YouTube is for “How to” videos, where they can learn how to do something new. However, YouTube is also breaking into the home entertainment space, hoping people will enjoy original YouTube content from the comfort of the home.
“Independent research supports YouTube’s claim that it’s a big player on TVs. Netflix is actually the top-preferred platform for video viewing on TV screens, with YouTube coming in second among consumers 18-34, per a Cowen & Co. survey in February.” Variety’s article continues, “this is a critical point for YouTube’s ad business. Netflix doesn’t carry any advertising. And ,the research indicates that YouTube beats not just basic cable but broadcast networks as the preferred source for entertainment on TVs among millennials.”
YouTube is not without its shortcomings, however. Earlier this year, press discovered that child predators were leaving coded messages to underage users in the comment section of kid videos on YouTube, which are supposed to be safe. “The ensuing bad press led big advertisers to pull advertising, and YouTube decided the crisis was a big enough fire that it disabled the ability to leave comments on nearly all channels featuring minors.”
Attempting to cover up their controversy (or really putting an end to it- you decide) YouTube released a letter “to the House Committee on Homeland Security [saying] it typically removes 7 million-9 million YouTube videos per quarter, which is ‘a fraction of a percent of YouTube’s total views during this time period.’”
Now, more than ever before, we need to exercise media-discernment.
Even still, YouTube has plenty up its sleeve when it comes to delivering content like the other large streaming sites, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon video and the soon-to-be Disney+. At the event, YouTube teased a project with Justin Bieber and comedian Kevin Hart (THE UPSIDE).
Additional, new reports show that cable is dying, as audiences continue to adapt to streaming services where they can choose the content they want to watch, and when to watch it. The Wrap notes just this, “cable and satellite are going the way of the dinosaur, with the number of customers cutting the cord hitting a record high during the first quarter of 2019, according to new research from BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield on Friday morning.” Movieguide® highlighted a similar trend in the fall of 2018.
- Content: +4Share:
- Content: +1