"But over its first 20 years, YouTube didn't just survive-it revolutionized media, redefining what TV could be. By letting anyone upload video for free, it empowered a new generation of creators to cater to every imaginable audience and attract fan bases in the millions. It taught marketers to appreciate the value of reaching these viewers, and it used technology to give rights holders control over their content. The platform conquered PCs and then smartphones and was eventually available on nearly every new TV set."
"Today, with 2 billion logged-in users a month, YouTube is watched more than any traditional TV outlet. According to Nielsen, the company has grown its total viewers by nearly 50% since December 2023, bounding past Paramount, NBCUniversal, and Disney to take the top spot among media companies. It's now the U.S.'s most-watched video provider, not just among streamers but cable and broadcast TV channels, too. Its 2024 ad revenue was $36.15 billion, a figure that doesn't include subscription revenue from its YouTube Premium"
"How could any young video startup ever cover the cost of streaming so much content across the internet? Or avoid the fate of Napster, another media-sharing startup of the era that was sued out of business for rampant copyright infringement? Even being acquired by Google in 2006 posed a risk: YouTube could have been mismanaged into irrelevance, as often happens after tech giants acquire shiny new toys."
Early concerns questioned whether a young video startup could cover streaming costs, avoid Napster-style copyright litigation, or survive acquisition by a tech giant. YouTube grew over twenty years into a platform that redefined television by allowing anyone to upload free video, empowering creators to serve niche and mass audiences and attracting millions of fans. The platform taught marketers to value those viewers and implemented technology to give rights holders control over content. YouTube expanded from PCs to smartphones and nearly every new TV set. With two billion logged-in monthly users and $36.15 billion in 2024 ad revenue, YouTube became the United States' most-watched video provider.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]