YouTube Premium, the subscription service offered by YouTube for users who want access to more features, has added the ability to save videos from favorite channels and recent topics for offline viewing. The new feature, which is only available to subscribers, helps users ensure they always have access to the videos that interest them the most.
YouTube may be the prime venue for watching videos online but when it comes to interacting with viewers in real-time, platforms like Twitch and, more recently, Microsoft's Mixer, are the venues of choice. YouTube has been trying to get a piece of that pie with Super Chat and now it's announcing new features at VidCon that will let fans express their adoration and support. That is if they're willing to pay for it.
When you’re watching videos, no matter if it’s on TV or on your phone, you probably don’t want to be distracted by anything else. On streaming media, in particular, user interfaces should get out of the way when not needed and be as unobtrusive as possible when they do get summoned. At the same time, however, they should also offer as much information necessary that viewers might want to quickly see at a glance. It’s a very delicate balancing act and YouTube TV’s latest update tries to achieve that.
YouTube Music was created to address what the company discovered to be one of the service’s biggest use cases. But organizing playlists by hand can be a daunting task, especially when the subscription service boasts of thousands of songs. If you’re the type to prefer spontaneity and surprise in your music selection, the app’s new Smart Downloads feature might tickle your fancy. Either that or make you be more careful about the songs you Liked.
If you sometimes feel like the algorithm that generates YouTube's recommendations has gone off the rails, you definitely aren't alone. While it's often good at recommending videos you might want to watch, sometimes you get recommendations for things you have no interest in. Then, of course, we've got people on both ends of the political spectrum accusing YouTube of bias in its recommendations, with some claiming that the company either props up or buries videos from one side or the other.
The comment section on YouTube is notorious for its generally low-quality and otherwise awful content. Users get into fights with strangers, the occasional scammer peddles their garbage, desperate creators beg for viewers, and trolls stir up drama with incendiary comments. Many users avoid the comment section altogether and now YouTube is testing a feature that makes avoidance easier.
YouTube may introduce a massive change to how it handles children's content, a new leak claims. Company executives are reportedly considering a plan that would move videos targeted at children from the main YouTube app to a separate app, as well as disabling the auto-play feature that causes new random videos to play after the current one ends.
This week it's become clear that YouTube is in a rough way between aiming to stop hate speech and actually enforcing their own rules. The biggest case comes in the form of Carlos Maza, writer and producer of research and media coverage of LGBT issues. He's been the target of intense harassment at the hands of ultra-right-wing hate channels on YouTube for the past two years. Upon notifying YouTube about his situation, YouTube suggested that no issue fell within the scope of their policies.
Fortnite gamers* 100 Thieves just announced they've added @CouRageJD to their team as "the third creator" for their content house. They've picked up Courage (as he's otherwise known) to bring his high EXP in professional gaming and casting to the public through the 100 Thieves lens. They've got winning esports on their mind, and Courage is now in the mix.
YouTube may be the king of Internet videos but when it comes to live streaming game (and sometimes other creative endeavors), Twitch, now owned by Amazon, still lords it over many of its competitors. Naturally, YouTube wanted to challenge that status quo and make itself the hub of all gaming-related video activities. Its solution of a standalone YouTube Gaming app failed and it is now shutting that down at the end of the month.
Google plans to add shopping links below some videos on YouTube, according to a new leak. The alleged business plan is presented as a way to compete with online shopping giant Amazon, though the merchandise links are described as simply a test, meaning they may not stick around. As well, Google allegedly plans to rebrand its Google Express marketplace.
YouTube has revealed a big new business decision related to its YouTube Originals: all new content will be freely available going forward. This is a big change for the company, which previously required its users to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription to access these shows. The YouTube Originals content will include advertisements when viewed by regular (free) users.