1/2 The Culture Show - YouTube : The Future of TV ?

Summary

This video script provides an in-depth look into the world of YouTube, highlighting its impact on entertainment and culture. It features interviews with popular YouTubers like Charlie McDonald, who reached a milestone of 1 million subscribers, and explores how the platform has become a creative space for young people to showcase their talents. The script delves into YouTube's evolution from a simple video-sharing site to a powerful tool for self-expression and community building, with a focus on the platform's support for creators through professional studios and collaboration spaces. It also touches on the changing trends and behaviors of users, emphasizing the shift from traditional TV to online content consumption, especially among younger audiences.

Takeaways

• 🌍 YouTube has revolutionized entertainment, reaching 1 billion users a month and changing how people consume media.
• 🚀 The platform was acquired by Google for $1.65 billion, a significant risk at the time, but it aimed to capitalize on the digital youth phenomenon.
• 📈 YouTube's simple concept of 'upload and share videos online' has led to a massive increase in user-generated content and diverse audience engagement.
• 🎓 The platform has made creativity accessible to everyone, allowing individuals to become content creators with significant audiences.
• 🎬 YouTube has provided opportunities for aspiring filmmakers and content creators to develop their skills in shooting, editing, and lighting through state-of-the-art studios.
• 👥 Collaboration among YouTubers has been a key factor in growing their audiences and enhancing the quality of content on the platform.
• 📊 YouTube provides creators with detailed analytics about their audience demographics, allowing for better content targeting.
• 💰 The YouTube Partner Program allows creators to monetize their content through advertisements, with revenue sharing based on views.
• 👀 The platform has a significant impact on mainstream culture, with YouTubers influencing trends and audience perceptions.
• 📹 The immediacy of YouTube allows for a conversational relationship between creators and their audience, with feedback that can directly influence content creation.
• 🔍 As YouTube evolves, understanding user behavior and trends is crucial for the platform to stay ahead and adapt to the changing digital landscape.

Q & A

What event did 8 million people watch live, and why was it significant?

8 million people watched Felix Baumgartner skydive from the stratosphere live, which was significant because it was a groundbreaking event in extreme sports and human achievement.

How did people watch Felix Baumgartner's skydive, and why was this notable?

People watched Felix Baumgartner's skydive on YouTube, not on television, which is notable because it highlights the shift from traditional media to digital platforms.

What impact has YouTube had on how we are entertained?

YouTube has revolutionized entertainment by making creativity accessible to everyone, allowing individuals to create and share content globally.

Who is Charlie McDonald, and what milestone did he achieve?

Charlie McDonald is a YouTuber who has been making videos since 2007. He achieved the milestone of reaching 1 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

What is the general perception of YouTube content according to the script?

The perception of YouTube content is mixed; while some view it as a platform for creativity and self-expression, others see much of the content as embarrassing and not professionally produced.

What role did Google play in the development of YouTube?

Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, which was an enormous risk at the time, but it allowed Google to leverage the growing digital youth phenomenon and integrate it into its future plans.

How do YouTube content creators earn money?

YouTube content creators earn money through the Partner Program, which allows them to place ads on their videos and receive a share of the advertising revenue based on views.

What facilities does YouTube provide to support its top content creators?

YouTube provides professional-level studios, production, and editing suites in their European headquarters in London for creators with over 50,000 subscribers to enhance their production quality.

What is the role of Kevin Allocca at YouTube, and what trends has he observed?

Kevin Allocca is the Head of Trends at YouTube. He has observed that consistent audiences for certain creators are growing, and more people are trying to create professional, creative content.

How has the viewing behavior of 13 to 24-year-olds changed in recent years?

For the first time, 13 to 24-year-olds have spent more time online than watching TV, indicating a significant shift towards digital media consumption.

What is the concept behind Ben Cook's 'Becoming YouTube' series?

Ben Cook's 'Becoming YouTube' series explores the experiences of YouTubers, featuring interviews and insights into their creative processes and the impact of YouTube on their lives.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Phenomenon of YouTube and its Impact on Entertainment

This paragraph introduces the revolutionary impact of YouTube on the entertainment industry. It discusses the live skydive by Felix Baumgartner from the stratosphere, watched by millions, and how this event was broadcast not on traditional television but via YouTube. The script highlights the company's rapid growth and influence on younger generations, with its innovative office environment reflecting its forward-thinking approach. The narrator, Charlie McDonald, a British YouTuber, shares his milestone of reaching one million subscribers and reflects on the platform's role in democratizing creativity. The paragraph also touches on the cultural implications of YouTube's massive user base and the challenges it poses to traditional media and professional creatives.

05:02

🎨 The Rise of YouTube Personalities and their Creative Processes

This paragraph delves into the personal stories of YouTubers, such as Dan How, Charlie McDonald, and Tanya Burr, who have amassed large followings by sharing personal videos and makeup tutorials. It covers the financial aspect of being a YouTuber, explaining the partner program that allows creators to monetize their content through advertisements. The paragraph also explores the demographic data provided by YouTube to its creators, which helps them understand their audience better. Additionally, it discusses YouTube's investment in state-of-the-art studios for popular YouTubers to enhance their production capabilities and the importance of collaboration in the YouTube community.

10:03

📈 Understanding YouTube's Evolution and its Future in Content Creation

The final paragraph focuses on the evolution of YouTube and its growing influence on mainstream culture. It discusses the shift from short, viral videos to creators building consistent audiences and businesses on the platform. The narrative includes insights from Kevin Allocca, head of trends at YouTube, who explains the changing behavioral patterns of users and the emergence of YouTube as a platform for professional creative endeavors. The paragraph also touches on the investment YouTube and Google are making in creator spaces and the importance of understanding audience engagement to stay ahead in the digital landscape. It concludes with a discussion on the immediate feedback and interactive nature of YouTube compared to traditional TV, highlighting the platform's role in fostering a conversation between creators and their audience.

Keywords

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users can upload, share, and view videos. It has revolutionized how people consume entertainment, shifting from traditional television to online content. The script highlights YouTube's impact on the entertainment industry and its role in providing a platform for creators to reach large audiences.

💡Skydiving from the stratosphere

This refers to Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking skydive from the stratosphere, which was watched by millions live on YouTube. It exemplifies the platform's ability to broadcast significant events to a global audience, bypassing traditional television.

💡Billion-dollar company

The script mentions YouTube as a billion-dollar company, emphasizing its rapid growth and financial success within just seven years. This highlights the economic impact and business potential of digital media platforms.

💡Partner program

YouTube's Partner Program allows content creators to monetize their videos through advertisements. This has enabled many individuals to turn video creation into a full-time job. The script discusses how creators can earn money and the financial opportunities YouTube provides.

💡Digital Youth phenomenon

This term refers to the trend of young people engaging with and creating digital content, particularly on platforms like YouTube. The script mentions how YouTube tapped into this phenomenon, which contributed to its massive user base and cultural impact.

💡Broadcast yourself

YouTube's original tagline, 'Broadcast Yourself,' encourages users to create and share their own content. This concept has democratized media production, allowing anyone with internet access to reach a global audience. The script discusses how this idea has been taken literally by many users.

💡Content creators

Content creators are individuals who produce videos for YouTube. The script highlights various creators, their audiences, and how they have built successful channels. This term is central to understanding YouTube's ecosystem and its user-driven content model.

💡Cultural impact

YouTube has had a significant cultural impact by changing how people consume media and entertainment. The script discusses how YouTube influences mainstream culture and the professional creative community, marking a shift from traditional media.

💡Monetization

Monetization refers to the process of earning revenue from content. On YouTube, this is primarily done through ads placed on videos. The script explains how creators can make money through YouTube's Partner Program and the financial aspects of being a content creator.

💡Audience engagement

Audience engagement on YouTube involves interacting with viewers through comments, likes, and shares. The script mentions how creators have an immediate response from their audience, creating a conversational dynamic that differs from traditional television.

Highlights

8 million people watched a live skydive from the stratosphere on a platform other than television.

A billion-dollar company revolutionizing entertainment is only 7 years old.

YouTube has changed the rules of traditional entertainment and media consumption.

YouTube's original tagline 'Broadcast Yourself' is taken literally by its users.

YouTube has become a platform for individual creativity and self-expression.

The professional creative community faces challenges due to the rise of user-generated content on YouTube.

YouTube reaches 1 billion users a month, indicating a massive shift in media consumption.

YouTube's co-founders, who had a simple idea, built an empire that was later acquired by Google for $1.65 billion.

YouTube's partner program allows content creators to monetize their videos through advertisements.

Some YouTubers make a full-time living from their videos, showcasing the platform's economic impact.

YouTube provides detailed demographic data to its creators, enabling them to understand their audience better.

YouTube has built professional-level studios for popular content creators to enhance their production capabilities.

High-quality content on YouTube is seen as a way to attract more viewers and increase ad revenue.

Understanding user behavior on YouTube is crucial for its future development and staying ahead in the market.

YouTube is fostering a new generation of creators who are building businesses and professional creative careers online.

YouTube's impact on mainstream culture is significant, influencing how content is created and consumed.

The immediate response and interaction with the audience on YouTube is a key difference from traditional TV.

Transcripts

[Music]

across the world 8 million people

watched live as phix Bal Gardner skydive

from the

stratosphere but they didn't watch it on

television

why the answer lies inside these offices

with a billion dooll company that's only

7 years old look at my past doesn't even

have my name or anything on it just kind

of can zap doors and open them and it's

changing all the rules don't appear to

have buttons on the lifts either if

you're under 30 the chances are it's

part of your everyday life it feels like

20th century man entering 21st century

space but if like me you're a bit more

on the uh mature side it feels totally

inexplicable it's like being in a giant

iPhone but understand it we must because

this place is revolutionizing how we're

entertained it's

YouTube there's been a whole movement

that people like me have not been aware

of hey guys hey there internet hello

this is what British people sound like

hello human

people well hello I'm Charlie McDonald

I've been making silly little internet

videos and posting them here on this

channel since 2007 yesterday a really

awesome thing happen my YouTube channel

hit 1 million subscribers that's

incredible let's go this might look like

a bunch of kids messing around in their

bedrooms and well they are but they have

some of the biggest audiences in Britain

they've done it all themselves With a

Little Help from YouTube we made

creativity uh accessible to

everyone but this television for all

will have far-reaching consequences for

our culture much of the stuff that's

actually put up on on YouTube is rather

embarrassing it's shameful and be better

off left in a Cupboard sorry you hate me

don't you the internet has been a very

very bad thing for the professional

creative

Community as YouTube Hits 1 billion

users a month I wanted to know is this

the future or the death of television

and I have you guys to thank for that

well kind of I mean you know I was the

one that made the

videos

[Music]

all right so here we are one of the

elephants this young man is jaed kareim

he's one of the co-founders of YouTube

and this is the very first video ever

posted on the site cool thing about

these guys is that is that they have

really really really long um front and

that's that's cool and on that piece of

confusion ution wisdom was based an

Empire because less than a year later

the other co-founders released this hi

YouTube this is Chad Steve we're the

co-founders of the site and we just want

to say thank you today we have some

exciting news for you we've been

acquired by Google Google had bought

YouTube for $1.65 billion it was taking

an enormous risk at the time because

YouTube was almost certainly making

massive Financial losses but by getting

in on the biggest Digital Youth

phenomenon they were hoping to piggyback

into the

[Applause]

future and seven years and well over a

trillion views later we've arrived the

idea behind YouTube is simple upload and

share videos online and millions

[Music]

do whether it's posting your comedy

moments or a Launchpad for global

domination whereas others have taken the

original tagline broadcast yourself at

face

value the internet is a wonderful place

filled with different people and

opinions and interests that truly

reflect the diversity of humankind Dan

how is a video blogger he's one of a

growing number of people usually under

the age of 25 who make YouTube videos

about themselves totally yeah do you do

this full-time now this is my full-time

job yes and how how does that work

financially I mean able to make it pay

yeah well um how YouTube can earn people

money is that there's something called a

partner program when you get a few

thousand subscribers or just a video

that gets a lot of views YouTube will

invite you to put adverts on your video

and then you get albe at a very tiny

proportion some of the money from the

adverts that go to it can you tell me

how much you can make from it it's it's

reasonable I mean some people you know

people that get like hundreds of

millions of views a month they probably

get a lot of money but it's still

absolutely ridiculously less than sort

of like the same amount of views would

get for TV hey everyone so today I'm

going to be doing a Perry Edwards

inspired makeup tutorial she's one of

the girls from Little Mix and her makeup

always looks amazing I'm going to tell

you about what I've been up to and stuff

fortunately though for your

entertainment purposes the stuff that

has been happening in my life recently

has been freaking weird Along with Dan

Charlie McDonald and Tanya Burr are two

of the most subscribed YouTube video

bloggers in the UK just this week 2

million people have signed to your

YouTube channel it makes you number

number one YouTube

person I don't think I'm number one

YouTube person not that's all I mean

there was a point in my life where I was

the the most watched person in in the UK

it's it's a bit it's a bit mad I think

that it helped me initially that I was

doing celebrity inspired looks because

people would search the celebrities like

Kim Kardashian I think is the most

searched celebrity and I did like a

couple of U makeup tutorials inspired by

her and then when they got to me they

probably saw my personality would shine

through my videos and I'd just be myself

and people would like that stay

subscribe and these guys know exactly

who Their audience is because YouTube

provides them with an extremely detailed

breakdown

72.6% of my viewers are female 45% of

those girls fit into the 13 to 17 year

old category here we go a

87.5% breakdown of female and what's

your demographic who are your

subscribers young girls um who want make

advice and make up on a budget because I

know that they're usually in school my

subscribers 7 and A2 million that's

pretty good that puts you if you were a

TV channel that would make you Prime

Time BBC One thanks okay pick an obscure

country Norway Norway okay if we go

Norway I've gotten

7687 33 exactly with an 8.6% male ratio

and uh there's a 1.2% 55 to 64 age

you're Mass you're massive everywhere

yeah I'm ahead with the old ladies in

Norway this massive International fan

base we love has not gone unnoticed as

YouTube is Keen to build on their

partner

successes in the European headquarters

in London hi Jack YouTube have built a

suite of professional level Studios for

the use of the most popular YouTubers so

where are we going now Sarah so we're

entering the actual space here this is

where we have all those studio and

production and editing Suites Partners

can book these spaces um as long as they

have 50,000 subscribers so this room is

called deep focus and it's the largest

uh Production Studio you must have spent

a fortune on this space cuz it's pretty

State ofth the art I mean it's amazing

it's a huge investment it's a way for us

to show how much we care about creators

and how much we're willing to uh take

them to the next level and really help

them develop uh their shooting

techniques their editing and lighting

techniques and really um further enhance

their production capabilities wow look

at this this is great we're just testing

our new slowmo camera we've just got in

house so we can do really slow motion

stuff which is super cool you've even

got some uh I believe they're called

books over there that's a bit old

fashion these are

props the space is like a playground for

aspiring filmmakers and then you just

simply steer it with your phone it's now

you now til the camera wao

oh yes that's great and back oh god oh

it's fine it's fine that's what it's

designed for it's studiedly

anti-corporate like a student common

room somewhere to hang out with friends

I wonder if this is kind of like a the

best place that you're going to find to

be creative collaboration used to be

like a massive part of YouTube like a

lot of people when they started out the

way that you've got well especially for

me like the way that I started to get

viewers was from collaborating with

people who had more subscribers than me

um and I feel like lately it's kind of

dropped off a bit with this creative

space it's kind of being revived a

little bit why do you think um YouTube

and Google are putting so much

investment into what you're doing what

are they getting out of it uh this place

has been really good to get everyone to

come together and make bigger stuff cuz

I think everybody knows like animators

and musicians and stuff so you it it's

basically a a film crew I mean that's

what you're getting out of it but what

are they getting out of it because you

know they're investing a higher quality

of

content just their their their aim with

this place I think generally is to just

boy the quality of content the lame

setup you think you Woulda fell and a

better quality of content will bring

more viewers and with them of course a

higher revenue from the advertising for

YouTube as YouTube moves towards the

future understanding exactly how people

are using it becomes essential for them

to stay ahead Kevin aloker is head of

trends at YouTube can you hear me Kevin

it's his job to make sense of the chaos

that happens every day on the site and

through the magic of talking to a screen

and being talked back to I can inter

chat with him in California how are you

noticing the changing use of YouTube

how's it sort of developing for you as

you watch it on a daily basis are you

noticing new trends I like to tell

people that I'm no longer surprised at

being surprised uh because we're you

know we're in the first couple of

chapters of this whole story right of

this whole development but I think if

we're going to get specific I think one

of the actual behavioral patterns that

we're seeing change is we're starting to

see these people who have consistent

audiences grow those audiences on the

web and that's not something that we

really had in those first couple of

years when you know uh we had the you

know uh Evolution of Dance or or Charlie

bit my finger and these these very funny

cute videos those things still exist and

they're still a very rich part of this

you know beautiful ecosystem of things

but the new sort of world of this of

people who are trying to make you know

businesses and do uh professional

creative things is still just starting

to to which is why you're investing

money in it because it's it's it's the

what you see as the future so the

studios and the Hangouts and all the

rest of it yeah yeah and I mean this is

this all comes from you know this is not

an agenda you know from a certain group

of people this is from when you look at

the community and what people are trying

to do this is where they want to go with

it and we're trying to figure out how do

we make that easier for them it's not

surprising that YouTubers are building

their audiences because last year and

for the first time 13 to 24 year olds

spent more time online than they did

watching

TV back in the studio I found Dan

collaborating on a new video they were

making an episode of filmmaker Ben

Cook's YouTube series becoming YouTube

hello my name is Ben and this is

becoming YouTube a series of videos I've

made about people who YouTube just like

YouTube itself each video will have

thoughtful self-exploratory bits in

which I've rounded up a group of

interesting and opinionated YouTubers to

say things like all of you want sex with

me and if all else fails just get a lot

of hair and they won't

mind in this episode a fictional

children's puppet from the 1970s is

being remembered by famous YouTubers who

WS even born then Dan can you explain to

me what's going on here well they're

doing a YouTube but a different kind of

YouTube to the kind of bedroom with a

camera um now as has been said everyone

remembers where they were when they

heard of of cheeki sad passing where

where were you oh god um I was shopping

I think and I dropped everything I'd

been buying a lot of eggs as well so it

was something I've always remembered

when I think every time I drop an egg

now I'm thinking of that puppet at a

young age um my family actually didn't

allow YouTube videos in the house and

then I went to military school and you

only allowed six personal items and I

used them up with my six

toothbrushes so all right cut there then

and the other thing that's shocking is

that it does seem genuinely funny yeah

well I'd hope so well the thing is with

with TV you can make it into a TV show

and then it gets bad views but on

YouTube if something's not funny then

it'll just get no views and fail from

the ground up and on that note it's time

for me to fail from the ground up okay

I'll give it to go all right let's let's

go for it yeah yeah I've never felt such

performance anxiety so could you tell me

a little bit about your earliest

memories of of cheeki I have to make a

confession which is that my dad he

audition for cheeki um as a young actor

didn't get the part so when he died I

was pleased and and finally of course

his his catchphrase which is all right

this is perfect I'm sorry obviously

working out a lot of angst his

catchphrase of course we all we all

remember it but uh it was of course yeah

my H you know my house is

burning my house is burning of course of

course it was one of the very last

things he said of course before he was

was knocked down by that

bus awesome and C there very good you

might think that what these guys are

doing is silly or inan but dismiss it at

your peril because what they're doing is

affecting mainstream

culture and it's not what they're saying

that's significant it's how they're

saying

it Ben Cook is a freelance journalist

and is putting those skills into

practice with becoming YouTube to aass

over 100,000 subscribers in just 12

weeks

is there a different relationship with

the audience though because you have a

you have a very I mean you have a very

immediate response I've said before I've

said in becoming YouTube that that uh if

TV is a monologue then YouTube is a

conversation and it is I I'll post a

video and you know within seconds I'll

have people commenting on it that

relationship then extends into the

product into the creative process the

production process because the dialogue

then ends up becoming the product

doesn't it