History of YouTube
YouTube allows users to upload videos, view them, rate them with likes and dislikes, share them, add videos to playlists, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. The slogan "Broadcast Yourself" has been used for several years, and the reference to user profiles as "Channels" signifies the premise upon which the platform is based, of allowing anyone to operate a personal broadcasting station in resemblance to television with the extension of video on demand. As such, the platform offers a wide variety of user-generator and corporate media videos. Available content includes video clips, tv shows, music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streams, and other content such as blogging, short original videos, and educational videos.
The domain name "YouTube.com" was activated on February 14, 2005, with video upload options being integrated on April 23, 2005, after being named "Tune In, Hook Up" ─ the original idea of Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The concept was an online dating service that ultimately failed but had a fantastic video and uploading platform. The three creators realized they couldn't find any videos of it on the internet. After noticing that this type of platform did not exist, they made the changes to become the first central video-sharing platform. The new company's idea was for non-computer experts to use a simple interface that allowed the user to publish, upload and view streaming videos through standard web browsers and modern internet speeds. Ultimately, creating an easy-to-use video streaming platform wouldn't stress out the new internet users of the early 2000s. The first YouTube video, titled Me at the Zoo, was uploaded on April 23, 2005, and shows co-founder Jawed Karim at the Saan Diego zoo and currently has over 120 million views and almost 5 million likes. Hurley was behind more of the looks of the website. He used his art skills to create the logo and designed the website's look. Chen ensured the page worked and that there would be no issues with the uploading and playback process. Karim was a programmer who helped ensure the initial website was put together correctly and helped design and program.
As of June 2005, YouTube's slogan was "Your Digital Video Repository".
YouTube has faced criticism over aspects of its operations, including its handling of copyrights free content contained within uploaded videos, videos of minors attracting pedophilic activities in their comment sections, and fluctuating policies on the types of content that is eligible to be monetized with advertising.
After opening as a beta service in May 2005, YouTube.com was trafficking around 30,000 viewers a day for months. After launching six months later, they would host well over two million viewers daily on the website. By March 2006, the site had more than 25 million videos uploaded and was generating around 20,000 uploads a day. During the summer of 2006, YouTube was one of the fastest growing sites on the World wide web, hosting more than 65,000 new video uploads. The site delivered an average of 100 million daily video views in July. However, this did not come without any problems. The rapid growth in users meant YouTube had to keep up with it technologically. They needed new equipment and a more comprehensive broadband internet connection to serve an ever-growing audience. The increasing copyright infringement problems and lack of commercialization of YouTube eventually led to outsourcing to Google, which later failed in their video platform ''Google videos'' It was ranked the fifth-most-popular website on Alexa, far out-pacing even My Space's rate of growth. According to Nielsen, the website averaged nearly 20 million visitors per month, with around 44% female and 56% male visitors. The 12- to 17-year-old age group was dominant. YouTube's pre-eminence in the online market was substantial. According to the website Hitwise.com, YouTube commanded up to 64% of the UK online video market. YouTube entered into a marketing and advertising partnership with NBC in June 2006.
On October 9, 2006, announced that Google would purchase the company for US$1.65 billion in stock, completed on November 13. At that time, it was Google's second-largest acquisition. This kickstarted YouTube's rise to becoming a global media dominator, creating a multi-billion-dollar business that has surpassed most television stations and other media markets, sparking success for many YouTubers.
Google's February 7, 2007, SEC filing revealed the breakdown of profits for YouTube's investors after the sale to Google. In 2010, Chad Hurley's profit was more than $395 million, while Steve Chen's profit was more than $326 million.