Evolution of YouTube from Its Foundation to Nowadays

YouTube is the leading video-sharing platform, with over 2 billion monthly users globally. People visit this platform every day to watch their favorite music videos, vlogs, and sports highlights, among others. Perhaps, what makes this platform popular is the fact that you can find a video on virtually any topic. The popularity of this platform makes some people buy YouTube subscribers https://howsociable.com/buy-youtube-subscribers/  to get more following and expand their audience. That’s because having more YouTube subscribers increases the chances of reaching more people with video content. 

Today, companies are engaging their clients and customers on this platform. Large, medium, and small businesses are promoting their services and products on this platform. But how did YouTube start? How has it evolved over the years? These are some of the questions some people ask when they consider the incredible story of YouTube. 

Founding of YouTube 

Steve Chen, Jawed Karim, and Chad Hurly founded YouTube in 2005. These three were working for PayPal when they started YouTube as a website for sharing videos. The idea was to create a website that would allow users to upload, share, and even view content. And on 14^th February 2005, the YouTube domain was activated. But, the option to upload videos was integrated later the same year. 

Initially, the platform was called Tune In, Hook Up, because the founders had the concept of an online dating site. This failed, but they ended up with a video uploading and sharing platform. It was after the Justin Timberlake Super Bowl performance that YouTube founders realized that people couldn’t find videos of the show anywhere online. 

This realization prompted them to change their concept to make the site a video-sharing platform. The new company’s idea was to enable non-computer experts to use the interface to upload, publish, and view videos via a standard browser using the modern internet. And in 23^rd April 2005, Me at the Zoo, which was the first YouTube video, was uploaded. 

YouTube Growth 

In 2005, YouTube opened a beta service. At this time, about 30,000 viewers were visiting the website every day. This was just a few months after the launch. Six months after its launch, YouTube was attracting more than 2 million viewers every day. 

As of March of 2006, YouTube had over 25 million videos. Around 20,000 videos were being uploaded onto the platform every day. And during summer in 2006, it was among the fastest-growing websites on the World Wide Web. At this time, the site hosted over 65,000 new uploads. 

By July of the same year, YouTube received about 100 million views. But this doesn’t mean that the platform didn’t have challenges. Its rapid growth meant that the platform had to update to the latest technology. Other challenges included lacking commercialization and copyright infringement. 

These challenges prompted YouTube to outsource Google. With their help, YouTube overcame some of these challenges and eventually entered an advertising and marketing partnership with NBC. 

Google Purchase by YouTube 

The purchase of YouTube by Google was announced on 9^th October 2006. Google was to buy YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock. And, the purchase was completed on 13^th November. YouTube became the second-largest acquisition by Google. 

Following the acquisition, YouTube rose to become a media dominator globally. The platform became a multi-billion dollar business surpassing most media markets, including most TV stations. It has also facilitated the success of many content creators and YouTubers. 

YouTube and Google agreement followed three agreements between YouTube and media companies. These agreements were aimed to prevent copyright-infringement suits. YouTube was to operate independently after purchase by Google with 68 employees and its co-founders. However, the platform was to operate within Google. 

In 2006, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reviewed the content posted on YouTube about the effects it had on corporate recruitment and communications. YouTube was named as the ninth Top Best products the same year by PC World Magazine. 

In the early days, the primary factor that led to the growth of YouTube was viral videos. On 7^th February 2007, SEC filing by Google showed the growing profits for investors after YouTube acquisition. In 2010, Steve Chen’s gain exceeded $326, while Chad Hurley’s profit exceeded $395 million. 

Continued Growth 

YouTube continued to grow since 2007 to become the leading video-sharing platform worldwide today. In 2007, the platform launched YouTube Awards. These are given out to recognize videos that stand out on the platform. Google also rolled out the first YouTube video ads in August 2007. The partner program that allows users to be paid for viral content was also launched the same year. 

YouTube domain was registered in 2009 for the videos embedded on the websites of the U.S federal government. YouTube became the third most frequented site in 2010 after Facebook and Google. 

The premium channels were launched in 2012. On 4^th December 2012, the layout and design of YouTube were re-launched to suit the tablet and mobile app. The platform reached 1 billion monthly users in March 2013. 

Since then, the platform has continued to grow and evolve. Currently, YouTube is the undisputed online video king with more than 2 billion monthly users. Millions of people visit the platform to watch videos every hour. It has also created many superstars that create and upload videos to earn their living. It has also become an excellent platform for companies and businesses to connect and engage their customers, clients, and prospects.