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Facebook Users Watched 740 Million Videos in April. . And Only Came in Second

If you think 740 million video views sounds like a lot, prepare yourself for a shock. According to the latest comScore Video Metrix’s report, YouTube visitors (in combination with other Google properties) watched 13 billion videos in April. Yes, billion with a ‘b’.

What’s really fascinating is the rate of the climb. Look at these charts for April and February.

comscore april

comscore feb

In three months, the list, particularly in number of videos viewed is incredible. In February, Facebook had just crossed the half a million mark. Now, they’re almost at 750 million. The difference in the number of unique viewers isn’t as drastic because, let’s face it, we have to be reaching the max pretty soon, right? But as you can see from the last column, it’s not about more people, it’s about more minutes per person.

Happy Eighth Birthday to YouTube!

bg8thYouTube turned eight years old over the weekend and almost one out of every two people on the Internet showed up for the party. Their gift? 100 hours of video uploaded every minute.

Ah, seems like only yesterday that we were sitting in grandmom’s living room watching silent home movies on a Super 8 projector that clattered like a train coming down the track. Now we have video wherever we go. (But I kind of miss the clack-clack-clack. I wonder if there’s an app that will add the Super 8 projector sound to YouTube videos?)

Even though YouTube isn’t a baby anymore, it still has plenty of “firsts” in its future. This week, it was the launch of the first “YouTube Comedy Week.” 150 comedians participated in the event including Rainn Wilson, Ryan Higa, Smosh, The Lonely Island, Vince Vaughn, The Fine Bros, and The Gregory Brothers. They also prepared a special YT tribute, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

ABC Reveals Plan for Unified Advertising Across All Platforms

abc watchABC just completed their 2013-2014 TV Upfront presentation. They did it with their usual dose of self-deprecating humor and lots of jabs at the other networks. Their new season is full of crazy comedies and high-concept fantasy shows such as Once Upon a Time in Wonderland  (Is Alice mentally ill),  Resurrection (a boy returns from the dead 32 years later.) and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

With shows like these, you know ABC is in for another season of high ratings in the young demographics and lots of social media buzz. Because of that, the network is pushing forward with two concepts that will help advertisers reach that coveted audience.

Facebook Autoplay Video Ads! Get Ready to Get Mad

mute buttonThe Financial Times (and everyone else who saw the article) is reporting that Facebook is going to start inserting autoplay video ads into your Facebook feed.

I sense a brouhaha coming on.

But really. . . let’s talk about this.

First, is it even true? I’m not questioning the integrity of the reporter who wrote the story, but Facebook talks about doing a lot of things that either never happen or they happen and then go away. Even the changes that stick quickly become part of our routine – with one exception – I do wish they’d put Facebook Page updates back in my main feed because I always forget to check the separate feed. (Is there a way to combine them that I’m missing?)

Will People Pay to Watch YouTube?

cat videoThere’s a rumor running around the internet that says YouTube is going to start charging for certain content streams. Don’t panic yet. You’ll still be able to watch people doing embarrassing things in public and cats doing cat things for free. The move would initially involve about 50 specific channels of curated content.

And when they say “channel” they mean a locked library of related content. For example, a studio might create a package of children’s programming, another partner might list a collection of business tutorials. For some, it’s a way of recycling old content that was previously created for TV, DVD or the web. For others, it’s about capitalizing on YouTube videos that are already working – why give it away if you can charge?

What Begins with a Click: YouTube At the NewFronts

YouTube One ClickYesterday, YouTube took the stage at the Digital Content NewFronts in New York and instead of announcing a long list of new ventures (as most other media companies did), they declared that they were already where they wanted to be.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said,

“The future is already here. When I started, there was 54 million people connected globally, That has grown to two billion, with one billion coming to YouTube… The remaining 5 billion people not currently online will be coming online via smartphones. Screens are simply everywhere.”

That’s not false bravado. YouTube isn’t just a website, it’s a cultural phenomena. People have been shooting home movies for more than fifty years, but now we share those videos with the world. And we don’t just film on the holidays. Now, we shoot video everyday and everywhere.

From the Digital NewFronts: 15 Shows for AOL, Start-Up Doc for WSJ and More

Curt-Hecht-2This week, all of the top media companies in the US have gathered together in New York City to present their digital content to potential advertisers. It’s the online version of the TV Upfronts, which they’ve dubbed The Digital Content NewFronts.

Here’s a brief overview of what’s in the works.

The Wall Street Journal

Did you know that WSJ creates more than 100 hours of video content every month. I had no idea. Now, they’re pushing even further into that area with several exciting new shows including WorldStream, a short-form Vlog platform for international journalists. The one I’m most interested in is “WSJ Startup of the Year.” In this series, which premieres in June, 25 aspiring entrepreneurs will have a chance to pitch their best idea to mentors such as Sir Richard Branson, Ray Kurzweil of Google and Carly Fiorina, chairman Good360.