YouTube’s future is supposed to look particularly bright – for users, creators and its own reputation. A high-ranking employee has revealed exactly what Google’s video portal is planning. One thing is certain: the hoisted flag says “INNOVATION” in capitals.
What do “Baby Shark Dance,” “Despacito” and “Gangnam Style” have in common? They are currently among the ten most successful YouTube videos – determined by the number of views. The two first-mentioned songs occupy the top ranks.
A look at the figures not only proves the popularity of the videos, but also illustrates the reach of YouTube in general. Nearly eight billion views are recorded by the first-place video alone from the channel “Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs & Stories” channel alone, which currently has around 44.6 million subscribers.
From 2013 to 2020, monthly YouTube views will double from one to two billion. Pi times thumb – because who still wants to count in this order of magnitude? What is meant here are active users of the platform, and since 2017 the figure has even referred to monthly logged-in visitors.
What is YouTube planning for the future?
After the inventory comes the perspective view.
And even at first glance, it is apparent that YouTube’s list of potential future milestones is not short. The company communicates technological developments and usability innovations that are at least in the conceptual phase via its official blog.
“How we want to make YouTube even better for the next generation of video,” is the opening quote from Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan about YouTube’s future. A new series is planned that will showcase the in-house, ongoing optimizations.
Specifically, according to the information available, these are:
- Easier navigation
- Support for new formats
- Expanding the offering to include TV
- More security for children
- More options and support for Creator
- Shopping for the next generation
That YouTube is opening the front door a crack is not a new strategy. And neither is it far from the provider’s self-interest, because YouTube will not disseminate any detrimental information in its content series – on the contrary.
This is proven by the earlier campaign on the topic of “responsibility” and other content in the Inside YouTube series. But what term shimmers in the future of YouTube? Innovation.
“Reality that surpasses anything that has come before”.
It seems Neal Mohan deliberately broke the piggy bank of superlatives to launch the new series. What emerged is a confident statement like:
I want to find out how we can turn innovative ideas into reality for viewers and creators – a reality that surpasses anything that has gone before. […] In order for us to meet those needs in the coming year, we need to redefine the way the world experiences video.
The effort is meant to be a response to global needs, according to Mohan, who sees YouTube as a “world stage for video” and is aiming for “the best setting for our creators as well as the best viewing experience for our audience” from a stage director’s perspective.
He is certainly not wrong. Even a market leader must constantly question itself and realign itself instead of letting its soul dangle in its previous success. Seen in this light, the powerful announcements are quite understandable and, measured against YouTube’s position, also justified.
