Last Updated on February 29, 2024
Is there a video streaming platform that outshines YouTube in popularity? We are going to be straight with you…there isn’t. Ever since its launching on 14 February 2005, this platform has become a force to reckon with.
Despite being the second most visited site on the internet, there is a lot you probably don’t know about YouTube. But not to worry. In this article, we are going to shine the spotlight on a few fascinating facts and statistics about YouTube. Ready to rumble? Excellent.
Astonishing Facts and Stats about YouTube
Here is a list of a few things you need to know about YouTube as you enjoy its streaming services:
- Did you know that YouTube is the second most used website in the world? Yes, it is. And the first one happens to be the sister website…let’s say it together…Google. Facebook and Wikipedia come third and fourth respectively.
- YouTube now boasts a total of 1,300,000,000+ users worldwide
- YouTube is headquartered in San Bruno, California
- YouTube is 16 years old and while you may think it’s the oldest video sharing platform, that’s not the case. The first-ever video-sharing site was shareyourworld.com but it’s not around anymore.
- After Facebook, YouTube is the next social media platform with a huge number of daily active users. In fact, according to Global Media Insight, the platform gets 122 million visits daily.
- The same report reveals that users spend approximately 1 billion hours every day on the site.
- Did you know that 62% of Americans check in to YouTube every single day? Well, now you know.
- On average, most YouTubers spend approximately 16 minutes and 44 seconds on the site, every day.
- Every minute, roughly 500 hours of video is added to YouTube
- The first video on YouTube was titled ‘Me at the zoo’ and was uploaded on 23rd April by the platform’s founder Jawed Karim. Today, the video has over 100 million views.
- YouTube’s on video, YouTube Rewind 2018 is the most disliked clip on the platform followed by Pinkfong’s Baby Shark Dance.
- YouTube’s own channel has 30+ million subscribers
- T-series, a film production, and record label company based in India is the most subscribed channel on YouTube with over 190 million subscribers.
- Close to 70% of YouTube views come from mobile phone users
- Since its inception, the first video to hit one billion views on YouTube was Gangnam Style. The first to ever achieve one million views was Nike’s advert that featured Ronaldinho.
- Adele’s Hello is the fastest video on YouTube to hit one billion views in just 87 days. The second fastest is Despacito by Luis Fonsi with a record of 96 days.
- The most-watched YouTube video is Baby Shark Dance and has over 9 billion views. The second most-watched is Luis Fonsi’s Despacito.
- In the US, the most searched term on YouTube is Pewdiepie followed by asmr.
- Most YouTube users visit the platform to learn how to do stuff that they have never done before.
- YouTube was sold to Google in 2006 for a handsome $1.65 billion. The move helped the company dominate video content too.
- 90% of Americans who access YouTube are aged between 18 and 49
- Ryan Kaji, Mr. Beast, and Dude Perfect are some of the highest-earning YouTubers.
- You need 1000 subscribers and upwards of 4000 watch hours to get a chance to monetize your YouTube account and get paid.
- YouTubers with 1 million subscribers earn close to $60,000 annually.
- YouTubers will only get paid if you watch an ad for 30 seconds. If you skip after 5 seconds, they don’t get paid.
- YouTube would not be around if it wasn’t for PayPal, an online payment service where (YouTube founders) Jawed, Steve, and Chad all worked.
- A dating website called ‘Hot or Not’ inspired the creation of YouTube. In fact, the platform was to go live as a video-based dating site with a catchy slogan-‘Tune in, Hook up’
- YouTube was an Angel-Investor supported enterprise. The initial funding came from Sequoia Capital and former PayPal CFO, Roelof Botha. Botha went ahead to join the music streaming platform as its board of directors.
- YouTube grew so fast to the extent that its founders were unable to keep up with its technological demands. That is one of the key reasons it was handed over to Google.
- The first-ever targeted advertising on the platform happened in February 2006. The first ad was from a clip of the famous Prison Break show.
- In 2018, YouTube generated more than twice in revenues to outshine any major TV network at the time.
- Universal Tube, www.utube.com dragged YouTube in court in 2006 after their site started getting hits from people looking for YouTube.com
- Viral videos like David After the Dentist and Evolution of Dance accelerated YouTube’s growth in its early years.
- In 2020 alone, YouTube paid out more than $30 billion to content creators.
- By the end of 2020, the most consumed content on YouTube was music videos.
- ‘How to’ videos consumption on the platform is up by more than 70%.
- Over 80% of parents in the US use YouTube to find entertaining and educative content for their kids.
- The most viral comment on YouTube was posted by Seth Everman on Billie Eilish’s smash hit ‘Bad Guy.’ Seth’s comment, ‘I’m the bald guy’ has 3+ million likes and 500+ replies.
While you are there, enjoy the other comments too from people looking for Seth’s comment, huh.
- YouTube is available in over 80 different languages.
Wrap up
This is the end of this journey folks. We hope these fascinating facts and stats about YouTube will help you in your research. See you around!