There is probably no one in the civilized world who hasn’t heard of YouTube. This pioneer in video-sharing websites has swept the world by storm from the moment it has been invented. As a look back, here’s a brief on the YouTube deal history.
Birth of an Idea
YouTube has become so synonymous with the internet that many of us don’t even know the full history behind it. The website was started in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. They had the idea of creating a platform for people to easily share and upload videos. Their goal was to make content creation available for the general public, basically, anyone who has an internet connection and a camera.
The First Video
Of course, the first video posted on YouTube was posted by the creators. Jawed Karim, one of the founder trio, uploaded the first YouTube video entitled “Me at the Zoo” on April 23, 2005. In the video, Karim was talking about the elephants at the San Diego Zoo. During that time, even the founders of the video-sharing giant haven’t anticipated how famous their website is going to be.
Acquisition by Google
When Google saw the potential of YouTube becoming a global platform, they immediately made plans to acquire it. They finalized the acquisition in November 2006, buying the platform for an unfathomable $1.65 billion in stock. When the purchase was finished, that was when YouTube was launched into a global phenomenon. With Google’s resources and tech experts, YouTube’s infrastructure was propelled to staggering heights.
Rise of the YouTubers
Unlike traditional content creation, YouTube’s appeal lies in the user-generated content it offers. Although Google acquired the platform, the retained the original founders’ mission to let anyone in the world share videos online. This was received well by the general public. Pretty much everyone created YouTube videos for just about anything. People started gaining followers, and the first YouTubers were born.
YouTube’s Monetization and Content Culture
Because so many people were using YouTube, Google introduced the Partner Program in 2007, just two years after the website’s creation. It allowed creators to earn a share first in advertising revenue from their videos. It was the start of the monetization era of the Internet. YouTubers saw this opportunity to make YouTube videos as a steady and reliable source of income.
The Controversies that Came Afterward
Of course, with the widespread use of the platform, many controversies came to light. The first big issue YouTube had to deal with are the types of content posted on the website. Because YouTube is such a new thing, there weren’t many moderators for the content posted there. This allowed explicit or violent content to be posted indiscriminately.
Another big issue that YouTube is dealing with is copyright infringement. This became really common, especially with the music posted on the site. People were using music and even clips without consent from the copyright owners. So YouTube cracked down on this to keep the platform safe from any abuse.
Youtube Deal History Was a Pioneer for the Internet
The YouTube deal history with Google made the platform what it is today, and we are all here for it. Sometimes deals with larger platforms can benefit everyone, and YouTube is living proof of that.