Russia
In 2021, two accounts linked to RT DE, the German channel of the Russian state-
owned RT network, were removed for breaching YouTube's policies relating to COVID-
19.[149] Russia threatened to ban YouTube after the platform deleted two German RT
channels in September 2021.[150] Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in
2022, YouTube removed all channels funded by the Russian state.[151] YouTube
expanded the removal of Russian content from its site to include channels described
as 'pro-Russian'. In June 2022, the War Gonzo channel run by Russian military
blogger and journalist Semyon Pegov was deleted.[152]
In July 2023, YouTube removed the channel of British journalist Graham Phillips,
active in covering the war in Donbas from 2014.[153] In August 2023, a Moscow court
fined Google 3 million rubles, around $35,000, for not deleting what it said was
"fake news about the war in Ukraine".[154]
In October 2024, a Russian court fined Google 2 undecillion rubles (equivalent to
US$20 decillion) for restricting Russian state media channels on YouTube.[155] The
fine imposed by Russia is far greater than the world's total GDP, estimated at
US$110 trillion by the International Monetary Fund.[156] State news agency TASS
reported that Google is allowed to return to the Russian market only if it complies
with the court's decision.[157] Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labeled the
court decision as "symbolic" and warned Google that it "should not be restricting
the actions of our broadcasters on its platform."[158]
April Fools gags
See also: List of Google April Fools' Day jokes
YouTube featured an April Fools prank on the site on April 1 of every year from
2008 to 2016. In 2008, all links to videos on the main page were redirected to Rick
Astley's music video "Never Gonna Give You Up", a prank known as "rickrolling".
[159][160] The next year, when clicking on a video on the main page, the whole page
turned upside down, which YouTube claimed was a "new layout".[161] In 2010, YouTube
temporarily released a "TEXTp" mode which rendered video imagery into ASCII art
letters "in order to reduce bandwidth costs by $1 per second."[162]
The next year, the site celebrated its "100th anniversary" with a range of sepia-
toned silent, early 1900s-style films, including a parody of Keyboard Cat.[163] In
2012, clicking on the image of a DVD next to the site logo led to a video about a
purported option to order every YouTube video for home delivery on DVD.[164] In
2013, YouTube teamed up with satirical newspaper company The Onion to claim in an
uploaded video that the video-sharing website was launched as a contest which had
finally come to an end, and would shut down for ten years before being re-launched
in 2023, featuring only the winning video. The video starred several YouTube
celebrities, including Antoine Dodson. A video of two presenters announcing the
nominated videos streamed live for 12 hours.[165][166]
In 2014, YouTube announced that it was responsible for the creation of all viral
video trends, and revealed previews of upcoming trends, such as "Clocking",
"Kissing Dad", and "Glub Glub Water Dance".[167] The next year, YouTube added a
music button to the video bar that played samples from "Sandstorm" by Darude.[168]
In 2016, YouTube introduced an option to watch every video on the platform in 360-
degree mode with Snoop Dogg.[169]
Services
YouTube Premium
Main article: YouTube Premium
Logo of YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is YouTube's premium
subscription service. It offers advertising-free streaming, access to original
programming, and background and offline video playback on mobile devices.[170]
YouTube Premium was originally announced on November 12, 2014, as "Music Key", a
subscription music streaming service, and was intended to integrate with and
replace the existing Google Play Music "All Access" service.[171][172][173] On
October 28, 2015, the service was relaunched as YouTube Red, offering ad-free
streaming of all videos and access to exclusive original content.[174][175][176] As
of November 2016, the service has 1.5 million subscribers, with a further million
on a free-trial basis.[177] As of June 2017, the first season of YouTube Originals
had received 250 million views in total.[178]
YouTube Kids
Main article: YouTube Kids
Logo of YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is an American children's video app developed by YouTube, a subsidiary
of Google. The app was developed in response to parental and government scrutiny on
the content available to children. The app provides a version of the service-
oriented towards children, with curated selections of content, parental control
features, and filtering of videos deemed inappropriate viewing for children aged
under 13, 8 or 5 depending on the age grouping chosen. First released on February
15, 2015, as an Android and iOS mobile app, the app has since been released for LG,
Samsung, and Sony smart TVs, as well as for Android TV. On May 27, 2020, it became
available on Apple TV. As of September 2019, the app is available in 69 countries,
including Hong Kong and Macau, and one province. YouTube launched a web-based
version of YouTube Kids on August 30, 2019.
YouTube Music
Main article: YouTube Music
Logo of YouTube Music
On September 28, 2016, YouTube named Lyor Cohen, the co-founder of 300
Entertainment and former Warner Music Group executive, the Global Head of Music.
[179]
In early 2018, Cohen began hinting at the possible launch of YouTube's new
subscription music streaming service, a platform that would compete with other
services such as Spotify and Apple Music.[180] On May 22, 2018, the music streaming
platform named "YouTube Music" was launched.[181][182]
YouTube Movies & TV
YouTube Movies & TV is a video on demand (VOD) service that offers movies and
television shows for purchase or rental, depending on availability, along with a
selection of movies (encompassing between 100 and 500 titles overall) that are free
to stream, with interspersed ad breaks. YouTube began offering free-to-view movie
titles to its users in November 2018; selections of new movies are added and others
removed, unannounced each month.[183]
In March 2021, Google announced plans to gradually deprecate the Google Play Movies
& TV app, and eventually migrate all users to the YouTube app's Movies & TV store
to view, rent and purchase movies and TV shows (first affecting Roku, Samsung, LG,
and Vizio smart TV users on July 15).[184][185] Google Play Movies & TV formally
shut down on January 17, 2024, with the web version of that platform migrated to
YouTube as an expansion of the Movies & TV store to desktop users. (Other functions
of Google Play Movies & TV were integrated into the Google TV service.)[186]
YouTube Primetime Channels
On November 1, 2022, YouTube launched Primetime Channels, a channel store platform
offering third-party subscription streaming add-ons sold a la carte through the
YouTube website and app, competing with similar subscription add-on stores operated
by Apple, Prime Video and Roku. The add-ons can be purchased through the YouTube
Movies & TV hub or through the official YouTube channels of the available services;
subscribers of YouTube TV add-ons that are sold through Primetime Channels can also
access their content via the YouTube app and website. A total of 34 streaming
services (including Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, MGM+, AMC+ and ViX+) were
initially available for purchase.[187][188]
NFL Sunday Ticket, as part of a broader residential distribution deal with Google
signed in December 2022 that also made it available to YouTube TV subscribers, was
added to Primetime Channels as a standalone add-on on August 16, 2023.[189][190]
The ad-free tier of Max was added to Primetime Channels on December 12, 2023,
coinciding with YouTube TV converting its separate HBO (for base plan subscribers)
and HBO Max (for all subscribers) linear/VOD add-ons into a single combined Max
offering.[191][192][note 1]
YouTube TV
