New York’s Youtube Studio
by jtugman
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/business/media/youtube-takes-manhattan-.html?ref=technology#
This article really exposed me to the legitimacy behind video production on Google’s video platform: Youtube. With only a 5,000 subscriber minimum to start receiving ad revenue, almost anyone with a half decent camera and idea can make a quick buck. Similarly, “One billion unique users visit YouTube every month” makes it much easier for startup channels to get on the content monetization bandwagon.
I am rather surprised that it has taken so long for Google to expand to the east coast since acquiring Youtube back in 2006. Google has largely been a Californian based company as most tech startups are like facebook or twitter. But with their international internet dominance, taking 8 years to penetrate their second largest american audience; New York, is a little overdue. This was likely the product of Youtube wanting to focus on improving the video watching experience. Now, after 8 years, they have the GUI and player functioning at an amazing level, it looks like they are looking to help out their content creators.
Youtube’s new New York video production studio
Although Youtube’s GUI has changed roughly once a year for the past 3 years or so, the video player, search algorithms and channel personalization have remained constant which really improves the consumer experience. Improving production quality of Youtube videos is the most effective way of directly improving the quality of Youtube’s content.
I think in the long run, creating formal video studios to make high quality content is only going to make Youtube a more valuable service. It is arguably one of Google’s largest platforms for ad revenue. It has incredible amounts of user traffic and is always optimizing the viewing experience by updating their user interface. Allowing content creators make professional, high quality videos is a fantastic way to escape Youtube’s largely digital presence. Hopefully more resources like this will pop up in the coming years.