TOGETHER WITH

Happy Hump Day and a very happy 20th birthday to YouTube! The platform marked its big day with a Yoodle (produced by Portal A) celebrating one of the internet’s greatest pop culture contributions: the rickroll.

Today’s News

20 YEARS OF YOUTUBE

20 Years of YouTube: A trip to the zoo started it all

The series: On April 23, 2005, co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first video ever posted on YouTube.

In celebration of that two-decade anniversary, we’re kicking off 20 Years of YouTube: a new series covering the uploads, trends, and influencers that have defined the world’s favorite video site. And where better to start than at the beginning?

The video that started it all: When it first hit YouTube twenty years ago, Karim’s “Me at the zoo” video was little more than a test of the new platform’s technology. The 19-second clip was filmed in front of the San Diego Zoo’s elephant enclosure, an unassuming setting likely chosen to avoid distracting from the video’s experimental purpose.

But instead of remaining a simple test, Karim’s zoo trip has become one of the most-watched non-music videos in YouTube history with more than 354 million lifetime views. “Me at the zoo” now epitomizes several of YouTube’s core characteristics. It is often described as the platform’s first vlog, and illustrates its initial focus on short, user-generated videos.

The present day: These days, the video also reflects another prominent aspect of YouTube culture: its flair for drama.

The man who founded YouTube alongside Steve Chen and Chad Hurley occasionally updates “Me at the zoo” to comment on platform changes and social issues. In 2021, for instance, Karim used the video’s description box to protest the removal of dislikes. Fast forward four years, and that space now offers information about the “alarming” accumulation of microplastics.

The video attached to those updates might be a couple decades old, but Karim’s commentary still embodies the spirit of the site he launched. YouTube is a content platform, a cultural touchstone, and an entertainment phenomenon—but above all, it’s a hub filled with fierce discussion and debate.

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3. Execute: Add the finishing touches to your videos by generating thumbnail ideas and titles directly within Spotter Studio. After that, all that’s left to do is hit ‘post.’

Discover the ideation suite that helps creators craft videos with 49% more views.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• From June 16-20, the 2025 edition of Cannes Lions’ creator program, LIONS Creators, will feature sessions from top brands and creators like Google, TikTok, Meta, Kai Cenat, and Amelia Dimoldenberg. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• A study conducted by researchers at Ewha Womans University and University of California at Davis found that YouTube videos with “negative interactions” are impacting kids’ mental health. (Tubefilter)
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• In the wake of YouTube’s view measurement update, long-time chart toppers like T-Series seem to be falling behind as Shorts giants like Kimpro and Double Date claim billions of fresh views. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Meta has officially launched Edits, a standalone video creation app “for making great videos directly on your phone.” (Meta Newsroom)

GOING GLOBAL

Roblox introduces regional pricing to unlock creator revenue around the world

The context: Roblox has become a worldwide sensation. Brazilian creators are opening experience development studios, Filipinos are using the game to put a modern spin on Catholicism, and professional devs are raking in massive earnings by selling digital items.

In fact, the sandbox title’s economy is now so robust that creators took home nearly $1 billion in earnings in 2024. That’s already an impressive achievement—but Roblox CEO David Baszucki has an even bigger goal for the future: he wants 10% of all gaming content revenue to flow through the Roblox ecosystem. (If you use 2024 numbers, that would be $18 billion of the $180 billion the gaming industry generated worldwide.)

The feature: Attaining that ambitious target will require deep saturation across the globe—and that’s where Roblox’s latest feature comes in. A new Regional Pricing tool will allow creators to prorate the price of items bought and sold within custom Roblox experiences, making them less expensive in nations that possess less spending power.

The Regional Pricing tool is an extension of the Price Optimization feature Roblox introduced last year. By advising creators on pricing adjustments, that tool has sent earnings soaring: the creator of the Slap Battles experience, for example, saw his earnings go up “over 15%” thanks to Price Optimization.

Early returns from Regional Pricing have been similarly optimistic. Roblox reports that creators who tested the new tool scored purchases from a higher percentage of players. That figure rose 17% in Mexico, 26% in Brazil, and 52% in the Philippines.

BIRTHDAY BASH

On YouTube’s 20th birthday, there are 20 trillion videos uploaded to its site

The easter eggs: We at Tubefilter aren’t the only ones celebrating YouTube’s 20th anniversary. The platform itself marked its two-decade milestone with a birthday makeover and a whole host of zany easter eggs.

If you head to YouTube today, you’ll be treated to a new logo, a cake-themed scrubber, a special animation when you like videos, and a birthday welcome screen for mobile gamers. This week only, livestream viewers can also gift creators party hats and slices of cake.

The stats: YouTube’s birthday buzz doesn’t end there. The platform dropped a series of stats in a celebratory blog post, including these highlights:

• There are 20 trillion total videos uploaded to YouTube, with 20 million videos added daily.
  
  

• On average, 3.5 billion likes and over 100 million new comments are left on videos every day.
  
  

• YouTube creators now “heart” comments from an average of 10 million viewers per day.
  
  

• Over 300 music videos have hit at least one billion views, with Adele‘s “Hello” reaching that milestone in just 88 days.

The context: Add in 2.5 billion monthly active users and $36+ million in annual ad revenue, and it’s clear that YouTube has come a long way—but that doesn’t mean it’s done evolving. The platform’s blog post named a number of upcoming features, including the expansion of voice replies and custom multiview displays for sports-loving YouTube TV subscribers.

Also on the agenda: 4x playback speed is coming to YouTube Premium and English-language YouTube Music users in some regions can now generate personalized radio stations based on the sort of music they’re in the mood for.

Finally, YouTube is upgrading its living room TV viewing with “easier navigation, playback, quality tweaks, plus streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing.” How’s that for a birthday haul?

WATCH THIS 📺

xQc is making a $250,000 bet on a hot new esport: Marvel Rivals

The tournament: Marvel Rivals has been a hot topic in the gaming world since its December release. In fact, according to SteamDB, the title has already become the most-played hero shooter on Steam—and now, that success has captured the attention of one of esports’ biggest names.

Canadian streamer xQc is putting $250,000 on the line at a May 9th tournament called the Marvel Rivals xQc Invitational. As he clarified during a recent stream, the prize pool for that big event will include contributions from both his personal coffers and Marvel’s.

Check out a VOD of xQc’s stream here for more info about the upcoming invitational.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.