YouTube highlights 5/13

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

More great content on YouTube
This week we announced the addition of 3,000 major movies titles on youtube.com/movies. We’ve been offering a slew of free movie rentals on YouTube since 2009, but now you can rent and enjoy your favorite movies right on YouTube for a few bucks, from classics like Goodfellas to newer blockbusters including Inception, The King’s Speech and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There’s no downloading or software required—you can enjoy the growing selection of movies right in your browser.

Aside from professionally produced content, original content producers like like Machinima, Annoying Orange and Ryan Higa to reach TV-size audiences on YouTube week after week. In the coming year, we plan to equip more creators with the necessary tools to produce unique, valuable content. Read more from Salar Kamangar, head of YouTube, on how we plan to expand the availability of great content.

Inspired educators gather on YouTube
The Teaching Channel, one of our newer YouTube EDU partners, is a great example of technology actively elevating education standards. On the channel, teachers can discover new teaching methods and classroom ideas, and get feedback from other teachers while sharing their expertise. The hope is that teachers and schools around the country will use video to learn from each other and improve the educational experience of every child. Explore the channel yourself and pass it along to teachers you know.



Royal festivities around the world
On April 29, we live streamed the Royal Wedding on the official YouTube Royal Channel. While we knew many people would tune in, we didn’t expect numbers this large—the wedding was streamed 72 million times across 188 countries! Add that to the millions of people who caught the action later that day, and you have 101 million total streams on April 29 alone. Find more stats about the live stream event on the YouTube blog, and if you were one of the few to miss the wedding, the entire live stream and video highlights are permanently housed on The Royal Channel.



This week in trends
From the world of YouTube Trends:

• A woman plays a tune across three instruments, becoming the most watched and shared video in Taiwan this week
• News on Bin Laden draws reactions from around the country
• 10 ways kids are asking each other to the prom
• Millions watched President Obama’s speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner

Visit the YouTube Blog for much more from the world of video.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team