ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅの投稿動画、２０年で２００億本突破

【サンブルーノ／米国ＡＦＰ＝時事】米グーグル傘下の動画共有サイト「ユーチューブ（ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅ）」は２３日、最初の動画が公開されてから２０年の間に、プラットフォーム上にアップロードされた動画が累計で２００億本を超えたと発表した。（写真は米カリフォルニア州サンブルーノにある動画共有サイト「ユーチューブ〈ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅ〉」本社内にある従業員専用の滑り台）
　ユーチューブは２００５年、オンライン決済サービス「ペイパル」の元同僚たちの食事会でアイデアが生まれ、同年のバレンタインデーに「ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅ．ｃｏｍ」のドメインが有効化された。
　同年４月２３日には動画アップロード機能が追加され、共同創業者のひとり、ジョード・カリム氏が最初の動画「Ｍｅ ａｔ ｔｈｅ Ｚｏｏ」を投稿した。これはサンディエゴ動物園で象舎の前に立つ自身を撮影した１９秒間の映像で、２０２５年４月２４日時点の再生回数は３億５６００万回を超えている。
　この２０年間でユーチューブは、開設当初の予想を大きく上回る規模へと成長を遂げた。
　ユーチューブによると、現在は１日あたりおよそ２０００万本の動画がアップロードされている。またドイツの市場調査会社スタティスタによれば、ユーチューブの月間アクティブユーザー数は２５億人を超えているという。
　グーグルは、世界中のユーチューブ視聴時間について、テレビ画面での視聴に限っても１日あたり１０億時間を超えているとしている。
　アナリストらはユーチューブにとっての重要な転機として、２００６年に同社がグーグルに株式交換方式で１６億５０００万ドル（現在の為替レートで約２３５０億円）で買収されたことを挙げている。この買収によって、熱心なユーザーを抱えていた同プラットフォームに、グーグルの検索技術と広告運用のノウハウが融合された。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/04/24-18:26）

YouTube on Wednesday celebrated more than 20 billion videos being uploaded to the platform since the first clip debuted two decades ago.
The online video-sharing platform has evolved from a dinner party lark into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.
PayPal colleagues Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim conceived YouTube in 2005, reportedly during a dinner party. The domain YouTube.com launched on Valentine's Day that year.
Video uploading capabilities were added on April 23, when Karim posted the first video, titled Me at the Zoo. The 19-second clip showing Karim at the San Diego Zoo's elephant exhibit has garnered 348 million views.
Over the next 20 years, the site expanded beyond what was imagined possible back in 2005.
YouTube says that it now sees an average of some 20 million videos uploaded daily.
The platform hosts everything from concert clips and podcasts to political ads, tutorials and much more.
YouTube has become the world's largest digital video service in terms of time spent by viewers and ad revenue, according to eMarketer analyst Ross Benes.
The platform reached more than 2.5 billion viewers globally last year, and hit 100 million subscribers to its music and premium tier, according to market tracker Statista.
YouTube is projected to surpass all US cable television services in paid subscribers within two years, according to Benes.
Users worldwide watch more than a billion hours of YouTube content daily on television sets alone, Google reported.
YouTube said it will upgrade its TV viewing experience this summer with improved features and quality tweaks, though it did not provide further details.
If you go back 20 years, it would have seemed laughable that this website with kids making parody videos would become a threat to Disney, ABC, and CBS, Benes said.
That's what they were able to accomplish.
Analysts consider Google's 2006 purchase of YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock a pivotal moment, combining Google's search and advertising expertise with a video-sharing platform that had passionate users.
Google used its advertising know-how to build a successful model, sharing revenue with creators who attracted significant audiences.
The company enhanced technology and negotiated with studios to address copyright violations on what was once considered the Wild West of video content.
YouTube also worked its way past concerns that disturbing content, like parody videos of popular cartoon characters in violent or risque situations, were being served up to children by its recommendation software.
The platform now competes with streaming services like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon Prime, as well as short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram's Reels.