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Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
YouTube turns 20: From 'Lazy Sunday' to 'Hot Ones'
Live Events The video is short -- just 19 seconds -- and not particularly compelling. A viewer would be forgiven for clicking away before it grainy footage, uploaded on April 23, 2005, of a man standing in front of the elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo -- "All right, so here we are in front of the elephants" -- does not look like the sort of thing that would touch off a video yet, two decades after that inauspicious start, YouTube is now a cornerstone of the media ecosystem. It's where people go for music videos and four-hour-long hotel reviews. It is a platform for rising stars and conspiracy theorists. It's a repository for vintage commercials and 10 hours of ambient noise. It has disrupted traditional television and given rise to a world of video creators who make content catering to every imaginable niche every YouTube video you have watched, there are hundreds of millions you will never a look back at some of the biggest moments in YouTube first video uploaded on YouTube is titled "Me at the zoo," and it shows one of the platform's founders, Jawed Karim, admiring the elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Karim founded YouTube in February 2005 with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, but left the venture in "Saturday Night Live" music video "Lazy Sunday" was perhaps the first YouTube video to go viral. The video, featuring the cast members Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rapping about cupcakes and movie snacks, was immediately uploaded by fans after it aired December 17, 2005. The spread of bootleg clips prompted NBC Universal to ask YouTube to remove the clip and other NBC footage for copyright reasons in February swiftly became a home for viral hits, which in 2006 included "Flea Market Montgomery," "Charlie the Unicorn" and "Evolution of Dance."Viacom, Microsoft and Yahoo expressed interest in buying YouTube, attracted by its growing audience. In October 2006, Google announced that it was acquiring the platform for $1.65 billion."Chocolate Rain," "Charlie Bit My Finger," "Shoes" and "Leave Britney Alone" were among the YouTube videos that caused a stir in did home videos of a little Canadian kid with a big voice, who was building a small legion of fans. Crucially, they also attracted the interest of the R&B singer and songwriter Usher, and an aspiring music manager, Scooter Braun. Braun signed the kid, Justin Bieber, and Bieber Fever DeVore Sr. posted a video of his 7-year-old son, David, after a tooth extraction to share with family, but the video of the loopy and screaming child, "David After Dentist," shot around the younger David said in an interview on Tamron Hall's talk show in January that learning he was famous "came to me in pieces.""I was 7 when it first happened, and a week later we were in New York for the first time," he crabs. Tapping fingernails. Whispering the names of items on a grocery receipt. For some, these sounds trigger a brain-tingling sensation now recognized as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, a term coined in was already filled with terrible songs by amateurs when a music video for "Friday," by 13-year-old Rebecca Black, caught the attention of the public and was eviscerated by armchair critics is still making music and working as a DJ. This spring and summer, she is a guest on Katy Perry's tour and on the Solid Pink Disco tour headlined by drag artist Trixie Mattel."Kony 2012" did not fit into an existing mold for viral content. It was 30 minutes long, created by a nonprofit group, Invisible Children, and was about a Central African warlord, Joseph yet, the video had 100 million views only a week after it was released, with help from celebrity supporters including Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey."Kony 2012" ultimately had a mixed legacy, and Kony's location remains unknown. A hearing on the war crimes and crimes against humanity charges against him is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the International Criminal Court at The a South Korean singer and rapper, released a music video for his song "Gangnam Style" in July 2012, and by the end of that year it had become the first video on the internet to reach 1 billion views. In 2022, Psy told The New York Times that the song's success haunted him."The songs are written by the same person, the dance moves are by the same person and they're performed by the same person. Everything's the same, but what was so special about that one song?" Psy said. "I still don't know, to this day."The musician T-Pain was for years best known, and often criticized, for hits that leaned heavily on Auto-Tune. That changed when he appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk concert series, singing beautifully without digital effects in a performance that silenced his online Tiny Desk series, which began in 2008, continues to produce pop culture moments. In the past year, popular Tiny Desk performances have included Doechii and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso.A popular YouTube genre is unboxing, which features people taking cellphones, makeup, vacuum cleaners and other products out of their packaging and describing them in clinical of the most successful creators of unboxing videos is Marques Brownlee. He has unboxed items including an original, sealed iPhone, a PlayStation 5 and AirPods Max headphones. After years of reviewing technology for a growing audience, he graduated from college and became a full-time YouTube creator in May 2015. Today, he has 19.9 million subscribers and is a respected voice on consumer world domination of "Baby Shark" began quietly, when a video of the song was posted on YouTube in November 2015 by SmartStudy, a Seoul-based company that produced children's videos under the Pinkfong remixed the song, adding a new beat, and dropped the inescapable version of "Baby Shark" in June 2016. In November 2020, it became the most viewed YouTube video ever. At 15.8 billion views, it still videos dominate YouTube's most-watched lists, but none have topped "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee. The video was filmed in Puerto Rico, where both artists are from, and is the most watched music video on YouTube. It is also one of the most watched videos ever, with more than 8.7 billion all social media platforms, YouTube has been in a constant struggle to determine what content it will allow. In 2018, it joined several other companies in removing most posts and videos from the right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website, prominent voices who have been restricted on the platform include President Donald Trump and Andrew Tate, an influencer known for his misogynistic views and ostentatious displays of wealth. (YouTube reversed its suspension of Trump's account in March 2023.)Countless video call gaffes were lost to history during the coronavirus pandemic. One that was preserved featured a Texas lawyer, Rod Ponton, who could not figure out how to turn off a Zoom filter that made him look like a gray cat with sad eyes when he joined a virtual hearing in civil forfeiture case. "I'm here live," Ponton told the court. "I'm not a cat."Ponton has since embraced his brush with internet fame. "It did let everybody have a moment of humor and a moment of sanity during the dark days of the pandemic," he told the Times this year. "I'm glad it happened, even at my expense."Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, created a YouTube account when he was in middle school, in 2012. He eventually found success with a video format that involved giving money to people in need, and he has for years been one of the most popular creators on the platform. His most popular video is "$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!" from November once an audio-only medium, are now frequently recorded on video and posted on the final quarter of 2023, 16 of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos, according to a Times analysis of data published by Edison Research. In the same period two years earlier, seven of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos."Hot Ones," the interview show in which guests sample increasingly spicy hot sauces on chicken (or vegan) wings, had several hit episodes by the time Conan O'Brien, a fixture of traditional television, made an unhinged performance -- he appears to come unglued as he swigs sauce straight from the bottle -- had "Conan O'Brien" trending online for days. "Many of my friends went online and thought I died," he interview shows are now a recognized stop on the celebrity PR circuit, with "Chicken Shop Date," hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, producing its own set of viral moments.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
YouTube at 20: From ‘Lazy Sunday' to ‘Hot Ones'
The video is short — just 19 seconds — and not particularly compelling. A viewer would be forgiven for clicking away before it ends. The grainy footage, uploaded on April 23, 2005, of a man standing in front of the elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo — 'All right, so here we are in front of the elephants' — does not look like the sort of thing that would touch off a video revolution. And yet, two decades after that inauspicious start, YouTube is now a cornerstone of the media ecosystem. It's where people go for music videos and four-hour-long hotel reviews. It is a platform for rising stars and conspiracy theorists. It's a repository for vintage commercials and 10 hours of ambient noise. It has disrupted traditional television and given rise to a world of video creators who make content catering to every imaginable niche interest. For every YouTube video you have watched, there are hundreds of millions you will never see. Here's a look back at some of the biggest moments in YouTube history. YouTube Begins The first video uploaded on YouTube is titled 'Me at the zoo,' and it shows one of the platform's founders, Jawed Karim, admiring the elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Mr. Karim founded YouTube in February 2005 with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, but left the venture in 2006. Lazy Sunday The 'Saturday Night Live' music video 'Lazy Sunday' was perhaps the first YouTube video to go viral. The video, featuring the cast members Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rapping about cupcakes and movie snacks, was immediately uploaded by fans after it aired on Dec. 17, 2005. The spread of bootleg clips prompted NBC Universal to ask YouTube to remove the clip and other NBC footage for copyright reasons in February 2006. Google Buys YouTube YouTube swiftly became a home for viral hits, which in 2006 included 'Flea Market Montgomery,' 'Charlie the Unicorn' and 'Evolution of Dance.' Viacom, Microsoft and Yahoo expressed interest in buying YouTube, attracted by its growing audience. In October 2006, Google announced that it was acquiring the platform for $1.65 billion. Bieber Fever 'Chocolate Rain,' 'Charlie Bit My Finger,' 'Shoes' and 'Leave Britney Alone' were among the YouTube videos that caused a stir in 2007. So did home videos of a little Canadian kid with a big voice, who was building a small legion of fans. Crucially, they also attracted the interest of the R&B singer and songwriter Usher, and an aspiring music manager, Scooter Braun. Mr. Braun signed the kid, Justin Bieber, and Bieber Fever ensued. Is This Real Life? David DeVore Sr. posted a video of his 7-year-old son, David, after a tooth extraction to share with family, but the video of the loopy and screaming child, 'David After Dentist,' shot around the internet. The younger David said in an interview on Tamron Hall's talk show in January that learning he was famous 'came to me in pieces.' 'I was 7 when it first happened, and a week later we were in New York for the first time,' he said. A.S.M.R. Eating crabs. Tapping fingernails. Whispering the names of items on a grocery receipt. For some, these sounds trigger a brain-tingling sensation now recognized as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or A.S.M.R., a term coined in 2010. Friday, It's Friday! YouTube was already filled with terrible songs by amateurs when a music video for 'Friday,' by a 13-year-old named Rebecca Black, caught the attention of the public and was eviscerated by armchair critics online. Ms. Black is still making music and working as a D.J. This spring and summer, she is a guest on Katy Perry's tour and on the Solid Pink Disco tour headlined by the drag artist Trixie Mattel. 'Kony 2012' 'Kony 2012' did not fit into an existing mold for viral content. It was 30 minutes long, created by a nonprofit group, Invisible Children, and was about a Central African warlord, Joseph Kony. And yet, the video had 100 million views only a week after it was released, with help from celebrity supporters including Mr. Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey. 'Kony 2012' ultimately had a mixed legacy, and Kony's location remains unknown. A hearing on the war crimes and crimes against humanity charges against him is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. 'Gangnam Style' Hits a Billion Psy, a South Korean singer and rapper, released a music video for his song 'Gangnam Style' in July 2012, and by the end of that year it had become the first video on the internet to reach one billion views. In 2022, Psy told The New York Times that the song's success haunted him. 'The songs are written by the same person, the dance moves are by the same person and they're performed by the same person. Everything's the same, but what was so special about that one song?' Psy said. 'I still don't know, to this day.' Tiny Desk Redemption The musician T-Pain was for years best known, and often criticized, for hits that leaned heavily on Auto-Tune. That changed when he appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk concert series, singing beautifully without digital effects in a performance that silenced his online critics. The Tiny Desk series, which began in 2008, continues to produce pop culture moments. In the past year, popular Tiny Desk performances have included Doechii and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso. Unboxing A popular YouTube genre is unboxing, which features people taking cellphones, makeup, vacuum cleaners and other products out of their packaging and describing them in clinical detail. One of the most successful creators of unboxing videos is Marques Brownlee. He has unboxed items including an original, sealed iPhone, a PlayStation 5 and AirPods Max headphones. After years of reviewing technology for a growing audience, he graduated from college and became a full-time YouTube creator in May 2015. Today, he has 19.9 million subscribers and is a respected voice on consumer technology. 'Baby Shark' (Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo) The world domination of 'Baby Shark' began quietly, when a video of the song was posted on YouTube in November 2015 by SmartStudy, a Seoul-based company that produced children's videos under the Pinkfong brand. Pinkfong remixed the song, adding a new beat, and dropped the inescapable version of 'Baby Shark' in June 2016. In November 2020, it became the most viewed YouTube video ever. At 15.8 billion views, it still is. 'Despacito' Unseats 'Gangnam Style' Music videos dominate YouTube's most-watched lists, but none have topped 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee. The video was filmed in Puerto Rico, where both artists are from, and is the most watched music video on YouTube. It is also one of the most watched videos ever, with more than 8.7 billion views. Testing Free Speech Like all social media platforms, YouTube has been in a constant struggle to determine what content it will allow. In 2018, it joined several other companies in removing most posts and videos from the right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website, Infowars. Other prominent voices who have been restricted on the platform include President Trump and Andrew Tate, an influencer known for his misogynistic views and ostentatious displays of wealth. (YouTube reversed its suspension of Mr. Trump's account in March 2023.) 'I'm Not a Cat' Countless video call gaffes were lost to history during the coronavirus pandemic. One that was preserved featured a Texas lawyer, Rod Ponton, who could not figure out how to turn off a Zoom filter that made him look like a gray cat with sad eyes when he joined a virtual hearing in civil forfeiture case. 'I'm here live,' Mr. Ponton told the court. 'I'm not a cat.' Mr. Ponton has since embraced his brush with internet fame. 'It did let everybody have a moment of humor and a moment of sanity during the dark days of the pandemic,' he told The Times this year. 'I'm glad it happened, even at my expense.' MrBeast Does 'Squid Game' Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, created a YouTube account when he was in middle school, in 2012. He eventually found success with a video format that involved giving money to people in need, and he has for years been one of the most popular creators on the platform. His most popular video is '$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!' from November 2021. Please Watch This Podcast Podcasts, once an audio-only medium, are now frequently recorded on video and posted on YouTube. In the final quarter of 2023, 16 of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos, according to a Times analysis of data published by Edison Research. In the same period two years earlier, seven of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos. Conan Melts Down on 'Hot Ones' 'Hot Ones,' the interview show in which guests sample increasingly spicy hot sauces on chicken (or vegan) wings, had several hit episodes by the time Conan O'Brien, a fixture of traditional television, made an appearance. His unhinged performance — he appears to come unglued as he swigs sauce straight from the bottle — had 'Conan O'Brien' trending online for days. 'Many of my friends went online and thought I died,' he said. Chicken-based interview shows are now a recognized stop on the celebrity P.R. circuit, with 'Chicken Shop Date,' hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, producing its own set of viral moments.
USA Today
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ranking the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary show's 10 best moments
Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday night in the hallowed grounds of Studio 8H, and it was a reunion show for the ages. Ranking the 30 best Saturday Night Live cast members from the show's 50 seasons Like the best episodes of SNL we grew up with, there were some truly hilarious sketches, some that probably needed just a bit more work on the back end, a couple of very memorable music performances, a few priceless breaks from the cast and plenty to discuss with our friends the next morning. Ranking the 25 best SNL Digital Shorts, including I'm on a Boat and Lazy Sunday For a three-and-a-half-hour reunion show encompassing 50 years of an American pop culture institution, they couldn't bring every beloved character back or nail every single sketch. However, there were plenty of moments from this historic broadcast worth celebrating. Let's rank 10 of our favorites on the night. The 15 best Saturday Night Live sketches of all time, definitively ranked Some NSFW language to follow.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
15 ‘Saturday Night Live' Sketches That Went Viral
As 'Saturday Night Live' continues its celebration of 50 years on television, TheWrap is here to list the show's most viral sketches that took the internet by storm. From the hilarious viral sensation about gifting your girlfriend your privates to spot-on impersonations of some of the world's most popular political figures, 'Saturday Night Live' has never missed a beat when it comes to entertaining the masses, and that's why it has remained a TV staple in American pop culture for 50 years. Check out our list below of the sketch comedy show's most viral skits. Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rapped about what it's like to do absolutely nothing on a Sunday in their 'SNL' digital short 'Lazy Sunday.' In the skit, the two jokesters express how excited they are to wake up in the late afternoon just to do lax activities like chowing down on Magnolia bakery cupcakes and watching 'The Chronicles of Narnia.' 'More Cowbell' is one of the most classic skis in all of 'SNL.' Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon star as the members of fictional rock band Blue Oyster Cult who are in the studio recording the latest track '(Don't Fear) the Reaper.' With guidance from producer Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken), the musicians surely have a hit on their hands — as long as they add more cowbell. 'D—k in a Box' is one of the most popular, and catchy sketches 'Saturday Night Live' has ever done. 'D—k in a Box' is a digital short and song by American comedy group The Lonely Island featuring Justin Timberlake. In the sketch, Timberlake and Andy Samberg star as two early '90s musicians as they sing about the gifts they'd like to give their girlfriends for Christmas: their penises. There would be no 'Celebrity Jeopardy' skit on 'SNL' without Will Ferrell's first run as late host Alex Trebek. The lineup of competitors were Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond), French Stewart (Jimmy Fallon) and Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald). In 'SNL's' 'Club Shay Shay' skit, Devon Walker and Ego Nwodim starred as Shannon Sharpe and Katt Williams as the show took on Sharpe's popular podcast interview series, specifically the viral episode with Williams. The skit took off online, engaging folks who were fans of both Sharpe's show and the veteran comedian. Nwodim was applauded for her seamless impression of Williams. In 'Beavis and Butt-Head,' NewsNation interviewee Prof. Norman Hemming (Kenan Thompson) just can't focus as he attempts to discuss the pros and cons of artificial intelligence because two audience members, Mikey Day and Ryan Gosling, share an uncanny resemblance to the popular MTV animated characters Beavis and Butt-Head. However, the pair have never heard of the cartoon. Gosling and Day looked so much like the moronic besties that Heidi Gardner couldn't hold in her laughter. One thing 'SNL' is going to do is make a mockery of politicians and the political climate Americans are experiencing. One of its most popular moments was its satirical remake of Katie Couric's viral multi-part interview with former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, who at the time was the Republican vice presidential pick for Sen. John McCain. Palin's performance was received poorly by the GOP, which gave 'SNL' the opportunity to make it one of their gags. The 'SNL' stars of the reenactment were Tina Fey as Palin and Amy Poehler as Couric. When it comes to its celebrity hosts/guests, 'SNL' does a great job of crafting skits around how that celebrity is perceived in popular media. The show completely understood the assignment when it cast actress Sydney Sweeney as a new Hooters waitress who just can't help but win the attention of the restaurant's male patrons. While sweet and timid, the waitress inadvertently upsets the rest of the waitresses. During an appearance on the 'Fly on the Wall' podcast 'SNL' writer and star Bowen Yang said Sweeney was completely up for any gags about her physical appearance, calling the actress an example of a host who came in and understood how she was being consumed and perceived already.' One of 'SNL's' biggest guests was Beyoncé, who appeared as a guest on the show after releasing her mega hit 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)' and its iconic music video that sparked a dance craze movement. In true 'SNL' form, the show wanted to parody the video. In the skit, Justin Timberlake, Bobby Moynihan and Andy Samberg starred as Beyoncé's goofy backup dancers. In the documentary 'Ladies & Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music,' Timberlake says the 35-time Grammy winner was initially apprehensive about the sketch. 'She was very polite about it, but she was very hesitant. And when I say hesitant, I mean like, she was not having it,' he said. 'I'm like, 'Does she know how funny this is gonna be? How beloved this whole moment will be?'' In 'Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks,' the iconic actor starred as a MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporter in a Jeopardy game that featured satirical, Black culture-centered categories. By the end of it, he realizes he has a lot more in common with the Black community than he thinks — at least until he lands on the 'Lives That Matter' category. Season 49 of 'SNL' delivered a series of heavy hitters, and another one of them was Scarlett Johansson's take on Sen. Katie Britt's Republican response to former President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address. 'Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base' sketch was an entertaining watch for 'Star Wars' loyalists and 'Undercover Boss' fans as Adam Driver reprised his role as Kylo Ren to go undercover as Matt, a radar technician. With hidden cameras watching, Kylo gets an inside look at how his crew is running the First Order. Actress and comedian Melissa McCarthy became an angry, gum-swallowing Sean Spicer as he took questions from journalists as the former White House press secretary. The panel tackled several interesting categories, including 'Movies That Start With the Word Jaws,' 'Petit Déjeuner' and more. While Ryan Gosling came back for a second round of the 'SNL' sketch 'Close Encounter' for Season 49, he garnered just as many laughs in his first go at the skit in 2015. Gosling, Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong play three people who were recently abducted by aliens and each of them share their very unique stories. Whether she's a musical guest or hosting, Ariana Grande's 'SNL' visits usually lead to one viral moment or another, but the earworm 'Bridesmaid Speech' sketch took things to another level thanks to TikTok, a delightfully off-key Grande, the already oh-so-catchy melody of fellow pop songstress Sabrina Carpenter's 'Esspresso' — and of course, Marcello Hernández's Domingo. The post 15 'Saturday Night Live' Sketches That Went Viral | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
The National
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
YouTube turns 20: Video platform's evolution from a 19-second zoo clip to MrBeast's 300 million subscribers
On February 14, 2005, three friends, having decided the options for sharing videos on the internet were not good enough, secured a domain name for a new site. YouTube has gone on to become one of the most important and most successful internet platforms. Here are the milestones in YouTube's journey. During the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show, American singer Justin Timberlake exposes fellow entertainer Janet Jackson's breast to a live TV audience, in what is described as a 'wardrobe malfunction'. YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, unable to find clips of the incident online, credit that moment with inspiring them to develop their video-sharing platform. The three former employees of PayPal work together to launch YouTube. They initially plan to make the platform a video dating site, with users uploading clips of themselves to try to meet potential partners. Unable to find enough dating videos, Hurley, Chen and Karim change tack and decide to accept uploads of all video content. Me at the Zoo, a 19-second clip of co-founder Karim, becomes the first video uploaded to the site. In the video, Karim is standing in front of elephants and briefly comments on them, saying they have big trunks. The site becomes accessible to the public for the first time, but is still in its beta form as the team continue to improve the experience based on user feedback. Accounts begin regularly uploading videos, gaining followers for their content. YouTube makes it easier to follow preferred creators by subscribing to their channels. The site exits the beta phase and officially launches. That week, Saturday Night Live airs the digital short Lazy Sunday starring Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell, which is quickly uploaded by fans to YouTube. The early viral video helps to establish YouTube as an important platform. A commercial for sports brand Nike featuring Brazilian football star Ronaldinho becomes the first video to hit one million views on the site. Brooke Brodack, known by her online moniker Brookers, becomes the first content creator whose account reaches 10,000 subscribers. Brookers, whose channel features humorous skits, holds the title of most subscribed account on YouTube for 43 days. Less than a year after its public launch, YouTube is bought by Google for $1.65 billion. The deal expanded the platform's business model, helped it expand into apps and live broadcasts, and turned it into a powerful platform for advertisements and paid content such as movies. The purchase coincides with the platform introducing its 'Broadcast Yourself' slogan. Sketch comedy duo Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox's Smosh channel becomes the first to have 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. The pair go on to sell the channel and the brand to Defy Media in 2011, who then sold it to Mythical Entertainment in 2019. Comedian Lucas Cruikshank strikes gold with his online persona Fred Figglehorn, whose channel becomes the first with one million subscribers. Cruikshank would use this success to move into films, television shows and cartoons. YouTube allows the upload of 4K videos for the first time, improving on the video-viewing experience. Expanding from just being a video sharing site, YouTube enables the option to livestream. Established content creators use the new feature to broadcast sessions in which they answer fan questions or play video games. South Korean K-pop star Psy becomes a global sensation with the release of his song Gangnam Style. The lyrics satirise an affluent area of the capital Seoul and the people who go there. The song's music video becomes the first to reach 1 billion views. Children's song Baby Shark is uploaded to the site. Produced by South Korean children's entertainment company Pinkfong, the song becomes very popular and the music video goes on to reach a record 10 billion views. To keep up with the competition, the platform launches YouTube Shorts, its version of TikTok videos or Instagram reels. The videos are typically shorter and presented vertically to fill a smartphone screen. YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, reaches 300 million subscribers to his channel. MrBeast's content ranges from challenges that award the winner money, sentimental videos in which he does charity work or informational and educational videos like his latest at the Pyramids of Giza.
