From a video biennial in New York to classical music in Sydney to 24 hours of live-streaming comedy courtesy of Conan O’Brien, we’ve got a lot to cover! Below is our update from the past two weeks.
YouTube Play: live from the Guggenheim
Later today (Thursday), the YouTube Play jury will announce the top 25 creative videos selected from the 23,000 submissions received for the Biennial of Creative Video. In celebration, YouTube and the Guggenheim have partnered to host a one-of-a-kind art exhibition and event featuring music, collaborations, eye-popping projections and, of course, some really fantastic videos. If you’re in New York, you can catch some of the projections on the façade of the Guggenheim tonight and tomorrow (sneak peek below). Or head to youtube.com/play to catch the event live, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Video submissions from YouTube Play projected on the Guggenheim in New York City
YouTube users often have a lot of useful, imaginative and altruistic ideas—including thoughts on how to fix the global economy. For example, take The Young Turks and How the World Works, a.k.a. Cenk Uyger and Lee Doran, who’ve brought their political commentary beyond YouTube to a special forum on Reuters.com focused on fixing the economic slowdown for good.
Dancing tacos? 80’s aerobics? Intern Twister?
What could these things possibly have in common? A 24-hour webcast by Conan O’Brien (of course)! You can now watch Conan and Team Coco prepare for their upcoming show on TBS with “behind-the-scenes” footage filmed from a webcam strategically situated on their office’s second floor stairwell. What could possibly go wrong?
Audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra’s 2011 performance
Two years ago, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first online collaborative orchestra, debuted at Carnegie Hall. It’s back, and this time a new round of performers will be playing their part onstage at the iconic Sydney Opera House in March 2011. Find out how you can audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 presented by Hyundai.
Leanback premieres on Google TV
We recently announced YouTube Leanback in beta, and now it’s on Google TV. When you view YouTube in Leanback on Google TV (or online), you’ll see videos begin to play immediately based on your subscriptions and viewing history. You can watch popular and interesting videos in genres like Comedy, Entertainment, News, Science & Technology and How To & Style, or rent full-length movies and TV shows from the youtube.com/store.
Calling musicians worldwide
For singers, songwriters or bands looking to promote their music, we’ve extended our Musicians Wanted program to Argentina, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. This program lets musicians make money from their videos. Find out where to sign up here.
Get your viewers’ undivided attention
If you’re an advertiser, you might be interested to know that according to Nielsen, the average American watches five hours of TV per day. Five. Hours. But a new study conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, YouTube and Next New Networks found that viewers are 2.5 times more likely to pay full attention to video content created specifically for the web than to TV. This finding suggests that advertisers can take advantage of opportunities to reach viewers online—where they are most fully engaged.
Country duo Sugarland live from New York City
Finally, if you missed the live-streamed Sugarland concert on YouTube, you can still catch the third installment of our “Unstaged” series with Vevo and American Express. Directed by Kenny Ortega of High School Musical and Dirty Dancing fame, highlights from the show included songs from the band’s new album, The Incredible Machine, a special guest appearance by Ronnie Dunn and behind-the-scenes footage with band members who answered questions tweeted by fans.
Don’t forget to check out our continuing series of tips on how to thrive at YouTube and for more information on what we’re up to, head on over to our YouTube Blog.
