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Tag: youtube

  • Mayweather to return for exhibition bout with YouTuber Logan Paul

    Mayweather to return for exhibition bout with YouTuber Logan Paul

    Floyd Mayweather will return to the boxing ring in February for an exhibition bout against YouTube personality Logan Paul, the undefeated former world champion announced on Instagram on Sunday.

    Mayweather, 43 and with an unblemished record of 50-0, last fought professionally in August 2017 when he won by TKO over mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor, who was making his boxing debut.

    The five-weight division world champion said he will step into the ring on Feb. 20 at a yet to be determined venue to face Paul, who has a record of 0-1, with that loss coming against fellow YouTuber KSI.

    The fight is the latest exhibition bout featuring ageing former-champions and celebrities.

    Former-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, now 54, returned to the ring last month to face Roy Jones Jr. in a charity exhibition bout that was ruled a draw.

  • Facebook, YouTube blamed as Vietnam sees rise in jailed activists

    Facebook, YouTube blamed as Vietnam sees rise in jailed activists

    Amnesty International has taken aim at Facebook, YouTube and Google as the number of activists imprisoned for expressing their opinion online in Vietnam reaches a record high, a report said on Tuesday.

    In its first full investigation into Vietnam since May 2018, Amnesty uncovered 170 prisoners of conscience in the South East Asian nation, with 40 per cent of them behind bars as a result of their social media use.

    “In the last decade, the right to freedom of expression flourished on Facebook and YouTube in Vietnam,’’ Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns, said in a statement.

    “Today, these platforms have become hunting grounds for censors, military cyber-troops and state-sponsored trolls.

    “The platforms themselves are not merely letting it happen, they’re increasingly complicit,’’ she said.

    In March, Facebook agreed to censor, or geo-block, content deemed anti-state in Vietnam after facing intense pressure from the government. The company stresses that this only affects posts that violate local laws.

    Yet in early November, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed in an email to dpa that the Vietnamese government was still threatening to block local access to the site if it did not increase the number of censored posts.

    Analysts say the jailing of journalists and activists are a regular occurrence ahead of Vietnam’s National Congress, where a five-year economic plan and leadership changes are decided by the Communist party.

    Carl Thayer, a South East Asia expert at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said arrests would likely spike as the congress draws near.

  • YouTube hosts first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week

    YouTube hosts first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week

    YouTube on Tuesday said it was holding its first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week, dedicated to engaging, educating and inspiring African creators to grow on the platform.

    Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, said in a statement that the region wide virtual initiative demonstrated YouTube’s commitment to creators and artists in the region.

    Okosi said over the years Youtube had built and nurtured strong relationships with Africa’s storytellers, and provided them with a platform to share their stories with the world.

    “Top African creators and channels like Mark Angel Comedy, DJ Arch Jnr, Churchill Show and many others have grown from a handful of followers to having millions of fans globally.

    “We remain committed to amplifying Black voices and providing a platform where Black African creators can thrive,” he said.

    According to him, highlights of the one week programme would include expert-led masterclasses covering topics like assessing channel performance and engaging a community, and understanding YouTube’s monetisation policies, among others.

    He said that the programme also included a creator spotlight talk with Mark Angel, Africa’s most subscribed endemic creator.

    Also YouTube training courses, and peer-driven open conversations aimed at improving creator collaboration and knowledge sharing would be on offer.

    Okosi said that YouTube would also celebrate creators through the presentation of Play Button awards to Dodos Uvieghara, Eric Okafor, and Kay Ngonyama whose channels have crossed the 100,000 subscriber milestone.

    ‘Creators can register for the YouTube Black Africa Creators Week programme here: http://goo.gle/youtubeblackafricacreatorweek

    The Managing director said that YouTube Black Africa Creators Week would conclude with a 2-hour livestream closing event to celebrate African creativity.

    He said that the event would feature music performances by Fireboy, Niniola, Reekado Banks, Sauti Sol, Sho Madjozi, and dance showcases from Dream Catchers, Ikorodu Bois, Triplet Ghetto Kids.

    According to him, it will be hosted by YouTube creator, Akah Nnani. The livestream event will be held on Friday, November 27 at 5pm GMT and can be viewed here: https://goo.gle/africacreatorweeklivestream.

    The event which began on Nov. 23 would end on Nov. 27.

  • YouTube announces $100m Black Voices Fund for Nigerian artists, creators

    YouTube announces $100m Black Voices Fund for Nigerian artists, creators

    YouTube on Thursday announced that artists and creators from Nigeria could apply for grants from its global 100 million dollars Black Voices Fund.

    Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA said in a statement that the global fund would over the next three years offer support to Black artists and creators.

    Okosi said that the fund to enable artists and creators could thrive on YouTube.

    The managing director said that Black Voices Fund would invest with the intention to present fresh narratives that emphasise the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity and joy of Black voices, as well as to educate audiences about racial justice.

    He said that the $100m fund was first announced in June and was officially named the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

    According to him, this year, the fund will be focusing its efforts on creators within the US, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

    “Our goal is to expand funding to more countries over the course of the next three years,”

    “Additionally, we hope to provide a consistent drumbeat of educational training, workshops, and community events to Black creators and artists globally.

    ‘’The #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is part of the work currently underway to ensure that YouTube is a place where Black artists, creators and users can share their stories and be protected,’’ he said.

    According to Okosi, along with our commitment to amplifying marginalised voices on the content side we are also investing in product and policy changes that will continue to advance YouTube’s mission.

    He said the mission of giving everyone a voice and showing them the world.

    Okosi said that YouTube believes that it is only by taking a stand against those who would try to bully, harass, silence and intimidate others that it truly moves closer to achieving this mission.

    He said that YouTube’s new efforts included ramping up enforcement and terminating more accounts that repeatedly post hateful comments.

    The MD YouTube was also in the process of rolling out product changes to make creator moderation tools more streamlined.

    Okosi said that Interested artists and creators could apply for funding here.

    Launched in May 2005, YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch and share videos.

  • YouTube ‘premium music gbedu’ with top Nigerian stars begins on Monday

    YouTube ‘premium music gbedu’ with top Nigerian stars begins on Monday

    YouTube on Friday said it would be celebrating some Nigerian music stars and their fans during the virtual YouTube Music Week starting on Monday.

    Adetutu Laditan, Google Product Marketing Manager said in a statement that the virtual hangouts with top Nigerian music stars would take place over four days next week.

    She said that megastars like Patoranking, DJ Cuppy, Adekunle Gold and Fireboy DML would be interacting and sharing some of their interesting plans with their fans on the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of September, respectively.

    She said that beyond celebrating the immense talent demonstrated by Nigerian music stars, the goal of YouTube Music Week was also to showcase some of the top artists and songs making waves on the YouTube Music platform.

    According to her, other fun features on YouTube Music like lyrics, playlists, background play, availability of remixes and covers will also be highlighted.

    Launched earlier this year in Nigeria, YouTube Music reinforces YouTube’s long-term commitment to support the growth of the music industry in Nigeria.

    ‘’The music streaming service uses the magic of YouTube to give fans official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio.

    ”PlusYouTube’s tremendous catalogue of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos that can not be found anywhere else – personalized and all simply organized in one place.

    ‘’Music has been scientifically found to be a therapeutic medium, it allows people to express their feelings and communicate with others,” she said.

    Laditan said that YouTube was redefining the entertainment experience as the online platform that exports Afrobeat from Nigeria.

    According to her, in the last 15 years, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide.

    She said that YouTube was enabling collaborations within the global and regional music industry, and accelerating the transition to digital for fans on the continent.

    The product marketing manager said YouTube has continued to provide a platform for Nigerians to share the country’s unique and diverse culture on a global stage.

    YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch and share video.

  • YouTube not obliged to inform on film pirates, Europe’s top court says

    YouTube not obliged to inform on film pirates, Europe’s top court says

    Google’s YouTube is not required to hand over the email or IP address of users who upload films illegally to its video platform, Europe’s top court ruled on Thursday, saying there must be a balance between protecting personal data and copyright.

    The case came before the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) after a German court sought guidance on what video platforms must do to combat film piracy in a case concerning German film distributor Constantin Film Verleih.

    The company, which had distribution rights to the films Scary Movie 5 and Parker in Germany, had asked YouTube and Google to provide the email addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses of users who had uploaded those films illegally onto YouTube in 2013 and 2014.

    Constantin Film took its case to the German court after Alphabet subsidiaries, Google and YouTube refused to supply the details.

    The CJEU backed the U.S. tech companies.

    “When a film is unlawfully uploaded onto an online platform, such as YouTube, the rights holder may, under the directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, require the operator to provide only the postal address of the user concerned, but not his or her email, IP address or telephone number,” judges said.

    They said EU countries could opt for more protection for intellectual property rights holders but there must be a fair and proportionate balance between various fundamental rights.

    A YouTube spokeswoman said Google and YouTube were committed to protecting copyright and safeguarding privacy of their users and their data.

    “Today’s CJEU decision provides the legal clarity on what information is appropriate to share with rights holders in case of a copyright claim,” she said in an emailed statement.

  • New music video smashes YouTube’s viewing record

    Blackpink’s newly released “How You Like That” music video has smashed YouTube’s 24-hour viewing record.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the newly released music video also became the fastest video to reach 100 million views.

    According to a report, the music video had 82.4 million views in the first 24 hours of release on YouTube. It was the No. 1 trending video on the platform.

    The view count topped the previous record-holders: BTS’ “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey that amassed 74.6 million views in the initial one-day period in April 2019, per YouTube.

    The music video featuring Blackpink’s Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa, became the fastest video in YouTube history to hit 100 million views, achieving the feat in just 1.5 days, compared to the 1.6 days taken by BTS’ Boy With Luv to reach 100 million views.

    The 3-minute track, crafted for the group’s global fanbase, combines lyrics in both Korean and English.

    Blackpink has reclaimed the 24-hour views title on YouTube from BTS after previously setting that high-water mark in April 2019 with “Kill This Love” (56.7 million views in its first 24 hours) and topped Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next.”

    Over time, as a measure of overnight popularity, the number of YouTube views in the first 24 hours of release has become a key data point for bragging rights and promotion.

    Note that the official view count for Blackpink’s How You Like That as tabulated by YouTube may be different.

    Last year in September, YouTube changed its methodology for YouTube Music Charts to no longer count paid advertising views in 24-hour tallies – an effort to best reflect authentic fan engagement.

  • Google highlights YouTube channels for e-learning

    Google on Friday, highlighted five YouTube channels for e-learning with schools in Nigeria closed, due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

    Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communication Officer Google, West Africa, said in a statement that e-learning had become the new normal.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that this had left many parents stressed as they had to juggle their own work and activities while serving as home teachers for their children.

    He said to help parents out and give them the much-needed break, Google had compiled a list of five YouTube channels to help parents teach their children and keep them occupied.

    “BinoandFino is a cartoon series about a brother and sister, duo named Bino and Fino who live with their family in Nigeria.

    “The channel reveals exciting adventures that help children discover and learn about Africa and the rest of the world.

    “The content is wide-ranging; so viewers can learn about things such as water creating electricity, the flags of some African countries or even how important it is to eat healthy fruit,” he said.

    According to him, Ogun Digi Class Channel is an Ogun State Government initiative with contents appealing to both primary and secondary school students.

    He said that children could learn English, Mathematics, Basic Science, Computer Science, Arts and Commercial subjects.

    Kola-Ogunlade said it was the first of its kind in Nigeria to feature experienced educators from Ogun State sharing their knowledge on different subjects.

    He said that another was Akili and Me, an edutainment channel on fun educational preschool learning videos from across the African continent.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that students joined Akili, Happy Hippo, Little Lion and Bush Baby to learn letters, numbers, art, reading, vocabulary skills and more.

    According to him, the channel, which is dedicated to toddlers during the COVID-19 pandemic, has over 260, 000 subscribers and also features videos geared toward helping toddlers get a grip on their emotions.

    He said that Simone’s Oasis channel is owned by Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie and it was created out of her experience, entertaining her own children – Ugo, a boy and Sim Sim, a girl.

    Kola-Ogunlade said drawing on what she learned from raising a special-needs child living with Down syndrome, she shared content to help others on their journey.

    According to him, some of the entertaining sing-along-videos on the channel include, nursery rhyme mashups, Incy Wincy Spider, Nigeria 36 states, and Eko Bridge.

    The communication officer said the fifth channel SokidzTV – is owned by Sceneonetv and it offered a variety of songs and nursery rhymes in English and Yoruba.

    He said children could also learn about numbers, the alphabet, colours and other topics that helped with mental development.

    “As parents adapt and become teachers to children at home, these YouTube channels help by relieving some of the stresses associated with home learning,’’ Kola-Ogunlade said.

    YouTube is Google’s company and had become the world’s popular online video community.

  • Davido’s hit song with Chris Brown, ‘Blow my mind’ hits 46 million views on YouTube

    Davido’s hit song with Chris Brown, ‘Blow my mind’ hits 46 million views on YouTube

    Nigerian hip-hop star, Davido 2019 hit with American singer Chris Brown, ‘Blow my mind,’ has crossed the 40 million mark on YouTube.

    The singer made the announcement recently on his Instagram account as he continues to promote his recently released music video, ‘D&G’ featuring Summer Walker.

    ‘Blow my mind’ joins a list of Davido’s hit songs that have done tens of million streams on YouTube.

    With 46 million streams, ‘Blow my mind’ joins ‘Gobe’ with 35 million streams, ‘Aye’ with 59 million streams, ‘Assurance’ with 56 million streams, ‘Fia’ with 74 million streams and ‘If’ with 167 million streams.

    Davido is one of the many Nigerian music stars whose music videos have done hundreds of millions of streams on YouTube. Others are Sinach, Yemi Alade, and Wizkid.

  • Naira Marley named Nigeria’s most-viewed artiste on YouTube for 2019

    Naira Marley named Nigeria’s most-viewed artiste on YouTube for 2019

    Street rapper, Naira Marley, has been named Nigeria’s most-viewed artiste on YouTube, American video-sharing platform, for the year 2019.

    The streaming giant disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos during the launch of its new product.

    The ‘top 10 most viewed artists in Nigeria in 2019’ list also includes the likes of Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Teni, Zlatan, Chris Brown, Olamide, Wizkid and Mercy Chinwo — in that order.

    Interestingly, Chris Brown was the only foreign artist to make the list.

    The 25-year-old ‘Soapy’ crooner’, who was the only celebrity guest at the event, took to his Twitter handle to inform his numerous followers about the feat.

     

    Most viewed artist in 2019 on @YouTube in Nigeria is Naira Marley.

     

    During the event, Marley spoke on the creative force behind the kind of songs he make. He also opened up on how his love for Indian songs, Fuji, and Christian songs have inspired his music career.