Wow, 20 years of YouTube, really? I'm that old?
Well, on this day 20 years ago the first video was uploaded.
It’s wild to imagine that April 23 will be YouTube’s 20th anniversary, marking 2 decades since the first video “Me at the Zoo” was uploaded to YouTube! What started with grainy videos has evolved into a platform where Canadian creators have built studios, hired teams of people, and risen to global stardom. Today, anyone, anywhere can build a thriving business on YouTube.
To celebrate this huge milestone, we wanted to share some fun facts, stats, and notable moments from the past 20 years. Each notch in the history of YouTube below showcases the evolution of the platform and how Canadian creators are reshaping culture and entertainment as we know it. Feel free to use any of this information or reach out to us for more information in case of interest for anything around the big day on April 23!
“In the last two decades, Canadian culture, creativity and innovation has shaped YouTube and inspired audiences on a global scale,” says Andrew Peterson, Head of YouTube Canada. “The diversity and strength of Canadian culture has found a home for itself on YouTube, and the content is driving incredible economic success in Canada and as a cultural export to the world. It’s more than just a platform for entertainment, it's a dynamic reflection of who we are, a stage for emerging and leading talent, and a place where anyone, anyone can create a thriving business.”
KEY MILESTONES
Year | Month/Day | Claim/Stat |
2005 | February 14 | YouTube.com becomes a registered domain |
2005 | April 23 | Jawed Karim uploads the first public video, ‘Me at the zoo,’ on YouTube. |
2005 | December | 8 million videos are watched a day |
2007 | June | YouTube’s mobile site launches! |
2007 | December | YouTube launches “YouTube Partner Program.” Creators can now make money from the videos they make, and turn it into full fledged businesses |
2010 | November | 35 hours of video uploaded per minute |
2011 | April | Live Streaming launch |
2015 | October | YouTube Music launches |
2020 | April 23 | YouTube turns 15, and it has over 2 billion monthly logged in viewers. Every day, people watch over a billion hours of video. |
2020 | September | YouTube Shorts is launched |
2022 | November | YouTube Shorts arrives on the big screen |
2023 | December | YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than $1.8 billion CAD to Canadian GDP in 2023. |
2025 | February | More than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content on YouTube |
2025 | April 23 | YouTube’s 20th anniversary |
KEY FACTS / STATS
- According to research by Kantar, if Canadians could only watch one service for an entire year, the #1 platform they would choose is YouTube. This is compared to Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and other platforms.
- YouTube reaches 98% of Canadians across all audiences (Comscore Video Metrix® Multi-Platform, Gen-Z 18-24, December 2022, Canada)
- On average viewers globally are watching over 1B hours of YouTube content on the big screen (YouTube Data, Global, Jan. 2024)
- YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than $1.8 billion CAD to Canadian GDP in 2023.
- Today more than 3 million channels are in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which gives creators ways to earn money on YouTube.
- YPP has paid out more than any other creator monetization platform, and paid over $70 billion to creators, artists, and media companies between 2021 - 2023.
- Research from SmithGeiger (Google/SmithGeiger, YouTube Trends Survey, CA May 2024) shows that 66% of Canadian Gen Zs describe themselves as a video content creator.
- 95% of YouTube users report using YouTube to gather information and knowledge.
- 76% of users agree that YouTube is home to diverse content and perspectives.
Comments
Post a Comment