Watching YouTube videos gets more social with Google’s Uptime app

Let’s get it out of the way first. This might be a Google product but it’s an iPhone product only at the moment. The newly launched Uptime social video app is the product of Google’s Area 120 startup incubator; which was set up last year to let Googlers be startup pioneers during their “20% time.” What Uptime does is it lets you watch YouTube videos with your friends at the same time, even if you aren’t in the same room. All you need to do is sign in with your Google account and connect to friends. From there, your avatars show how far you are into watching a video. You also get Facebook Live-like reaction emojis and written comments similar to how you see it in platforms like Soundcloud.

While there is no word yet if this’ll be making its way to Android or on the browser, it shows us what Google can bring into YouTube or the livestreaming sphere in the future. If you’re on iOS and love watching videos with friends, this might be worth trying out.

Source: Android Central

YouTube compiles VR gaming videos for Google Daydream and Cardboard

If you’re a gamer and love watching virtual reality videos, YouTube is bringing the two things together by compiling 360-degree VR gaming videos into a playlist called “Step Into The Games.” This playlist has games from titles like Minecraft, Need for Speed, Super Mario Bros, and Call of Duty, to name a few. If you want to get maximum immersion, use the YouTube VR app on either Google Daydream or Cardboard headsets. These videos are also viewable on your web browser or mobile device but you’ll need to drag your mouse around or move your phone to see all the video has to offer.

YouTube releases Oscars movie trailer leaderboard

With the 89^th Academy Awards upon us, YouTube thought it best to share what has been getting the most attention on its platform. And we share with you the highlights here. Collectively, the nine trailers for all the Best Picture nominees have gotten three million hours of watch time on YouTube, which is said to be equivalent to 25 million viewings of the Oscar-nominated animated short Borrowed Time. Among those nine trailers, La La Land is the most popular. We’ll list down the films in order below.

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YouTube looking to kill unskippable 30-second ads starting 2018

YouTube is finally taking away the unskippable 30-second video ads we see on its service. The downside is it’ll be happening starting next year. The streaming service acknowledges how unpopular these ads are, especially for data-capped mobile users, and are pushing towards new shorter format ads. One example is the six-second unskippable ad it launched last year.

The move, which won’t appease advertisers, is seen as one way to keep people on its service. According to Callum McCahon, strategy director for Born Social, "I’m reading this as a signal that YouTube is very worried about Facebook. We know that video is right at the very core of Facebook’s roadmap. Their video offering is becoming ever more attractive to brands by the day, and YouTube is panicking."

Source: Campaign