Gamers and streamers - a winner is you!

It’s you who makes YouTube the most watched platform for gamers—far and away. Every month gamers watch more than 144 billion minutes of gaming videos and live streams on YouTube. To put it into perspective, that’s like watching Let’s Plays for more than 270,000 years straight 24 hours a day—or beating Final Fantasy VII 1,900,000 times a day!

Today’s updates to YouTube Gaming are the next step in our quest to create the best place for gamers to come together to watch gaming videos, build communities, and live stream. We’ve listened to your feedback since September and have been working on some of the most requested new features and improvements.

Mobile Capture: Empowering streams of every shape and size
Every day, games are played while waiting for the bus, riding the subway, or lounging on the couch—but what about live streaming your mobile gameplay? You heard it from us at the Tokyo Game Show and now it’s here to stay. You can now record and live stream mobile gameplay on-the-go directly from Android devices using Mobile Capture on YouTube Gaming. You don’t need any additional hardware or software—just tap Go Live (or your avatar on a phone) in the YouTube Gaming app, turn on your selfie cam and record your commentary with your phone’s microphone.

Narrate and react to your gameplay using the phone’s microphone and a selfie-cam overlay. Entertain and interact with your audience via live chat. Go live and capture all Android games today!

Sponsorships: Making it easy to back your favorite gamers
Support the live streams and videos you love with Fan Funding and Sponsorships, now in beta to a small group of creators. For a monthly payment, sponsors receive extra perks including a live chat badge chosen by the creator and access to exclusive chat sessions. We’ll continuously expand the list of beta channels, so keep your eyes peeled!

Other new and improved features
Here are some of the other requested changes we’ve made to date. Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming!

• More easily see when there are live streams for games in your collection
• Easier video bookmarking with Watch Later
• Improved performance and a redesigned watch page on gaming.youtube.com
• Better search navigation on iOS by remembering your previous searches
• Import existing subscriptions anytime from YouTube via Settings

Go live today with the newly updated YouTube Gaming app available on Google Play and the App Store, for U.S. and U.K.

Barbara Macdonald, Product Manager, recently live streamed "Bad Piggies."

YouTube goes (even more) global!

If you’re watching a YouTube video today, chances are you’re not in the United States. More than 80 percent of YouTube’s billions of views each day come from fans in countries outside the U.S., and the videos and creators they’re watching are just as global.

We want to make sure the videos you see when you fire up YouTube are relevant to you, wherever you’re watching. That’s why we’re launching even more local country versions of YouTube, connecting fans with creators in their home countries and giving those creators a way to earn money from their popularity. With the addition of the Adriatics, Baltics, Bulgaria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, YouTube now has local versions in 85 countries.

For fans in these countries, this means easily discovering local creators and content. In Kazakhstan, you’ll find local talent such as DynastyofCat, a hugely popular DIY and vlogging channel, or even local broadcasters like TheSevenChannel, right there on the homepage. In Belarus, you can find 17-year-old vlogger DimaErmuzevich who regularly reaches more than 400K fans; and the Serbian music channel Grand Production, which has grown a following throughout the Balkans and beyond with their folk music.

Local versions of YouTube are good news for creators, too. It opens up the opportunity for creators to become a partner, earn money from their channels, and gain access to tools and resources that can help them make the most of YouTube. Creators can access online lessons via the YouTube Creator Academy to get started and learn best practices, and the Creator Community gives creators a place to meet each other, find collaborations, and more. We hope that this will allow more creators to bring more of their ideas and talents to YouTube for all of us to enjoy.

So whether you’re viewing us from youtube.by, youtube.kz, or youtube.bg, you’ve now got your own YouTube that not only connects you with a community of a billion people, but helps you see the creativity going on right in your backyard.

Marenco Kemp, Head of EMEA Online Partnerships, recently watched "Top10Memes: Top 10 Facts - Lego."

Introducing Awesome Stuff Week: product reviews you’ll love from creators you trust

We know how much time you spend surfing the web for the perfect look or the latest products whether that be Stephen Curry’s newest sneaker, fringe skirts for fall, or the newest hoverboard prototype.

But people aren’t just limiting their research to websites; they’re also watching videos on YouTube. Sixty-four percent of shoppers say that YouTube influences their purchase decisions.¹ In fact, we’ve seen more than 40 percent growth year-over-year in viewership of product videos such as sneaker pickups, first impressions, and product reviews.²

To help you discover more of the latest and greatest products, we’re partnering with your favorite YouTube personalities to bring you Awesome Stuff Week: a series of week-long celebrations highlighting popular, trendy, undiscovered-but-cool products on YouTube. During each Awesome Stuff Week, creators such as GiGiGorgeous, iJustine, Jim Chapman, and UnboxTherapy, will share their views and reviews on products ranging from fashion to gadgets to holiday gifts.



We’re also making it easy for you to buy the products you want in the exact moment you want them. Scroll through the comments on any product video and you’re sure to find "where can I get those shoes or that skirt or that self-balancing scooter?" Why shouldn’t every product video be shoppable? Products featured during Awesome Stuff Week will be.

Like those brown Hudson boots from Jim Chapman in the below video? Now you can simply click on a product image on the right-hand side of the video, and be taken to that retailer’s website. It’s as easy as that.

YouTube creator, Jim Chapman, shares his take on H by Hudson boots. Watch the video on YouTube.

This week - dedicated to fashion - is the first of several Awesome Stuff Weeks that we’ll be rolling out. New videos will appear daily from Monday through Friday, and each will feature a new theme related to fashion such as Must-have-Monday or Hundred-Dollar-Wednesday. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce an Awesome Stuff Week featuring gadgets as well as holiday gifts to help you check off items on your shopping list.

To discover the latest shoppable videos, subscribe to the Awesome Stuff Week YouTube channel and stay tuned for more!

Vikram Tank, Product Marketing Manager, Art, Copy & Code, recently watched "What Do You Mean / Epic Segway Dance Cover @justinbieber."

¹Source: When the Path to Purchase Becomes the-Path-to-Purpose, June 2014.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/the-path-to-purpose.html

²Source: View count growth, Google Data, April 2015 vs. April 2014, U.S., classification was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every type of review video available on YouTube.
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/i-want-to-buy-moments.html

More for your family in the YouTube Kids app

It’s been a busy few months for YouTube Kids. In February, we released our app, designed especially for kids, to bring to life the best family-friendly content on YouTube. Since then, families have downloaded YouTube Kids more than 8 million times, consistently ranked YouTube Kids in the top 5 kids apps in the App Store, given an overall 4+ rating on Google Play and watched Stampy Cat explore the world of Minecraft more than 54 million times.

Not bad for a seven-month old.

When we announced the app, we said YouTube Kids was our first step in reimagining YouTube for families. And we’re always looking for ways to make it even better. So today we’re sharing some new ways we're helping parents and kids enjoy the family content they love:

Discover new videos and watch in new ways

• Watch YouTube Kids on the big screen: Want to enjoy your favorite videos as a family? Now you can, using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smartTV.
• Explore new videos with guest-curated playlists: Have a budding scientist or eager explorer on your hands? Find out what videos educators, celebs and other parents recommend with guest-created playlists. Playlists from National Geographic Kids, Kid President, and a girl power-themed playlist from Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis are already live—and more are coming soon from YouTube creators including Vsauce and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls.
• Enjoy new shows: New videos are produced and uploaded to YouTube Kids every day—including exciting original shows and series from HooplaKidz, TuTiTu, SciShow Kids, DreamWorksTV and more.

Features just for parents

• Learn how the app works: We also want to make it easier to get started using the app. When parents open YouTube Kids, we’ll explain upfront how our systems choose and recommend content and how to flag videos. We’ll also prompt you to make a choice about how broadly you want your child to explore—turn search on to access millions of family-friendly videos, or turn search off to restrict your child’s experience to a more limited set. Either way, parents decide the right experience for their family from the get-go. This will roll out on the app in the coming weeks.
• Customize your passcode: We’ve also heard some parents prefer a personal passcode, rather than a spelled-out code, so we’ve added this option to access parental controls.

We always try to make the videos available in the app family-friendly, but no system is perfect. So if you ever find a video you’re concerned about, please flag it. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.

In fact, many of these updates are a result of the great feedback you’ve given us. As you explore YouTube’s library, from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to learning about the solar system, we’re growing with you. And we’re always excited to hear how we can better help your family explore, learn and sing along.

Posted by Shimrit Ben-Yair, mother of two and YouTube Kids Director of Product Management, who recently enjoyed learning about volcanoes on SciShow Kids and relaxing with Cosmic Kids Yoga’s Calming Playlist with her kids.

Party with Disclosure and James Corden at 9 p.m. PT

Up to anything special tonight? No? Well, how about bringing a multi-talented producer and two of Britain’s fastest-rising DJs home for a live performance?

Tonight, the dynamic DJ duo Disclosure will unite forces with powerhouse producer James Corden for the next American Express Unstaged concert on YouTube. That's right—the actor, writer and television host you know from his work on hit comedy shows "Gavin and Stacey" and the "The Late Late Show" (which hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube last week) will tonight put his own theatrical twist on the show.

In the last twelve months alone, British brothers Disclosure have garnered more than 222 million views on YouTube since last September, and have just released their new album, "Caracal," which features Lorde, Miguel, The Weeknd, Gregory Porter, and Sam Smith. Taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena just days after the release of "Caracal," this will be the first time that fans all over the world can hear new tracks performed live.

As a quick warm-up, check out Corden interviewing the band and create your own digital “Disclosure Face” in the Unstaged app. Be sure to leave time to prep your glow sticks, though, as the live stream will start at 9 p.m. PT at youtube.com/americanexpress, youtube.com/user/DisclosureVEVO, amexunstaged.com, or the Unstaged app.

Nicola Young, Music Programs Manager, recently watched "Slaves - Burning Our Morals Away.”

Watch the Global Citizen Festival—live on YouTube on September 26 from 12:45 p.m. PT

No matter where you are this Saturday, you can have a front row seat at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival to catch performances by Pearl Jam, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, live on YouTube, un-leashed by T-Mobile.

Tune in at youtube.com/globalcitizen/live to join YouTube creators MatthewSantoro, and Mitch Moffit and Greg Brown from AsapSCIENCE, who’ll bring you the latest from the event and take you backstage for all the behind-the-scenes action. They’ll be joined by Global Citizen hosts Stephen Colbert, Salma Hayek Pinault, Deborra-Lee Furness, Hugh Jackman and Olivia Wilde.


Join the movement and support the goals to fight inequality, protect our planet, and end extreme poverty. It all begins at 12:45 p.m. PT on September 26 on the Global Citizen YouTube channel.

Lindsay Dahms, Brand Marketing Manager, recently watched “Ed Sheeran - Photograph.”

Roundup: Madrid Moves Into First With Shutout of Granada

Karim Benzema scored to help Real Madrid eke out a 1-0 win over Granada on Saturday and take the overnight lead of the Spanish league.