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Tag: YouTube

  • YouTube celebrates rise of Afrobeats, spotlight on Burna Boy

    YouTube on Tuesday launched its spotlight story documentary on Nigerian Afro-fusion singer and songwriter, Damini Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy.

    Addy Awofisayo, YouTube Content Partnerships Manager, Sub- Saharan Africa, said that Burna Boy had become one of the leading musical voices on the African continent and an international YouTube sensation.

    According to her, Burna Boy catapulted to fame with the 2012 release of his single “Like to Party’’.

    “The 18-minute documentary, which can be viewed, tells the story of the rise of Afrobeats and the role YouTube has played, through Burna Boy’s eyes.

    “In addition, the video sees Burna Boy and his Manager, Bose Ogulu (his mum), sharing some of his coming-of-age stories.

    “This is not the first time YouTube has built a story around Burna Boy. In October 2018, he got an ‘Artist on the Rise’ feature on the YouTube for Artists’ web page.

    “Video streaming service has played a major role in supporting African musicians and artistes in sharing their voice, art and culture with the world,’’ Awofisayo said in statement.

    READ ALSO: Burna Boy partners LA-based DJDs on new EP

    Awofisayo said that “not only does YouTube’s global reach helps break artistes, and brings African music to the world, its audience makes fan content that help amplify the reach of African voices.’’

    She said that YouTube’s technology allowed music producers to be inspired and to collaborate more.

    “Cultural movements grow and build on YouTube. African music is the most recent example.

    “For years now, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound.

    “It has helped in exporting African music to listeners worldwide, enabling collaborations within the global and regional music industry and accelerating the transition to digital for fans on the continent,’’ Awofisayo said.

    She said that a large share of YouTube views for top African artistes came from outside the continent with international artistes such as Kanye West, Beyonce and Childish Gambino integrating African elements into their music, choreography, and visual style.

    According to her, 10 years ago, African producers and artistes had no easy way to hear, be inspired by and influence sounds and artistry from around the world.

    “YouTube technology changed all that. It will continue to do so too.

    “With the launch of products such as YouTube Go in 2018, more African artistes will be able to share their work with an increasingly large audience, fully cementing their place on the global map,’’ Awofisayo said.

  • MTN unveils smart feature phone

    MTN Nigeria on Thursday unveiled an affordable smart feature phone known as the MTN Smart, designed as a compact, high-quality device available at a very affordable price.

    It said it is in keeping to its promise of making access to advanced digital services a reality for everyone to bridge the digital divide, enhance connectivity to grow the economy.

    This first of its kind 3G KaiOS smart feature phone, allows customers to upgrade from a typical feature phone with only voice and text capabilities, to a fully connected device with a fast 3G internet connection, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, dual SIM 3G capabilities. It has an App Store and comes pre-loaded with the most popular Apps available in the market today, including but not limited to WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Maps.

    Read Also: MTN Foundation upgrades lab

    Commenting on this innovation, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Rahul De said: “Despite rising mobile phone penetration and increased data consumption, device affordability remains a significant disincentive for most Nigerians. The MTN Smart feature phone is a great, affordable and tailor-made solution aimed at bridging this device gap and ensuring that every Nigerian is able to benefit from the modern, connected life.”

    The phone which boasts of two cameras, a 2-day battery life with 2000mAh battery, is powered by the SC7731EF processor, has a 2.4-inch screen, 256MB RAM and 512MB of storage and runs on the increasingly popular KaiOS operating system.

    Suitable for individuals who are digital savvy and desire affordable smartphones, the MTN Smart is available in all MTN stores across Nigeria for just N8,000 and comes with free 500MB monthly data for the first six  months.

  • Davido’s ‘Fall’ hits 100m views on YouTube

    ‘Fall’, the 2017 hit song of pop star, David Adeleke aka Davido has become the first Nigerian music video to hit 100 million views on YouTube.

    The Daps-directed video has made Nigerian YouTube history as the most -viewed Nigerian music in recent times.

    This feat was anticipated by fans after the video beat Yemi Alade’s 2014 hit ‘Johnny’ and gathered over 98 million views on Dec. 4.

    With Alade’s video reading 98 million views, she and Davido are the only Nigerian acts who have topped YouTube’s ‘10 most viewed videos’ list.

    Read Also: Davido, others to perform at ‘Face of Okija’

    This comes after three of Davido’s songs, ‘Assurance’, ‘Nwa Baby’ and ‘Fia’ appeared on Google’s list of ‘most searched Nigerian songs’.

    His recently released ‘Wonder Woman’ was listed as one of the hottest tracks from across the African continent by Apple Music.

    NAN reports that the YouTube list also features defunct P-Square’s ‘Personally’ tied with Tekno’s ‘Pana’ at 86 million views and Rundown’s ‘Mad Over You’ at 78 million.

    Korede Bello’s ‘Do Like That’ hit 76 million, Davido’s ‘If’ has 72 million and Wizkid’s ‘Come Closer’ features on the list with 67 million views.

  • Facebook under pressure as U.S., EU call for probes into data practices

    British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, following reports that the company may have improperly gained access to data on 50 million Facebook users.

    The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump’s election campaign, gained access to the data.

    In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook’s actions.

    Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.

    “Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytica’s London office this evening,” the company said in a statement late Monday.

    “At the request of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down.”

    Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 per cent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company’s advertising business.

    “The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty,” said Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley’s use of data.

    Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company’s policies on misinformation.

    He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections.

    His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment.

    In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: “Despite the rumors, I’m still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It’s true that my role did change.”

    The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook’s reputation, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.

    London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.

    However, further allegations about the firm’s tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.

    Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report “is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business.”

    Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London’s Observer over the weekend.

    Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties.

    Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers.

    Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled.

    Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies.

    The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry’s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking.

    The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law.

    Reuters/NAN

  • YouTube rewind: Top 10 comedy skits, music videos in 2017

    YouTube rewind: Top 10 comedy skits, music videos in 2017

    YouTube has released its annual rewind lists, showcasing the moments that captured the attention of Nigerians and YouTube users around the globe this year.

    The top 10 videos (excluding from major music labels) most viewed by Nigerians this year include comedy skits by Mark Angel, coming in 3rd and 8th position, as well as political concerns with the return of President Buhari from his medical trip to the United Kingdom and the Biafra protests coming in at 2nd and 4th position.

    A look at the music videos most watched in Nigeria, shows how Nigerians have embraced indigenous music but not without a few foreign favourites. Songs like Davido’s ‘If’ and ‘Fall’ and DJ Khaled’s ‘Wild Thoughts’ with Rihanna and ‘I’m the One’ took top spot. Nigerian favourites ‘Come closer’ by Wiz Kid featuring Drake, ‘Wo’ by Olamide, ‘Nobody Ugly’ by P-Square all made the list.

    Globally, the most watched video with 181,958,411 views was Thai love song ‘As Long As We Will Become The Dust’ by Oyster Masked. The melody and beautiful meaning of the song makes it one of the performances that captured the world’s attention in 2017.

    In the category of the most watched music video globally, Nigerians joined the rest of the world in their love for Latino music as ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee tops the category, followed by Ed Sheeran who dominated both the music and non music video category.

    Checkout the YouTube Rewind 2017 Channel for more top lists from around the world.

    2017 Top 10 trending videos (Nigeria)

    Deaf And Dumb Emmanuella Vs Akin And Pawpaw – (Nigerian Nollywood Movies 2017)
    Welcome Back President Buhari: See how the President Landed after Medical Trip in UK
    Maths Teacher (Mark Angel Comedy) (Episode 118)
    Biafra: Kanu I Want Binta To See This
    NAIJ.com visits Evans the kidnapper’s house, how should he be punished?
    Channels Television: Boko Haram Special Documentary
    Wo – Olamide | Ikorodu Street Kids Dance (dream catchers dance)
    Longer Throat (Mark Angel Comedy) (Episode 101)
    President Is Back – Pete Edochie (African Nollywood Movies)
    Akpos And Beaty 1 – (Nollywood Romantic Movies)

    Top 10 Trending music videos (Nigeria)

    Davido – If [Official Video]
    Olamide – Wo!! [Official Video]
    Davido – Fall
    P-Square – Nobody Ugly [Official Video]
    WizKid – Come Closer ft. Drake
    Tekno – Yawa [Official Video]
    Flavour  – Most High (feat. Semah G. Weifur) [Official Video]
    DJ Khaled – Wild Thoughts ft. Rihanna, Bryson Tiller
    DJ Khaled – I’m the One ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne
    Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [Official Video]

    Top 10 trending videos in (Global)

    As Long As We Will Become The Dust – Oyster Masked | THE MASK SINGER 2
    ED SHEERAN – Shape Of You | Kyle Hanagami Choreography
    Ping Pong Trick Shots 3 | – Dude Perfect
    Darci Lynne: 12-Year-Old Singing Ventriloquist Gets Golden Buzzer – America’s Got Talent 2017
    Ed Sheeran – Carpool Karaoke
    Lady Gaga’s FULL Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show | NFL
    “INAUGURATION DAY” – A Bad Lip Reading of Donald Trump’s Inauguration
    History of the entire world, I guess
    In a Heartbeat – Animated Short Film
    Children interrupt BBC News interview – BBC News

    Top 10 Trending music videos (Global)

    Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee
    Ed Sheeran – Shape of You [Official Video]
    J Balvin, Willy William – Mi Gente (Official Video)
    Maluma – Felices los 4 (Official Video)
    Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like [Official Video]
    Chris Jeday – Ahora Dice (Official Video) ft. J. Balvin, Ozuna, Arcángel
    05. El Amante – Nicky Jam (Video Oficial) (Álbum Fénix)
    Jason Derulo – Swalla (feat. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign) (Official Music Video)
    DJ Khaled – I’m the One ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne
    Enrique Iglesias – SUBEME LA RADIO (Official Video) ft. Descemer Bueno, Zion & Lennox

    The top trending videos for 2017 are based on views, shares, comments, likes and more. These lists reflect the amazing variety of content that YouTube audiences love, watch and listen to, day in and day out.

    YouTube has over a billion users — almost one-third of all people on the Internet — and everyday people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views.

    YouTube overall, and even YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S.
    The number of hours people spend watching videos (aka watch time) on YouTube is up 60% y/y, the fastest growth we’ve seen in 2 years.
    The number of people watching YouTube per day is up 40% y/y since March 2014.

    The number of users coming to YouTube who start at the YouTube homepage, similar to the way they might turn on their TV, is up more than 3x y/y.
    80% of YouTube’s views are from outside of the U.S.

    YouTube has launched local versions in more than 70 countries. You can navigate YouTube in a total of 76 different languages (covering 95% of the Internet population).

  • The 21st Century Girl Child

    The 21st Century Girl Child

    Gone are those days when strenuous house chores and upbringing of ones offspring were seen as the ingredient of a virtuous woman.

    Those were the days when suffering was seen as a necessity, when technology was seen as an excuse to be lazy, when ladies had to depend on their man for the least of needs.

    In fact, those were the days when men pride themselves on how well they can control their women, and have her take care of the family and other domestic affairs without giving credence to the woman.

    Instead she is scolded and shouted at for making silly mistakes.

    Now we are in an era of ‘wise ladies’; ladies that see technology as an integral part of civilization.

    Ladies that now occupy organizational/political positions formerly believed to belong to men.

    Ladies who want to make significant and formidable impact in our world.

    Ladies who pride themselves in hustling for their own needs rather than become housewives.

    Ladies who readily embrace the totem of being the ‘neck’, but have refused to see the neck-position as a place of weakness but of strength.

    Ladies who out of sheer determination and hardwork have surmounted the sundry inhibitions and limitations of societal norms and traditions.

    The world has changed and the girl-child has begun to see it in a different perspective; we call them the ‘21st century girl-child’.

    The 21th century girl-child is technology-oriented. She is not just content with staying at home and playing the ‘good sister’ to her siblings and an obedient daughter waiting to get married. But she joggles domestic expectations with her ambitions.

    A 21st century girl child is surrounded by various social media platforms and she wants to be famous in all of them. Is that too much to ask?

    She wants to be a YouTube star, she wants to be a Facebook celebrity, she wants her opinion to be heard and respected based on its own merit and not just on gender colourations.

    A 21st century girl-child wants to slay…she wants to glow, she wants to trend, she is a studio pic freak, she is in love with ‘likes’ and ‘positive comments’.

    A 21st century girl-child is stubborn especially in her unwavering belief for gender equity.

    The 21st century girl-child is eager and excited. She wants to explore, she wants to love, she gets her heart broken and learn from the mistakes of relationships.

    A 21st century girl-child will never shrink herself to salvage the ego of another person neither would she become small for someone who refuses to grow.

    The 21st century girl-child will never adjust her behaviour to be likeable, because she knows that most times she loses her trueself in a bid to please someone else.

    Of a truth, being assertive can be very hard for women (girl-child) because an assertive woman is often mistaken to be unruly and proud.

    But still a 21st century girl-child understands that not being liked, as hard as it may be, might be a sign of something you are doing right.

    A 21st century girl-child is tough. Is a boss. Is rational. Is confident. Her actions and words are not limited by the dogmas of culture.

    Above all, a 21st century girl-child wants to be seen and heard too.

  • YouTube Go launches in Nigeria

    YouTube Go launches in Nigeria

    YouTube has announced that the YouTube Go app previewed at the recent Google for Nigeria event is now available for initial public download in Nigeria.

    YouTube has been reimagined to meet the needs of the next generation of users in the new App, which is available for initial download in the Google Play Store. Youtube plans to continue to learn from our users to improve the app over time.

    Speaking on the announcement, Johanna Wright, VP Product Management at YouTube Go, said: “The App has been designed to take into account the challenges faced by YouTube users in countries like Nigeria, such as data cost and connectivity. With YouTube Go, we are making it possible for everyone in Nigeria to be able to discover videos that they love, regardless of their network status or data consumption preferences.”

    With more Nigerians coming online every year, and most of them only using their mobiles for internet access, we are working hard to make products that are tailored to Nigerians’ specific needs.

    “You can save videos for offline watching, and can choose what resolution video to save – basic quality or standard quality – giving you better control over how you use your precious data,” he added.

    Built from the ground up to meet the needs of the growing online youth population, YouTube Go offers easy video downloading, phone-number sign-in, effortless searching, and more effective ways to control data use. It also features a home screen that shows both personalized recommendations as well as trending and popular videos nearby, allowing users to see the latest content that the people around are watching, upfront. It offers a ‘preview video’ function to make it easier to decide what to watch or download.

    Before developing this App, the team spent thousands of hours gathering information, conducting interviews, doing testing, and refining the product. The result is YouTube Go, an entirely new app that is designed to be offline first.

  • Amazon says Google pulled YouTube from Echo Show device

    Amazon says Google pulled YouTube from Echo Show device

    In a rare public feud between large technology companies, Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday its Echo Show devices could no longer play videos from YouTube because the site’s parent, Google, stopped supporting the service.

    The spat is the latest in Silicon Valley in which competitive tensions stood in the way of customers.

    Amazon and Google square off in many areas, from cloud computing and online search, to selling voice-controlled gadgets like the Echo Show.

    Amazon said in a statement “As of this afternoon, Google has chosen to no longer make YouTube available on Echo Show, without explanation and without notification to customers.

    “There is no technical reason for that decision, which is disappointing and hurts both of our customers.”

    Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, said instead that the development was no surprise.

    “We’ve been in negotiations with Amazon for a long time, working towards an agreement that provides great experiences for customers on both platforms,” it said in a statement.

    “Amazon’s implementation of YouTube on the Echo Show violates our terms of service, creating a broken user experience. We hope to be able to reach an agreement and resolve these issues soon.”

    The Echo Show had displayed YouTube videos without integral features, from video recommendations to channel subscriptions.

    Google has been in a similar dispute with Microsoft Corp in the past.

    It was not clear how many customers are affected. Amazon only started selling the Echo Show in June, which comes with a touch screen and responds by voice command.

    Amazon’s suite of Echo devices, including the Echo and Echo Dot, has outsold the voice-controlled Google Home, according to research firm eMarketer.

    Amazon has ambitions to make it normal for people to control computers by voice – and to place orders for its online retail business by voice, too.

    “It’s a bit of a blow to Amazon,” said analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research.

    “YouTube is one of the big video services that they had in addition to their own.

    “For that to disappear means a big chunk of the possible video content you could watch on Echo Show is now gone.”

    The Verge, a technology news website, earlier reported the news.

    Among recent tech standoffs, Amazon had stopped selling Apple Inc’s TV players in 2015 because they did not support its Prime Video service but the two finally reached an agreement earlier this year.

    “Things get harder for end users because these companies can’t get along,” Dawson said.

  • Facebook’s Watch goes up against YouTube for revenue in dollars

    Facebook’s Watch goes up against YouTube for revenue in dollars

    Facebook Inc launched its Watch video service to United States users on Thursday with plans to allow people to submit shows, as the No. 1 social media network vies with Alphabet Inc’s YouTube for advertising revenue.

    Advertisers are shifting more of their budgets from television to online as viewers have migrated to watching shows on smartphones and tablets.

    On Watch, which Facebook began testing earlier this month, users can see hundreds of shows from the likes of Vox, Buzzfeed, Discovery Communications Inc, A&E Networks, Walt Disney Co’s ABC, as well as live sports like Major League Baseball.

    Americans spend more than 73 minutes a day watching digital video, up more than seven per cent from last year, according to eMarketer data.

    TV watching has dropped 2 percent from last year to 244 minutes a day, a trend that is expected to continue.

    Facebook is initially paying some content creators for shows to drive interest.

    The company is paying 10,000-35,000 dollars for shorter form shows and up to 250,000 dollars for longer shows, sources told Media in May.

    The company declined to comment on how much it was spending on shows.

    Facebook does not intend to make buying content a core piece of its strategy, Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships at Facebook, told Media.

    “We are not focused on acquiring exclusive rights,” he said. “The idea is to seed this with good content.”

    Facebook plans to eventually open the platform to everyone to submit shows for approval and share 55 percent of ad revenue, Rose said.

  • Facebook’s Watch goes up against YouTube for revenue in dollars

    Facebook’s Watch goes up against YouTube for revenue in dollars

    Facebook Inc launched its Watch video service to United States users on Thursday with plans to allow people to submit shows, as the No. 1 social media network vies with Alphabet Inc’s YouTube for advertising revenue.

    Advertisers are shifting more of their budgets from television to online as viewers have migrated to watching shows on smartphones and tablets.

    On Watch, which Facebook began testing earlier this month, users can see hundreds of shows from the likes of Vox, Buzzfeed, Discovery Communications Inc, A&E Networks, Walt Disney Co’s ABC, as well as live sports like Major League Baseball.

    Americans spend more than 73 minutes a day watching digital video, up more than seven per cent from last year, according to eMarketer data.

    TV watching has dropped 2 percent from last year to 244 minutes a day, a trend that is expected to continue.

    Facebook is initially paying some content creators for shows to drive interest.

    The company is paying 10,000-35,000 dollars for shorter form shows and up to 250,000 dollars for longer shows, sources told Media in May.

    The company declined to comment on how much it was spending on shows.

    Facebook does not intend to make buying content a core piece of its strategy, Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships at Facebook, told Media.

    “We are not focused on acquiring exclusive rights,” he said. “The idea is to seed this with good content.”

    Facebook plans to eventually open the platform to everyone to submit shows for approval and share 55 percent of ad revenue, Rose said.