For the first time, YouTube, a business of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), has revealed how many people visit the video streaming service. In a blog post, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote that the service has 1.5 billion monthly users who spend “over an hour a day” watching video on mobile devices.
YouTube has been working to improve its service, introduce new features and services in a bid to sell more digital ads, the company’s main source of revenue.
On Thursday, Wojcicki delivered a speech at VidCon, a conference for online video creators in Anaheim, California.
YouTube also offers an ad-free, subscription service, called YouTube Red. The premium service has launched 37 original series and movies to date, generating nearly a quarter billion views, according to Wojcicki. She noted that the service is working on 12 new original programs for YouTube Red.
YouTube and Virtual Reality Videos
YouTube is betting on virtual reality (VR) content.
To make VR content production easier and affordable, the streaming service teamed up with Daydream to introduce a new format, VR180, and new cameras. This new format delivers 3-D video while capturing 180-degrees around you.
“The reality is, filming 360-degree VR videos isn’t easy for most creators and some VR cameras are expensive,” Wojcicki wrote.
She said that YouTube is working with camera manufacturers like LG, Yi and Lenovo to build new VR180 cameras for “as little as a couple hundred dollars.”
Meanwhile, Wojcicki said that the Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary plans to expand YouTube TV to 10 more markets in just a couple of weeks.
The new targeted markets are Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne and Charlotte.
YouTube TV allows users stream their favorite live sports and must-see shows from top broadcast and cable networks.
Meanwhile, shares of Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) closed down 0.2% on Thursday. The stock, however, is doing well so far this year, gaining over 23% year-to-date.
