YouTube

That’s according to Nielsen’s media distributor Gauge report, which tracks how much time viewers spend watching TV across the networks and streaming platforms owned by different media companies each month.

The cheaper subscription, which cuts ads on “most” videos, but not music, is expanding to Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil too, after launching in the US in March. It’s rolling out gradually, so check the Premium Lite site to see if you’re eligible to sign up — I’m still not, but my colleague Tom apparently is.

Luke Nichols, who runs the nearly 15-million-subscriber-strong YouTube channel, partly blames fame:

The company says its new ad system will use AI to place ads in videos at “contextually relevant” moments where viewers are most likely to be engaged. YouTube announced the feature on Wednesday at its annual Brandcast event for advertisers.

The app on TVs now has a dedicated podcasts tab and the ability to loop all VOD content. Check out more details about those changes and more in a post from YouTube.

Android Central and leak hunter Assemble Debug point out that the feature has started to appear, as shown in this Reddit post. Beyond just displaying lyrics for certain songs, it allows users to highlight specific ones to create a social media-friendly sharing card, just like Spotify does.

Now, all creators in the YouTube Partner Program have access to auto-dubbing, according to a video from YouTube’s Creator Insider channel. The company is working on bringing auto-dubbing to “more creators” down the line.

YouTube’s deal to stream Coachella performances continues through 2026, and tonight you can start watching the festival’s first weekend, free of charge.

24-year-old Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov took an inflatable boat to North Sentinel Island located in the Bay of Bengal. There, he left an “offering” of Diet Coke and a coconut to the remote Sentinelese tribe, which has resisted outsiders in the past, The New York Times reports.

YouTube’s policy page that lists groups the company protects against hate speech recently removed the phrase “gender identity,” reports Taylor Lorenz in User Mag. It’s similar to recent changes made by Meta that could leave LGBTQ members more vulnerable on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and appear to align with Trump administration directives against “wokeness” and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Why just livestream Coachella when you can also have someone talking over it? YouTube is testing a new “Watch With” feature that allows creators to react and commentate over live event streams, giving viewers the “experience of watching Coachella alongside your favorite creator.”

Last week, YouTube acknowledged an issue causing videos and shorts on iOS, desktop, and smart TVs to automatically stream in 144p or 360p even with a strong internet connection. Now YouTube says the problem has been fixed and “all streaming should be back to normal now.”

To get folks hyped up for the upcoming debut of Andor’s second season on Disney Plus April 22nd, Disney has put the show’s entire first season on Hulu and uploaded its first three episodes on YouTube. Additionally, on March 13th, Andor creator Tony Gilroy will host a live, hour-long rewatch event streamed on YouTube “with select talent,” which better be code for “Diego Luna and national treasure Kathryn Hunter.”