ISLAMABAD: YouTube marked its 20th anniversary on Wednesday, April 23, announcing some forthcoming features and new statistics, and planned some celebratory Easter eggs.
The Google-owned platform announced that more than 20 billion videos have been uploaded since the first video, “Me at the Zoo,” a 19-second clip that co-founder Jawed Karim shot in front of the elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo.
In addition to the 20 billion-plus videos, over 20 million videos on average are uploaded daily (as of March 2025), YouTube said. In 2024, YouTube users averaged over 100 million comments on videos on a daily basis, and creators “hearted” comments from an average of 10 million viewers per day.
Last year, YouTube videos on average received over 3.5 billion likes from users per day.
New YouTube features
To celebrate, the platform included features like faster playback speeds to AI-powered music tools. YouTube has announced 4x playback speed for its Premium subscribers on mobile devices (alongside 2.05x, 2.5x, and 3x playback).
In another feature, YouTube TV subscribers and Premium users will be able to build their own multiview for non-sports content, starting with a small group of popular channels and expanding in the coming months.
YouTube will roll out the ability for more creators to “voice reply” to comments on their videos later this year, after trialing the feature with a small group of creators in 2024.
YouTube Premium and YouTube Music users can create a personalized radio station on iOS and Android by explaining their mood. Also, YouTube Premium users on mobile can get expanded playback speeds – up to 4x.
This summer, YouTube is also planning to launch a new TV viewing experience, promising easier navigation, playback, quality tweaks, and streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing.
