YouTube announces shutdown in April Fool's prank - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Technology

YouTube announces shutdown in April Fool’s prank

youtube_logo

In an elaborate April Fool’s prank, YouTube announced Sunday it was going dark for a decade, and that the site was merely an eight-year contest to find the best video.

“It’s finally time to pick the winner,” YouTube representatives announced in a 3:32 minute video posted on its homepage.

The message was simple: the world’s most popular video-sharing website would close at the end of the day to review all the video submissions it has received over the years, and would announce the best one in 2023.

“We are so close to the end. Tonight at midnight, youtube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it is finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner,” said Tim Liston, named as “competition director.”

YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar said that “we started YouTube in 2005 as a contest with a simple goal: to find the best video in the world.”

Users have uploaded more than 70 hours every minute to the site, YouTube estimated.

“I encourage everybody to watch as many videos as possible before YouTube deletes everything tonight,” said Antoine Dodson, who became an Internet sensation when a musical version of his 2010 TV interview about a house intrusion was posted on YouTube.

“Distinguished” film critics, YouTube celebrities and some of the site’s “most prolific” commentators are on the judges’ panel, according to Liston.

The Google-owned online video sharing venue said less than two weeks ago that more than a billion people now use YouTube each month, with viewing on smartphones helping drive growth.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The YouTube team noted that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits the website, which has grown into a global hit since its launch.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion and has yet to disclose whether the service has turned a profit.

YouTube has gradually added professional content, such as full-length television shows and movies to its vast trove of amateur video offerings in a bid to attract advertisers.

Advertisement

More on Capital Business

Technology

BANGUI, Central African Republic, June 16 – As a child, Djibril Gueye Marvin dreamed of being a make-up artist, no easy feat in the...

Technology

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 21 – Safaricom has partnered with YouTube to increase short video contents on the platform. In a two-months deal, content creators...

Gadgets & Apps

San Francisco, United States Feb 11-YouTube on Thursday laid out goals for the year that included making the lives of creators easier and boosting a...

World

Moscow, Russia, Sept 29 – Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor on Wednesday threatened to restrict access to YouTube after the video-sharing platform blocked two German-language channels of...

Technology

British pop mogul Simon Cowell launched an innovative online talent contest Wednesday, inviting wannabee stars from around the world to post clips of their...

Technology

Microsoft stepped up its criticism of Google on antitrust grounds Wednesday, claiming the Internet giant refuses to allow Windows Phone users “proper access” to...

Technology

YouTube is launching dozens of new original programming channels, including several from France, Germany and Britain. The Google-owned online video service said this “new...

Technology

(Relaxnews) Google may be celebrating the launch of its brand new Nexus 7 but consumers can’t quite get a grip on the tablet. A...