Every month new viewing figures for online video are released and they tend to follow a similar pattern – YouTube at the top, and everyone else scrabbling for top 10 positions. However, this month saw something different, with Facebook surprising everyone by jumping to third.

Online Video Stats

Nielsen, as well as a number of other companies, measure the number of streams viewed on online video destinations every month.

October was no exception, although the figures were more interesting than usual. mainly because while the top two of YouTube and Hulu remained the same, there were some big changes after that. And it could be the start of a trend set to get stronger over the next few months/years.

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Citizen journalists have increased both in number and importance in recent years. And Google is now seeking to bring some order to the chaos of how amateur footage is delivered online with YouTube Direct matching citizen journalists with news media organizations.

Citizen Journalists

There was a time when news coverage was strictly professional, delivered by paid reporters, photographers, and cameramen. And then everything changed with digital cameras and video cameras standard on cellphones.

Now, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can be a citizen journalist, reporting the news as it happens in front of them. Twitter and social networks are an important facet of this trend, as is online video and in particular YouTube.

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YouTube is now offering viewers the chance to watch videos in Full HD or 1080p high-definition.

This is an important move not just to support the increasing number of home video cameras with HD options but also to give professional content creators confidence that the platform is right for their work.

YouTube Video Quality

When YouTube first launched four years ago, video quality (360p) on the site wasn’t great. But that wasn’t what the site was about so it didn’t matter. YouTube was there to offer a free and easy way for people to host video online. And it did that so well that Google paid $1.65 billion for the site a year later.

But times move on, as does technology.

YouTube first started offering a ‘High Quality’ (480p) version of some videos, and while the difference wasn’t vast it was noticeable. Then in December 2008 YouTube launched ‘High-Definition’ video, which took the clips to a native 720p.

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Having experimented with a number of different types of advertising and settling on none in particular, Google is once again experimenting with pre-roll adverts that play before video clips. The difference this time is they’re skippable.

YouTube Revenue Vs Pageviews

Since buying YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, Google has tried to turn it into a moneymaking site. It’s certainly managed to take the site to the next level, with it now managing one billion page views a day, but the revenue still hasn’t come.

There’s been some debate over whether YouTube makes money, breaks even, or loses money every year but needless to say revenue needs to be upped in order for Google to make its money back. Especially as Google CEO Eric Schmidt has admitted the company paid $1 billion too much for the online video site.

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The rise of online video stars has been rapid and taken a lot of people by surprise. YouTube now has the power to make someone a household name, and Fred Figglehorn is one of those success stories. And he’s now set to take Hollywood by storm.

Fred Who?

Fred Figglehorn first came to my attention early in 2008 when his YouTube channel started gaining fans faster than most teen pop stars manage.

In June, I covered Fred’s story, which in actual fact is Lucas Cruikshank’s story, as he’s the kid who created and plays the character in numerous YouTube videos.

In short, Fred is the six-year-old alter-ego of a 14-year-old kid from Nebraska. His charms are talking in a squeaky voice, mugging to camera, and ranting and raving in a way most six-year-olds are incapable of. At least the ones I’ve met.

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On Sunday, U2 played a gig at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California as part of their current world tour. It streamed live on YouTube and managed to rack up 10 million viewers. Which is a huge success for both Google and the Akamai content delivery network which handled the event.

Live Success

YouTube is no stranger to live streaming, having experimented with the method of broadcasting a few times since being acquired by Google. However, Sunday night’s U2 concert was a hit like the site has never experienced before.

When competing with the bread and butter of YouTube – the viral videos generated by users – the U2 concert was a relative failure, but gaining such a large audience for an event such as this is nothing short of spectacular.

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Nick Griffin’s appearance on Question Time provoked controversy just by the fact it was happening. But it did, and most onlookers agree that Griffin didn’t do a great job of promoting himself, his party, and his views.

Interestingly, YouTube was mentioned continuously by the other panelists on the show, with references to video clips featuring Griffin. Clips he couldn’t simply talk his way out of. Online video is clearly even affecting politics now.

Nick Griffin & The BNP

Nick Griffin is the leader of the British National Party, a far-right political organization in the U.K. which believes Britain should essentially return to how it was prior to 1948 – that is with a vast majority white, indigenous population.

Without getting into the politics of it, the party has had some success in recent years fueled by terrorism and the failings of the British government to properly police immigration into the country.

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