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Youtube Media

YouTube Cancels Rewind Video Amid Pandemic (bbc.com) 32

YouTube says it will not produce its annual end-of-year "Rewind" video this year, due to the global pandemic. The BBC reports: The video-sharing platform has produced an annual retrospective since 2010, featuring well-known YouTube stars referencing big viral moments. But, in a statement it said: "2020 has been different. And it doesn't feel right to carry on as if it weren't."

Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker, who writes about YouTube and other social platforms, said it was a shame that Rewind had been cancelled because YouTube had become "a major source of entertainment and support for people during the pandemic." But he added: "There's just not that much new that's come out of YouTube this year. It's been outmoded and overtaken as the place that trends begin, by more nimble apps like TikTok. "Rewind has always featured a similar cast of characters since it started in 2010, but the potential list of people they could feature would look even more stale in 2020 in comparison to other platforms."

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YouTube Cancels Rewind Video Amid Pandemic

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  • "Big viral moments"? The whole year was one big viral moment, no?

    • not that kind of viral, they're talking more "gangnam style" than COVID-19
    • by rtb61 ( 674572 )

      The biggest viral moment, most corporate censorship, showing exactly what kind of slimey cunts run the big tech corps. That would be the most viral and they would of course have to censor it, easier to censor the entire year.

  • I guess they didn't know which conspiracy videos to include

    • They're so addicted to cancelling things, they saw movies getting cancelled or delayed and they just thought they should be cancelling shows too! Nevermind that they can do it all remotely, with existing material.

  • Narrative (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 13, 2020 @04:06PM (#60720938)
    When you look back you see how all the narratives fell apart.
  • by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @05:15PM (#60721158)

    This has nothing to do with massive success of all recent Youtube Rewinds. It's totally about the fact that novel coronavirus just makes it really hard to get Youtubers to sit in front of a camera and record a short snippet.

    Oh wait...

    • It may have more to do with the fact that no matter what they would produce, they'd be enraging some subset of social justice warriors. "Too much screen time given to group A vs. minority group B... etc.", someone not portrayed politically correct enough, etc,. Too much hassle to deal with for not enough benefit. Simple cost-benefit calculation revealed it's better to not do a rewind in this volatile social climate. Companies are trying to stay away from any controversies, and almost anything you can produc

  • by AndyKron ( 937105 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @05:40PM (#60721244)
    OR... because last year's was the most disliked YouTube video in the history of YouTube?
  • by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Friday November 13, 2020 @05:49PM (#60721284) Homepage Journal

    Glad to see YouTube canceling itself for a change.

    • Re. your title, Bill ... in what ways was YT Rewind "conservative"?

      Financially, they've traditionally spent a boatload on filming and production (not counting last year's phoned-in WatchMojo clone). Politically, it's full of people I'd consider anything but conservative.

      • by Anonymous Coward

        If it helps you catch on, that post is currently at Score:4 Funny

        • An an Unamerican: Nope. Got nothing.
          Is it related to Trump? I didn't head anything about him canceling himself, and it sounds unlikely to ever happen. *Getting* canceled obviously happened.
          Or some newer development. ... Anyone...?

      • Ah. The penny drops. I clearly needed more coffee. :-)
  • And... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thomn8r ( 635504 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @05:52PM (#60721288)
    ...nothing of value was lost
  • I turn it off and move elsewhere. It works really great for me.
    Over the last year and 1/2 I have dropped all cable TV, video streaming services and have gone back to just listening to music I have in the background while puttering around.
    Video is such a time wasting pita. It is amazing what one can get done when you just cut down consuming video content.
  • by darkain ( 749283 ) on Friday November 13, 2020 @06:13PM (#60721358) Homepage

    YouTube doesn't want to admit that they produced the video, but it was DMCAd so fast, nobody got a chance to watch it!

  • I don't believe Youtube has been "outmoded", nor do I believe TikTok is more "nimble". If I was to make a comparison, I would say that Youtubers are more polished and TicToks are more of a novelty. The fact is that finding content that's entertaining on either platform is a pain in the ass.

    • I don't believe Youtube has been "outmoded"

      Good, because being outmoded is something you are, not something that happens to you.

  • Some people like to take drugs to forget the year, and traditionally anybody who appears in Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve is forgettable according to them. Is YouTube Rewind causing a similar effect, causing performers to lose views in January?

  • Not the abortion everyone hates it has become known to be...

  • * Dont mention coronavirus: get a lot of people pissed
    * Mention coronavirus as important: get a lot of people pissed
    * Mention BLM: get a lot of people pissed
    * Dont mention BLM: get a lot of people pissed
    * Include noteworty neutral Trump snippets: make a lot of people pissed
    * Include Trumps bigger fuck-ups: make a lot of people pissed
    * Include Violent street protests: Make a lot of people pissed
    * Include Gun-Nut teenagers traving trough the country and shooting prople on the streets: make a lot of people pis

  • ...we have to rewind our YouTube videos manually?

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