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YouTube and YouTubers

The latest news, analysis and opinion on YouTube and YouTubers. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

CEO / Managing Director

Neal Mohan

CFO / Finance Director

Mary Ellen Coe (Chief Business Officer)

Industry

Internet

Website

youtube.com

Headquarters address

901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California, United States

Year founded

2005

Seoul-based content creator Cari is best known for her travel vlogs and was one of the earliest big content creators in Korea. Photo: Instagram/caricakez

Social media

Profile | Who is Cari? Popular South Korea-based YouTuber’s social media rise

Seoul-based YouTuber Cari shares her journey as a content creator who offers authentic glimpses into Korean life, reading and solo travel.

17 Jul 2025 - 7:15AMvideocam

Viral stories

Japan YouTuber has ‘world’s longest chin’, promotes self-love after beating taunts

15 Jul 2025 - 9:00AM

Icons and Influencers

Who is Laila Hasanovic – and is she dating Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner?

14 Jul 2025 - 6:00PM

Pakistan

The Diddy trial: how AI ‘slop’ from Pakistan is distorting reality

From fake celebrity testimonies to fabricated images, a flood of low-quality content generated using AI is threatening to obscure the truth.

2 Jul 2025 - 12:22PM

An AI-generated thumbnail from the “Pak Gov Update” YouTube channel shows rapper Jay-Z supposedly on the witness stand at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial. Photo: YouTube/PakGovUpdate

India-Pakistan tensions

Art of war: culture becomes a casualty of India-Pakistan conflict

Pakistani singers have lost huge Indian fanbases and Bollywood films suddenly scrubbed out Pakistani co-stars.

30 Jun 2025 - 3:17PMvideocam

Profile

Profile | ‘Why is her Cantonese so good?’ Indian Hongkonger on social media fame

Pranali Gupta, known as New Dellily online, bridges Hong Kong and Indian cultures through her engaging vlogs and clips on social media.

28 Jun 2025 - 8:15AMvideocam

Wellness

Does too much TikTok and YouTube actually rot your brain? Experts weigh in

Doctors explain how consuming digital ‘junk food’ on social media can affect brain development and whether ‘brain rot’ is real.

18 Jun 2025 - 7:15PM

A young woman consumes content on a smartphone. Doctors say screen time, especially spent watching “junk”, may negatively affect mental health and brain development. Photo: Shutterstock

Fame and celebrity

Meet Blogilates YouTuber and Taylor Swift favourite Cassey Ho

A first-generation American who shot to fame when Swift wore her brand’s Pirouette skort, Cassey Ho’s father told her she could either be ‘a lawyer, doctor or failure’ – now she’s making 8 figures.

15 Jun 2025 - 4:00AM

Instagram

Could YouTube’s Hot Ones win an Emmy? Host Sean Evans is hopeful

Host of YouTube talk show where celebrities from Lady Gaga to Bad Bunny eat chicken and let their guard down says Emmy eligibility ‘overdue’.

13 Jun 2025 - 4:15AMvideocam

American cinema

Woman stunt rider’s journey from winemaking to wheelies in Hollywood

French motorcycle stunt rider Sarah Lezito, a double for top Hollywood stars and with a huge social media following, shares her journey.

29 May 2025 - 5:15PMvideocam

French stunt rider Sarah Lezito performs a stoppie on her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. Photo: AFP

Food and Drinks

From ‘world’s best pizza’ to cocktail making, bartender’s TV tour of Japan

Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips explores the food and drink scene in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in its first episode, and host creates a Japanese cocktail.

10 Jun 2025 - 12:48PM

British bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr Lyan, is presenter of the series Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips. Here he enjoys a nightcap in Tokyo in the show’s first episode, devoted to Japan. Photo: Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips

Social media

To like or not to like? The button that changed social media

The thumbs up gesture has long ruled the internet and has had a major impact on social media engagement – so who came up with it and why?

21 May 2025 - 7:24AMvideocam

South Korea

‘Life role model’: South Korea’s granny YouTubers rewriting script on ageing

A growing number of older content creators are finding success online, sharing life advice and showing what it means to age gracefully.

18 May 2025 - 9:15AM

Fame and celebrity

Banned elsewhere, Kanye West’s pro-Hitler song gets millions of views on X

The video shows the hip-hop star rapping about ex-wife Kim Kardashian and ends with an extract of a speech by the Nazi leader.

18 May 2025 - 4:47AMvideocam

Kanye West attends the the Versace fall fashion show in New York in 2018. Photo: TNS

Fame and celebrity

Meet Hot Ones host Sean Evans, who eats spicy wings with Margot Robbie

Evans studied broadcast journalism at university and worked as a freelancer before getting his big break with YouTube’s Hot Ones in 2015.

15 May 2025 - 6:00PM

Sean Evans has hosted YouTube interview series Hot Ones since 2015. Photo: @seanseaevans/Instagram

Japan

Baker tops list of dream jobs for Japanese 6-year-olds but YouTuber rising fast

Survey shows girls still drawn to sweets and stardom, while boys look to badges, baseball and, increasingly, content creation.

5 May 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Art

‘Hong Kong the coolest teacher’ for filmmaker shooting series on artists

Rattanamol Singh was struck by the humour of Hong Kong artists, Art Basel’s show of wealth and how city’s creative community comes together.

28 Apr 2025 - 3:20PMvideocam

TV shows and streaming video

20 years of YouTube, and how it brought us Justin Bieber and MrBeast

From modest beginnings 20 years ago, YouTube has become a rival to streamers and broadcasters. It recently saw its 20th billion video upload.

26 Apr 2025 - 7:45AMvideocam

YouTube is celebrating 20 years since its first video upload. Photo: AFP

Social media

The slam dunk rise of YouTube’s Dude Perfect, rocking 61 million subscribers

With videos racking up over 18.5 billion views, the five friends who make up the US sports-comedy group are hailed as ‘content trailblazers’.

19 Apr 2025 - 7:15PMvideocam

Fame and celebrity

Who is Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter’s wife, Lauren Kitt Carter?

Nick Carter is facing a fourth sexual assault lawsuit and has denied the allegations – but what do we know about his wife of 10 years, Lauren Kitt Carter?

17 Apr 2025 - 4:00AM

Netflix

Meet Piper Rockelle, the teen YouTuber at the heart of a new Netflix series

Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing details how Rockelle’s on-camera friends, also known as The Squad, sued Smith in a lawsuit; Rockelle is dating Capri Jones and hung out with Bop House.

16 Apr 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Piper Rockelle is the subject of Netflix’s latest documentary, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. Photo: @piperrockelle/Instagram

Japan

Japan wants to lead the VTuber craze as South Korea breathes down its neck

The virtual YouTubers are gaining worldwide fans, with sold-out concerts and a predicted US$4 billion market by 2030.

13 Apr 2025 - 11:20AMvideocam

VTuber Mori Calliope performs during a concert in Hollywood, California, on February 26. Photo: AFP

Fame and celebrity

Who is Ms Rachel’s composer husband, Aron Accurso?

Ms Rachel is currently making headlines for her stance on the Israel-Gaza war, just as she welcomes baby No 2 with husband Aron Accurso – here’s what we know about her partner.

9 Apr 2025 - 7:00PM

Hong Kong’s pandas

YouTube superstar IShowSpeed attracts crowds and chaos with his Hong Kong debut

Hong Kong police say at least two complaints filed over fans chasing streamer onto train, with station gate and Octopus card reader damaged.

4 Apr 2025 - 8:17PM

Music

Can Japan’s growing fan culture move the dial for consumer spending?

Fans of bands, anime characters, mascots and online entertainers in Japan may spend as much as US$23 billion a year.

3 Apr 2025 - 5:15PM

Momoka Matsui and her co-worker Saki Matsumoto at After All Coffee in Tokyo, where Matsui’s favourite boy band stopped by. They are taking part in “oshikatsu”, a fan-driven phenomenon in Japan that is boosting consumer spending. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

US YouTube star in China, Beijing ‘hackers for hire’: 7 US-China relations reads

From IShowSpeed’s Great Wall adventures to espionage fears, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in March 2024.

2 Apr 2025 - 3:00AM

YouTube star Darren Jason Watkins Jnr, aka IShowSpeed, is seen streaming live from the Great Wall of China during his visit to Beijing in March 2025. Photo: Youtube/IShowSpeed

Music

Meet Marcin, the guitar genius so good people think he’s faking it

Marcin Patrzalek, 24, plays percussion, melody and rhythm at the same time on his acoustic guitar, and is an Instagram sensation.

28 Mar 2025 - 11:15AMvideocam

US-China relations

China hails US YouTube star who had 10 million views on Beijing, Shanghai

Influencer is seen praising the people who greeted him enthusiastically, clean streets and internet connectivity on the subway.

1 Apr 2025 - 3:26AMvideocam

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