YouTube, commonly known as “You Tube” in China, is the world’s largest video website and the second largest Internet search engine. It was founded in California, USA in February 2005 by Chinese American Chen Shijun and others for users to download, watch and share videos or short films. In November 2006, Google spent $1.65 billion to acquire YouTube. According to a survey report released by the US investment bank Piper Jaffray in 2019, YouTube has become the preferred platform for teenagers to watch videos.
At present, the monthly active users of YouTube have exceeded 2 billion, and the daily video playback volume exceeds 5 billion. Due to the powerful functions of YouTube and its good connectivity with other social platforms, the viral spread of videos is ensured. The website provides 20 regional channels including Global (all), Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, and Taiwan, China, and supports 15 major languages including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English. Its profit-making methods mostly rely on advertising.