YouTube exec says digital video will far surpass TV by 2020

YouTube’s chief business officer is banking on virtual reality video, original programming and music videos to keep the world of digital video growing. “It’s about one at a time”. People ages 18-34 spend an average of 40 minutes a day watching mobile video, up 50% over the a year ago, but their TV viewing in the period dropped by 9%, he noted. “With YouTube being a major driver of that shift”.

Welcome to the post-TV world – the era of digital video.

During his keynote speech, Kyncl said that YouTube’s traffic exploded over recent years.

“Digital video is exploding”, Kyncl said.

Another thing of note is that according to YouTube, its partners including Samsung, LG and Hisense were showcasing YouTube in 4K HDR by displaying videos from NASA and Karmin at the venue of this year’s CES. He’s also created separate apps for YouTube’s three most popular verticals: gaming, kids, and music. “I don’t think digital video will grow linearly; I think it will grow exponentially”.

“Make content that makes people feel”, he urges artists everywhere. At the same time, GoPro will work alongside YouTube to develop more 360-degree content, which only makes sense considering the online video site became heavily involved in supporting 3D and 360 content over the course of 2015. Kyncl took the moment to plug YouTube Red, the company’s recently launched subscription service, that offers exclusive content from top YouTube creators.

Aside from virtual reality, YouTube’s Kyncl also discussed his company’s efforts in the music business, explaining that YouTube has paid a total of $3 billion to musicians for viewership of their music and videos on the platform. Kyncl touted YouTube’s efforts in this area, including the VRSE project promoted by the New York Times, which delivered more than a million Google Cardboard VR viewers to its subscribers. The GoPro leader mentioned that a more “casual” model of Odyssey spherical cameras is in tow, meaning that users will have access to a more affordable 360-degree camera, as soon as possible.