YouTube player undergoes design change; adds a layer of transparency

Google has rolled out a new update to its YouTube web video player which brings with it a new transparent skin and slightly larger controls which now lay over the top of the video rather than sit below. “Ad agencies and brands are confused enough without Facebook muddying the waters by calling something a view when it is in no way a measure of viewership”. We’ve reached out to YouTube for comment.

Facebook has ambitions to compete with YouTube in the online video world, but one of the latter’s prominent creators has criticised the social network’s strategy. People with huge Facebook followings – including celebrities like Tyrese Gibson and Perez Hilton – have a well-documented penchant for lifting viral videos from other sites and uploading them to Facebook for their own gain.

Facebook has been accused of “freebooting” on YouTube’s success by prominent blogger Hank Green.

The new player features bigger and bolder icons. “Facebook’s algorithms encourage this theft”.

Embedding a YouTube video on Facebook gets less views than a native upload. This will enhance worldwide exposure of the artists as Facebook gears up its fight against You Tube on which platform win the crown as the first destination of on-line videos. The most-viewed such video racked up 72 million views, while all 725 re-uploaded videos hit a grand total of 17 billion views. “They’ll take the video down a couple days after you let them know”. For example, Facebook’s “Audible Magic” system attempts to prevent unauthorized videos. All the people that were going to view it already have, ruining the chance for the real content creator to receive praise for their work. Chime in here, and we’ll share the results. “As with all products and experiences on Facebook, we’re listening to feedback, and want to continue to improve our content management tools for people and publishers”.