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20052009201320182022
Updated:Apr 23, 2026
|Privacy Policy

YouTube product features, creator monetization, and policy changes (2005–2022)

YouTube product features, creator monetization, and policy changes (2005–2022)

  1. YouTube domain registered and company founded

    Labels: YouTube, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen
  2. First video uploaded: “Me at the zoo”

    Labels: Jawed Karim, Me at
  3. Google acquisition of YouTube completed

    Labels: Google, YouTube
  4. YouTube begins trials of Content ID

    Labels: Content ID, YouTube
  5. Annotations feature introduced

    Labels: Annotations, YouTube
  6. YouTube adds 4K video support

    Labels: 4K support, YouTube
  7. YouTube introduces Cards (mobile-friendly interactivity)

    Labels: Cards, YouTube
  8. YouTube Red subscription service launches

    Labels: YouTube Red, YouTube
  9. 360-degree live streaming introduced

    Labels: 360 streaming, YouTube
  10. Super Chat introduced for live monetization

    Labels: Super Chat, YouTube
  11. Partner Program adds 10,000-view eligibility threshold

    Labels: YouTube Partner, YouTube
  12. Annotations Editor discontinued (no new annotations)

    Labels: Annotations Editor, YouTube
  13. New YPP thresholds: 1,000 subs and 4,000 hours

    Labels: YouTube Partner, YouTube
  14. YouTube Red rebranded as YouTube Premium

    Labels: YouTube Premium, YouTube
  15. Channel Memberships expand creator subscription monetization

    Labels: Channel Memberships, YouTube
  16. FTC announces COPPA settlement with Google/YouTube

    Labels: COPPA settlement, FTC
  17. Mid-roll ads eligibility lowered to 8 minutes

    Labels: Mid-roll ads, YouTube
  18. YouTube Shorts beta announced

    Labels: YouTube Shorts, YouTube
  19. YouTube asserts right to monetize all content

    Labels: YouTube terms, YouTube
  20. Shorts beta expands to the United States

    Labels: YouTube Shorts, United States
  21. YouTube announces $100 million Shorts Fund

    Labels: Shorts Fund, YouTube
  22. Public dislike counts removed from videos

    Labels: Dislike counts, YouTube
  23. Community Guidelines warnings updated to be policy-specific

    Labels: Community Guidelines, YouTube