U2 concert breaks YouTube record

YouTube may be changing its strategy so that it becomes a rival to TV stations such as BBC and ITV due to the success that it had in the U2 concert that was broadcasted Live on YouTube. The U2 concert broke a YouTube click record

The live broadcast of the U2 concert at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calfornia at the end of last month got 10,000,000 clicks on youTube which gave an early signal of how the internet can rival broadcast television as a YouTube record was broken with the event.

Malcom Gerrie, the chief executive of WhizzKid Entertainment, the company that filmed the event said that “both the band and YouTube were shocked and surprised by how many people watched online. This achieved the kind of audience you might see for a television hit show, but it was far greater than you would see for a music show on television in any single country, In Britain, they are cracking open the champagne if Later with Jools Holland gets seen by 600,000 people.”

Google owned YouTube generally shows short video clips and there are a few live broadcasts showed. It is being speculated that Bono the U2 frontman’s friendship with Sergey Brin, one of Google’s two billionaire founders was a big influence on this occasion.

The high viewing figures were such a surprise that none of the parties took on sponsors for the event and could not capitalize on the viewing numbers. Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager, said: “YouTube were a little unsure of themselves. They were supposed to sell a sponsorship for the event, but somehow they didn’t manage to.”

U2 were able to exceed the 10 million level because the concert was made available to 187 countries, including China, North Korea and Iran, although a third of the 10 million audience for the Rose Bowl show came from the United States. Mr Gerrie said: “We think a whole new business model has emerged here.”