YouTube is once again doing their part to ensure viewers are being taken care of during this time. Just last week, the company announced they defaulted to stream videos in the lower-quality standard-definition (SD) format worldwide. Now, the company has launched the “Stay Home #WithMe” initiative, which encourages people to stay home as healthcare officials try to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
“Stay Home #WithMe” features a gang of major celebrities and influencers delivering PSAs on the platform. Some celebrities included in the campaign are Emma Chamberlain, J Balvin, Venus Williams, Gordon Ramsay, Becky G, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson Dolan), Jessie J, Sebastián Yatra, Amber Scholl, Phil DeFranco, Hayley Kiyoko, Conan Gray and Hailee Steinfeld.
“According to YouTube, ‘#WithMe’ videos have spiked in popularity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Daily views of videos that have ‘#WithMe’ in the title have increased seven-fold since March 15, compared with the daily average in 2020 before then, according to YouTube,” Variety reports. YouTube also revealed that video uploads with “at home” included in the title have spiked 50 percent from March 10 to 15.
In addition to the “Stay Home #WithMe” campaign, YouTube has also set up informative interviews featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), along with Lilly Singh, “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, Phil DeFranco and Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, aka Doctor Mike.
YouTube has also added a “news shelf” on its home page in the U.S., UK, Europe and other countries, featuring content from trusted news sources, including ABC News, BBC News, CNN and The New York Times, Variety reports.