YourThurrock celebrates one million views on YouTube

YOURTHURROCK was celebrating last night as the number of total views on their youtube channel broke through the one million mark.

Since launching on September 1st 2008, YT has made over 3,000 filmed items covering all aspects of life in the borough.

YT Editor Michael Casey said: “There is a specific rule of not being the news but we will make an exception for this hugely significant landmark.

“All the team have worked really hard to become the most prolific and influential provider of news in the borough.

“It is an easy job: the borough is a rich tapestry of news with a huge quarry of people taking part in a vast number of activities.

“We like to keep it humble and keep it real but we like to think that in a hundred years time our archive will provide information on Thurrock like no other area in Britain”.

YT now receives 1500 views per day on youtube (as well as 80,000 views a month on the main site) as people surf the old films (a bit like UK Gold!)

Reporter Mike Jones said: “Some of our films have had over 50,000 views on Youtube while others have had just nine or ten.

“In September 2008, we filmed Diversity star Perri Kiely in a class at Gable Hall. When they won Britains Got Talent, Japanese TV rang us up and interviewed us!

“That says a lot about the power of youtube! We have been seen in 135 countries and all 50 states in the USA.

“But closer to home, we know that grandparents who live abroad, have delighted in being able to see their grandchildrens’ school play or awards ceremony right there on YourThurrock”.

As for the future, YT hopes that the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt grasps what local or indeed hyperlocal means with his plans for local TV.

Mr Casey said: “We were privileged to be part of the small group who were invited to discuss the ministers plans for Local TV.

“If you won’t show ten minutes of a school awards ceremony or ten minutes of Aveley v Maidstone then you are not local. You can call yourself what you like but you may fail to understand what grass roots television means.

“With Internet TV coming (IPTV) we believe that a video on demand service such as YT is the perfect way to communicate to a local area what is going on. A million viewers can’t be wrong!