The YouTube team has today confirmed that videos uploaded to the popular video sharing service can now be as long as 15 minutes, allowing those uploading videos 5 more minutes of length than before.
Previously users were only allowed to upload videos of a length up to 10 minutes, with Google citing content piracy as the key reason behind the decision to limit the length of uploaded videos. Of course Google has made exceptions to the limit, and does allow authorized content partners to upload longer videos if need be.
So why is YouTube now allowing videos of up to 15 minutes? According to the company, content detection controls such as their Content ID technology have improved on the site, allowing companies including movie studios, music labels, and over 1,000 other global partners to request and manage the removal of videos infringing on copyright, allowing the YouTube team more room to move.
“We’ve spent significant resources on creating and improving our state-of-the-art Content ID system and many other powerful tools for copyright owners," Joshua Siegel, YouTube Product Manager for Upload and Video Management wrote today.
"Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today.”
To celebrate the news, the YouTube team have announced a new promotion called 15 minutes of fame, encouraging users to "imagine that this video is all the world will ever know about you: what would you want to communicate, what will be the enduring stamp you’ve left on us all?"
To enter the promotion, simply tag uploaded videos with "yt15minutes" by next Wednesday, with winners to be shown in the spotlight section on the YouTube homepage.