Author Topic: SpaceX stops using YouTube; new content X only; effect on NSF content? (Read 50828 times)

FutureSpaceTourist · « **on:** 09/03/2023 07:48 pm »

https://twitter.com/stevenyoungsfn/status/1698403857900978406

Quote

Looks like SpaceX is going all in on X. YouTube streams for Crew 6 splashdown and Starlink 6-12 webcasts have been removed and will now be streamed on X. Also links to all social media networks deleted from the SpaceX website menu.

Don’t know what this means for Mission Control audio

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #1 on:** 09/03/2023 08:27 pm »

Just tried an experiment, the SDA launch yesterday was on both YouTube and X. First 2 screenshots attached are from YouTube and last 2 are from X.

They’re not exactly the same frames, I just went with same time stamps.

EE Scott · « **Reply #2 on:** 09/03/2023 09:20 pm »

This is really an unfortunate development. While it shouldn't surprise me, it still sickens me. SpaceX's coverage of their launches has been such an enjoyable experience for me over the years. I'll miss it. Tying SpaceX and X closer together (even if only somewhat superficially) makes me shudder in disgust.

Sorry for the dramatics, but this is just so gross to me.

Bob Shaw · « **Reply #3 on:** 09/03/2023 09:27 pm »

This is an understandable commercial decision. We have no right to complain about something which was free on one platform moving to another free platform! Musk sees an opportunity to staunch the flow of users from X and to reduce the revenue of YouTube! I hope, however, that the many independent space content creators survive this change.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #4 on:** 09/03/2023 10:05 pm »

Removed some rather unfortunate comments (and sorry for the one that quoted one, as that post was fine - but I need to keep the threads clean). Let's not get silly.

Needless to say NSF will continue to livestream on YT. X is not a viable proposition for livestreaming for us at this time.

This move from SpaceX (understandable by the way per Elon owning both) does not impact NSF as we provide original launch and livestream coverage via our people and cameras in the field.

As far as Crew-6's return, NASA will be livestreaming on YT.

hartspace · « **Reply #5 on:** 09/03/2023 10:11 pm »

NASA related and possibly other government missions likely will remain on YouTube. But I guess Elon must want fewer eyes on other SpaceX activities since a lot of people have easy access to YT and don't have X/Twitter accounts. His business, so he can do whatever he wants. Not a great plan in my opinion, but little of what he has done with X/Twitter since he took over has made much sense to me. I'll be curious to see how NSF handles this, since the NSF coverage usually has a mix of NSF and SpaceX coverage.

Ron Lee · « **Reply #6 on:** 09/03/2023 10:22 pm »

I assume that this means that to see the SpaceX coverage a person has to have a Twitter account and sign into it.

What is the NSF link for launch coverage?

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #7 on:** 09/03/2023 10:31 pm »

Quote from: hartspace on 09/03/2023 10:11 pm

NASA related and possibly other government missions likely will remain on YouTube. But I guess Elon must want fewer eyes on other SpaceX activities since a lot of people have easy access to YT and don't have X/Twitter accounts. His business, so he can do whatever he wants. Not a great plan in my opinion, but little of what he has done with X/Twitter since he took over has made much sense to me. I'll be curious to see how NSF handles this, since the NSF coverage usually has a mix of NSF and SpaceX coverage.

We have clever folk. Vast majority is our own cams, but for like a landing on a drone ship - when Jack isn't out there in his Kayak - we can still show it

If it's on a screen, we can show it.

hartspace · « **Reply #8 on:** 09/03/2023 10:49 pm »

Quote from: Ron Lee on 09/03/2023 10:22 pm

I assume that this means that to see the SpaceX coverage a person has to have a Twitter account and sign into it.

What is the NSF link for launch coverage?

The link for all NSF YouTube coverage is https://www.youtube.com/@NASASpaceflight

Jarnis · « **Reply #9 on:** 09/03/2023 10:56 pm »

Terrible move as X has become pretty much unusable without logging in and "workarounds" like Nitter cannot handle livestreams.

Used to spread the word by linking to SpaceX launch streams to various private chats to get more people watch (usually with good response) but no way I'm going to post a link to X livestream as it'll just generate ton of hate with "this crap doesn't work without an account".

Oh well, I guess they have considered the tradeoff - far less viewers, far less interest vs. some theoretical business advantage to X.

I would not consider this to be anywhere near this big of a deal if X was actually usable without logging in.

Zed_Noir · « **Reply #10 on:** 09/03/2023 11:04 pm »

Quote from: Ron Lee on 09/03/2023 10:22 pm

I assume that this means that to see the SpaceX coverage a person has to have a Twitter account and sign into it.
.....

You can still sign into X (formerly known as twitter) with a google account. Suggest setting up new Google account just for accessing X.

Jarnis · « **Reply #11 on:** 09/03/2023 11:07 pm »

You do know that signing into X using Google account is same as creating an account. You just use Google OAuth as the login method instead of making another username/password. From the point of view of X, you are still signing in.

It is all about tracking, metrics and that sweet sweet data to target ads.

(and, I guess partially to block wholesale scraping of Twitter data for various uses, like say training your crappy AI chatbot...)

catdlr · « **Reply #12 on:** 09/03/2023 11:18 pm »

As a content editor, I've noticed that X videos are no longer easily downloadable from these new "X's Broadcast Broadcast servers." Most of the third-party software used to download is no longer usable. But I'm sure in a few weeks third-party software will catch up and make the necessary updates.

Kspbutitscursed · « **Reply #13 on:** 09/03/2023 11:23 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 09/03/2023 10:05 pm

Removed some rather unfortunate comments (and sorry for the one that quoted one, as that post was fine - but I need to keep the threads clean). Let's not get silly.

Needless to say NSF will continue to livestream on YT. X is not a viable proposition for livestreaming for us at this time.

This move from SpaceX (understandable by the way per Elon owning both) does not impact NSF as we provide original launch and livestream coverage via our people and cameras in the field.

As far as Crew-6's return, NASA will be livestreaming on YT.

Hi i was wondering if for the starship IFT you could steam both the Official spacex stream and your own

Zed_Noir · « **Reply #14 on:** 09/03/2023 11:28 pm »

Quote from: Jarnis on 09/03/2023 10:56 pm

<snip>
I would not consider this to be anywhere near this big of a deal if X was actually usable without logging in.

AIUI, why logging in became necessary was to limited number of tweets read by an URL address daily. Some A.I. companies are harvesting thousands of tweet conversations per second from a single URL address within their server farms to train their A.I. systems for free without compensating X (formerly known as Twitter).

Think all social media will limit the quantity of messages(tweets) viewed by tracking usage per URL address eventually. Hopefully X and other social media platforms will offer passive non-posting accounts to access their platforms in the future.

Ken the Bin · « **Reply #15 on:** 09/03/2023 11:42 pm »

In the past I've watched the NSF livestream only until the SpaceX livestream would go live. (Among other things, this system is an underpowered Windows 10 virtual machine running on a Windows 7 host, so too many livestreams drags it down, even at 480p.)

I'm not going to watch SpaceX on the deadbird site, so now I'll watch whatever NSF can provide (unless it's a launch that NASA is also covering).

In the past I've promoted both the SpaceX and NSF livestreams on Mastodon and in the Ars Technica forum. Now it will be just NSF. I've already posted about the situation both places.

Also, another user on Ars posted that he unsubscribed from the SpaceX YouTube channel. I've done the same.

jackvancouver · « **Reply #16 on:** 09/04/2023 12:20 am »

It doesn't hurt to boost SFN as an alternative for specifically Cape launches. There are people out there that like minimalist commentary vs zero commentary and now that SpaceX has done this, it's basically up to all other content providers to pick up the slack.

Another thing to keep in mind is X has zero presence in Smart TVs and set top boxes.

Robotbeat · « **Reply #17 on:** 09/04/2023 01:04 am »

That latter thing is a pretty good point, but I suspect it’s only a matter of time before X is added to smart TVs.

daveglo · « **Reply #18 on:** 09/04/2023 02:13 am »

So much unfortunate complaining. X is a perfectly decent platform, and of course SpaceX would go to it preferentially. Looking forward to the Starlink launch shortly.

I get annoyed at the YT ads that pop up right at staging when watching replays, but not going to vent about it.

The NSF feed can be, well, a bit tiresome with the extraneous dialog. But I get why it's there, and not going to vent about it, either.

Every source has a role to play.

spacenuance · « **Reply #19 on:** 09/04/2023 02:39 am »

Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 09/03/2023 07:48 pm

Don’t know what this means for Mission Control audio

Yeah no MCC audio is terrible. Im not opposed to streaming on X, but just cutting out YT streams before X is even capable of 4k + many other features from YT? Dual streams not possible? This whole thing feels like an elon idea that the spacex team let slip by into the real world . . .

This is good news for NSF, SFN, etc. I guess.