YouTube was briefly down across the globe

May 18, 2020Updated May 28, 20251 min read

Millions of users felt their hearts skipping a beat yesterday as YouTube experienced a major blackout. A glance at downdetector.com shows the problem was global and lasted for about an hour for some users.

Reports started piling up on Twitter yesterday at around 8 p.m. CDT, complaining of disappearing videos and YouTube showing only ads. Most people lost the connection to YouTube servers altogether. The outage affected YouTube Premium users, too.

There’s no official statement from YouTube regarding the issue, so the reasons behind the outage remain a mystery. At the moment, the service seems to be fully operational. Were you affected by the temporary outage?

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Mei Ling Tan

Contributor · RetailNews.asia

Mei Ling Tan is the Editor of Retail News Asia, where she leads the editorial team in delivering in-depth coverage of Asia’s dynamic retail landscape. With over a decade of experience in business journalism, Mei Ling is known for her sharp analysis, deep industry insights, and commitment to uncovering the stories behind Asia’s most innovative retail brands. Before joining Retail News Asia, Mei Ling held senior reporting roles at regional business publications, covering everything from consumer trends to digital transformation in retail. A graduate of the National University of Singapore with a degree in Communications and New Media, she combines journalistic integrity with a strong understanding of evolving market forces. Outside the newsroom, Mei Ling is a frequent speaker at industry panels and a mentor for young journalists.

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