• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, January 23, 2012

Last month, YouTube risked alienating countless viewers, publishers, and advertisers with a dramatic redesign. Yet, as new data shows, Google’s video hub is more popular than ever. 

YouTube is now streaming 4 billion online videos daily -- a 25% increase in the past eight months, Google tells Reuters. 

“The jump in video views comes as Google pushes YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions of the site that work on smartphones and televisions, and as the company steps up efforts to offer more professional-grade content on the site,” Reuters reports.

Writes The Verge: “The growth of YouTube can be attributed to a number of factors, including the popularity of Android in the mobile space and a recent redesign of the web client.”

“It looks like that redesign was worth it,” Engadget seconds.

According to Google, roughly 60 hours of video is now uploaded to YouTube every minute, compared with the 48 hours of video uploaded per minute in May.

“The last time YouTube released this data was in May 2011, when the company was celebrating its sixth birthday,” TechCrunch points out. “At the time, YouTube was seeing 3 billion views per day, an increase of 50% over the past 12 months.”

“Still,” as Verge adds: “It's not a foregone conclusion that the insatiable appetite for Web video would all go Google's way -- there are plenty of competing streaming services now -- so the company must be doing something right to not only retain but expand its massive following.”

Also, as Reuters points out: “Most of the 4 billion videos that YouTube now streams worldwide every day do not make money … Three billion YouTube videos a week are monetized, according to the company.”

Still, notes The Next Web: “YouTube, however, does offer a valuable opportunity for Google to drive revenue outside of Search, and it is looking to ramp up its efforts to broadcast more professional-grade content.”