> In 2011, Google commissioned the creation of 100 YouTube channels to boost traffic to the video-sharing site
> ...
> “It seemed very unlikely that a maths channel would catch on,” remembers Math Horizons associate editor James Grime, who was among the fledgling channel’s founding presenters.
Well, perhaps it's more likely to succeed when it's one of only 100 channels commissioned and presumably endorsed by Google. I don't know why this leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, because Numberphile really is an incredible channel with content I enjoy watching... but I guess it makes me wonder how many similar channels never got the same opportunity or exposure? FWIW, I also like 3blue1brown, although now I'm wondering if that was commissioned by Google too...