YouTube said it has officially opened its mobile live-streaming feature to content creators with over 10,000 subscribers on their channel, while promising to expand access to the rest of its subscribers “soon.”
The live-streaming feature has been on YouTube since 2011 “before it was cool”, but it began a small beta test of mobile live streaming on iOS devices eight months ago. Access was granted to only few partners of the social video platform, very similar to Facebook’s strategy when it rolled out Facebook Live.
Commenting on the expanded access, YouTube wrote in a blog post “A huge focus for us here at YouTube is to find new ways to let creators and viewers interact with each other and the videos they watch.”
To begin live streaming, creators with access only have to open their YouTube app, click the “capture” button, and their broadcast will be sent out to their subscribers to enable them tune in. Videos can be indexed alongside traditional YouTube videos to help subscribers be able to search for them, add to their playlists and protected from unauthorized use.
“Our live streaming uses YouTube’s rock-solid infrastructure, meaning it will be fast and reliable, just the YouTube you know and love. And we have been working hand-in-hand with hundreds of creators to refine the mobile streaming experience while they stream from a boat or take live calls from their fans,” YouTube wrote.
Creators can also monetize their contents through “Super Chat” which enables viewers “stand out from the crowd and get a creator’s attention” through purchase of chat messages and bubbles that are highlighted in bright colours and remain at the top of the live chat for upwards of five hours. The Super Chat feature was announced in January 2017 and is available for creators in over 20 countries and viewers in more than 40 countries.
SocialMediaWeek notes that features like Super Chat that gives streaming platforms to ask users to pay for sponsored comments and give money to live creators has seen a huge uptake in China which plays host to over 150 live streaming apps jostling for attention.
For creators on YouTube, how much fans pay will depend on how long their message is and how long they want it to remain visible in the chat. Prices start at $1 per message for a very ephemeral note and go up to as much as $500 for a 350-character comment that will stay up to five hours. Subscribers can make purchases through their YouTube or YouTube Gaming’s Android apps or website. iOS support is not available at the moment.
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