Following in the footsteps of Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and other competitive social video platforms, YouTube announced on its Google blog Tuesday that it has delivered a new live streaming feature for its mobile users.
YouTube launched its first edition of live stream in 2011 that was exclusively available to its established partners. The creators said it was the perfect time to catapult mobile live stream to all of its users in part because of the 2016 Presidential Election where the nation “witnessed the most-viewed political live streams of all time.”
The mobile app features another update unlike any other platform that allows users to have their messages highlighted on the live stream for a price — granting viewers the ability to stand out among other users to grab the attention of the broadcaster. It’s like “paying for that front-row seat in the digital age,” YouTube said in their blogpost, which will help its users to earn revenue. Super Chat will be available in more than 20 countries, with viewers in more than 40.
“It’s a launch that’ll put the power of live streaming in the hands of hundreds of thousands of talented creators, giving them a more intimate and spontaneous way to share their thoughts, lives, and creativity,” YouTube announced.
The live streaming feature has been built into YouTube’s mobile app. All the users have to do is open the app, hit the capture button and they’re live. “Streamed videos will have all the same features as regular YouTube videos,” YouTube said. “They can be searched for, found via recommendations or playlists, and protected from unauthorized use.”
To refine the experience of its loyal users, YouTube has partnered with hundreds of creators to keep improving the app’s features. One improvement they’ve already made is slowing down live chat, since “receiving 2,000 messages per second is a little too fast.”
Die hard YouTube users with more than 1 million subscribers are likely to make money, but it was unclear what the right ingredients are to have longevity within the industry. Though YouTubers could make millions a year, YouTube keeps 45 percent of any ad revenue gathered by any one video. Jenna Marbles, a famous YouTuber who makes videos about her humorous self-deprecating views on life as a white female, makes an estimated $350,000 a year.
With hundreds of prominent YouTube stars in the digital entertainment industry, YouTube’s new live stream launch will likely spark a new drive for its users to make a little more money.
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