YouTube has really changed the way people watch videos. Before, watching videos meant watching a movie or a TV show. But now, there are vlogs and live streams people can enjoy. What’s best about live streams is that viewers can watch them in real-time. They are not pre-recorded like films. On top of that, people can interact with the streamer and fellow viewers. So, they can have input on what happens on the stream.
Live streams bring people on YouTube together. They allow creators to build a more intimate connection with their fans by having fun with them.
But that is not the only purpose of live streams. Marketers can use live streaming to endorse their products, and companies can set one up to make public announcements. Also, tutors and educators can use live streams for their classes.
With that said, it becomes clear why live streaming is popular on YouTube. In fact, Restream lists it as the prime video streaming platform. Its sheer size – 2 billion monthly users – beats any other live streaming platform. Furthermore, it is the most universal – with users from all around the globe and from different age groups.
YouTube reports that channels that are live streaming weekly get up to 40% more subscribers. Also, it says that users watched 50 billion minutes of gaming content on the platform in 2018. And with gaming content more popular now, today’s number is probably higher. YouTube reports that gaming channels that do live streaming experience up to a 70% increase in watch time.
YouTube is pleased with how much its users enjoy live streams on the platform. So, it has never stopped bringing new features to ensure its users will have the best experience.
This year, YouTube is borrowing some features off of Twitch- the world’s leading streaming platform for gaming. YouTube creators have been requesting these features for a while now. After the long wait, they are finally getting what they want.
Live Polls
A common thing gaming creators do on them “Let’s Play” live streams is letting their viewers make the decisions. However, the only method that would not require the viewers to leave the stream is to submit their votes in comments. The streamers decide based on which option they see the most. But, in times when the votes are almost equal, it becomes challenging.
The other option they can take is making the poll in a community post or on a third-party website such as Twitter. Both are inconvenient as they divert the viewer’s attention away from the stream.
To solve this problem, YouTube is allowing streamers to add polls to their live streams and Premieres. This will let them interact with the viewers and know their opinions without sending them away. Undoubtedly, this feature will make gaming sessions on YouTube more fun.
The ability to add polls to live streams is now available to all creators. Try it the next time you go live to see how it can improve your relationship with your viewers.
Subscribers-only Chat
Not all of the viewers in your live stream are subscribers. Some found it through YouTube recommendations. There’s nothing wrong with chatting with these newcomers as it will give you the chance to increase your subscribers. However, it would be best to also show how important your current subscribers are for you.
YouTube is introducing a new feature to let you do this. It gives streamers the option to make live chats exclusive to their subscribers. It is an incentive they for sure will like. This should encourage people who liked your content to hit the subscribe button – no words needed.
Now, viewers can subscribe, send a message, and then unsubscribe. That workaround would defeat this feature’s purpose. To prevent that from happening, YouTube allows content creators to set how long the viewer should be subscribed before they can participate in the live chat. Streamers can use hours, days, weeks, months, and even years as criteria.
Content creators can turn this setting on or off before or during the live stream or Premiere. When they turn it on, YouTube will notify the viewers that it is activated.
YouTube says subscriber-only chat would work with Slow mode, but it cannot be turned on along with members-only chat.
Clipping
YouTube introduces a cool new feature that could increase a video or live stream’s visibility. The clipping feature will allow viewers to cut a 5 -60 second segment of a video and share them with others. Users can send these clips on social networks, embed them on websites, or attach them to emails.
Before this feature, viewers could only send screenshots and links to invite their friends to the live stream. The clips, however, will provide additional context since they are more “alive.” They can inform the prospects why your content is great or what’s your personality. Thus, it increases the chance of attracting new viewers.
You may ask: Isn’t that stealing of content? The answer is no. One, keeping this feature on means the creator gave their consent. Note that it is turned on by default. But, creators can turn this off should they want to. However, it is highly recommended that they do not, for a reason provided below.
Two, all metrics from viewers’ clips will be attributed to your original video. Therefore, this feature will not hurt your channel. Instead, it will benefit from the clips.
Viewers simply need to click or tap the Clip icon -represented by scissors – to create one. Then, it is a matter of giving it a title and clicking Share Clip. YouTube will play the clipped portion on loop in the original video’s watch page.
At present, only gaming creators with at least 1000 subscribers have access to this feature. But, YouTube plans to expand to all creators in the future.
Jensen of TeamYoutube was thrilled when he announced this through a post. He, along with the rest of the team, hopes streamers are just as excited.