Content Creators on YouTube are set to have more ways of monetizing their uploads with new tools the video-sharing platform intends to introduce in 2022.
Features such as live videos and the 60-second short videos, “Shorts” will allow the creators make money, interact with their viewers and also come up with new ideas to boost their channels. The live videos will offer them the ability to reply comments, much like what made TikTok or Instagram popular.
YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, Neal Mohan on Thursday says that the platform’s project called “Shorts,” has recorded more than five trillion all-time views. The creators can also monetize these Shorts as the platform plans to include avenues for branded content, introduce special chat forums called Super Chat to Shorts, and eventually, enable the ability to shop directly from a Short.
The company added that shopping is going to be widely expanded on across the app. Beyond shoppable videos and Live Shopping, it is also exploring other ways to incorporate shopping into the YouTube experience, the company said.
Mohan said YouTube is introducing the new features for the content creators, who he said are the “heart and soul of the platform, and we want them to always be able to fulfill their most ambitious creative goals.
“To give them every opportunity possible, we’ll continue to invest across our multiple formats.”
Other features to aid content creation include helping creators grasp how viewers react to their contents. This, YouTube says will help spark ideas for new videos.
According to Mohan, YouTube has found success with its ‘Live’ format. This is because users’ time spent watching live streams daily tripled over in the course of last year. Creators on YouTube now, can also collaborate on a live stream, boosting interactivity, he said.
“One of the biggest questions live-streaming creators have is, ‘What do I talk about?’… The ability to go live together should hopefully open upstreams to more casual conversation and interactions with other creators,” Mohan added.
For viewers, YouTube plans to introduce gifted memberships which they can also buy for others watching the same stream. According to Mohan, this feature, which is still being tested, is expected to expand in capability in the coming months.
The platform’s product officer in addition, said that YouTube will soon roll out an integration that will allow you to interact on your phone with the video you’re watching on TV.
He said this will work when you’re logged into the same account on both devices and will allow viewers to read or write a comment and share videos from their mobile device, among other things.
YouTube also seeks to join the trend of social mediums incorporating new technologies such as blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to potentially let creators sell verifiably unique videos, photos, or art.
“There’s a lot to consider in making sure we approach these new technologies responsibly, but we think there’s incredible potential as well,” Mohan said.
