YouTube Tests Its Highly Anticipated Channel Memberships Gifting Feature With Select Creators

Source: YouTube

YouTube has begun testing Channel Memberships Gifting. After announcing the feature last year, YouTube has started to test a beta version of Channel Memberships Gifting with select creators. With Channel Memberships Gifting, existing channel members can purchase a set number of memberships (5, 10, or 20) during a live stream. YouTube will then distribute these to viewers, who opt-in, based on how much they interact with the channel. Gift recipients gain access to custom emojis, loyalty badges, and other exclusive channel membership perks for a month. YouTube and creators will split revenue 70/30 while gift-receiving viewers aren’t charged anything.

YouTube is taking a page out of Twitch's book with Channel Memberships Gifting, a version of Twitch’s Gift Subscriptions. Now, fans can financially support their favorite creators and share the benefits of being a paying subscriber with those who aren't currently channel members. In addition to providing creators with another means of monetizing, it also creates a community element for creator monetization, from which both creators and audiences can benefit.

Channel Memberships Gifting is one of the latest Twitch features that YouTube has added to its platform. Other examples include the ability for creators to create clips of their live streams and to re-direct their viewers to other channels. It took YouTube a few years to catch up with Twitch on certain functionality for streamers, but YouTube has made up ground in recent months. Creators are increasingly turning to YouTube for their live streaming efforts due to what seems like a marathon of new smart updates.