YouTube seems to be clear about how to compete against Twitch or TikTok: with a handful of new features that will benefit both creators and users who consume content. Neal Mohan, product manager of the company, has revealed the main novelties that will arrive on the video platform this 2022. The service, in particular, will focus on improving several of the features that were announced last year, but without neglecting new features. Some of them are even related to NFTs and the metaverse.
Mohan has highlighted Shorts as one of the most relevant features of YouTube, which has already accumulated 5,000 million views since its launch in 2021. The short video function has also become an interesting option for content creators to reach a larger audience, so the company has decided to improve this feature with more tools that will arrive throughout this year. Among them, new effects and editing functions. To the ability for creators to respond to comments via video.
YouTube will also offer new forms of monetization that go beyond the creator pool. The company will allow users to post shorts partner with brands to create brandable short sponsored videos as Branded Connect. They will also be able to earn income from their followers, either by purchasing items from the video itself or through a ‘Super Chat’. In this case, viewers will be able to pay to make your comment stand out from the rest.
About purchases, the company works on a function called “Shopping”, where users will be able to purchase products from the app itself. Also, see and buy those items that the creator shows in his broadcast or video.
Collaborative live streams and new features related to NFTs
Beyond Shorts, YouTube will allow creators to make collaborative live broadcasts. In other words, a user will be able to broadcast from their usual position with another content creator, and the direct one will be shown in both accounts. Neal Mohan thinks this upcoming feature is a great idea for creators who don’t know what to talk about on stream, as doing a live video with another person “will lead to more casual conversations and interactions.” “. He also sees it as an advantage for creators to grow their audience. In parallel, YouTube will activate an option called “Gift Subscriptions”. This will allow a user to “subscribe another viewer to a live streaming channel.”
Mohan, on the other hand, has reiterated the YouTube interest in NFTs and Web3. As Susan Wojcicki, CEO of the platform, said, new technologies are inspiring future features on the platform, and YouTube’s product manager hopes these features can help creators build “deeper relationships with His Followers”. “For example, being able to offer followers verifiable ownership of videos, photos, artwork, and even exclusive experiences from their favorite creators could be a compelling prospect for both creators and their audience,” says the director, who also stresses that “there are many factors to consider” before using this technology responsibly.
YouTube also wants to focus on the metaverse
Some of the news focused on content creators will also benefit viewers considerably, but these will not be the only ones that will arrive on the platform during 2022. Neal Mohan has assured that it will soon be possible to view content on YouTube from the television and interact with that same content from the mobile to read or send comments or share videos. For example, commenting on the video that the user is watching on TV from their smartphone.
The metaverse is also an important point for YouTube. In this case, the company plans to develop features that offer a “more immersive viewing experience.” However, Mohan suggests that they are benefits that could take time to arrive.
“We have great ideas on how to make viewing more immersive. We’re going to try it first in games, which will become more interactive and more ‘alive’. It’s still early days, but we’re excited about the prospect of being able to make these virtual worlds into a reality for our viewers.”
All these new features will arrive progressively throughout the year. Some of these features are, in fact, already being tested on a small number of users, but there is no set release date.