YouTube is introducing a new way for creators to monetise, by enabling fans to pay to pin highlighted comments to the top of comment feeds.
With its new “Super Chat” feature, YouTube is allowing fans on the platform to pay to send highlighted comments in chats while they watch a live stream.
These comments will also be pinned to the top of a chat feed, enabling users to stand out even more during conversations.
To purchase a Super Chat, users can select the dollar sign within any live conversation and select “Send a Super Chat”.
Users can then input the amount they want to transfer to the creator, type their message and select “Buy and Send”, before following a selection of instructions to complete the transaction.
YouTube said: “Today, we are introducing our latest tool for fans and creators to connect with one another during live streams: Super Chat.
“Anybody watching a live stream can purchase a Super Chat: a highlighted message in the chat stream that stands out from the crowd to get even more of your favourite creator’s attention.
“And Super Chats remain pinned to the top of chat for up to 5 hours, giving more airtime for your messages.
“For creators, this means Super Chat does double duty: keeping their conversations and connections with (super) fans meaningful and lively while also giving creators a new way to make money.”
The colour of the Super Chat, the length of time it remains pinned, and the available message length are all determined by how much is paid.
And although non-refundable, users can choose to remove their Super Chat at any given time.
YouTube’s new feature is currently being rolled out for desktop and Android, and is expected to launch on iOS soon.
And as it stands, only a selection of creators are using Super Chats, however the feature is expected to be introduced for more creators across 20 countries and viewers in over 40 on 31st January.
With the move, YouTube’s Fan Funding is being scrapped and will be discontinued by 28th February.
The strategy sees the Google-owned company follow the lead of Asian apps like Momo, which have seen incredible revenue growth by introducing revenue-generating tools to live video features.
Last year, Momo saw revenues rise by 319% compared to 2015, hitting $157m, thanks to its new live streaming service.
To find out more about Super Chats please click here.