YouTube introduces 'Hype' and other features to boost smaller creators

New Delhi: YouTube's annual Made on YouTube event showcased a range of new features designed to empower creators and enhance viewer experiences. From AI-powered tools to expanded community features, YouTube aims to provide creators with the resources they need to thrive.

At the event, Youtube launched a new feature called 'Hype' designed to help smaller creators gain visibility and grow their audience. The feature allows viewers to actively support a creator's video by clicking a 'Hype' button, which pushes the video up a leaderboard.

Creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers can benefit from this feature. Viewers can hype a video up to three times per week, and as the video gains more hype, it appears higher on the leaderboard. YouTube hopes this will give smaller creators a chance to compete with larger channels.

The company plans to introduce a paid 'Hype' option in the future, allowing fans to purchase additional hype points and providing creators with a new revenue stream. YouTube has not yet disclosed its revenue share for this feature.

Creators who earn a significant number of hype points will move up a weekly leaderboard in their country and receive a special badge. YouTube believes that 'Hype' will foster a stronger connection between creators and their fans, and provide a valuable tool for smaller creators to succeed.

Other Key Announcements:

1. Veo Integration: Dream Screen, YouTube's background generation tool, will now incorporate Veo, a more advanced AI model for creating realistic backgrounds and standalone video clips.

2. Inspiration Tab Enhancements: The Inspiration tab in YouTube Studio will offer improved suggestions and tools for refining ideas, titles, and thumbnails.

3. Communities Feature: Creators can now enable Communities on their channel pages, fostering deeper connections with their audience through discussions, shared content, and more.

4. Community Hub Upgrades: The Community Hub in the YouTube Studio app provides enhanced tools for creators to understand and engage with their audience, including AI-suggested comment replies.

5. Auto Dubbing Expansion: YouTube is expanding auto dubbing to more creators, making their content accessible to a wider global audience.

6. YouTube Shopping Expansion: YouTube Shopping is expanding to new regions, enabling more creators to monetize their content through affiliate links.

7. Gifts, Powered by Jewels: Creators can now earn more through Gifts, a new feature that allows viewers to express excitement and support during live streams.

YouTube has also introduced significant updates to its connected TV app, aiming to strengthen its position as a leading streaming platform. 

Its key changes include:

1. Episodic Organisation: Creators can now organize their content into seasons and episodes, similar to traditional TV shows.
   Immersive Previews: Cinematic video trailers will automatically play when users visit a creator's page.
2. Enhanced Business Tools: YouTube is introducing a simplified subscribe button and QR code generation for creators, making it easier to grow their businesses.
   These updates aim to provide a more premium and engaging experience for viewers and offer creators additional tools to connect with their audience and monetize their content. YouTube's focus on improving its TV app reflects the growing importance of connected TV in the streaming landscape.