YouTube will now give both fans and creators the ability to gift paid channel subscriptions. Several streamers tweeted the announcement today, and many were ecstatic about a new monetization idea. Most of us know that gifted subs have been a popular feature on Twitch for a while now. Many streamers see subscriptions as an easy way to generate revenue while also building their audience. But YouTube has taken its time releasing the feature.
YouTube Japan tested the waters with gifted memberships earlier in the year for a select number of channels. Gifted memberships is still in beta, but will now be available to all YouTube Gaming users in the US and UK.
Fans normally pay $4.99 per month for channel memberships, which allow them to access user badges, emotes, and other exclusive content from their favorite creators. YouTube Gaming has released several other Twitch-like features this year, like Live Redirects, which allow streamers to send fans to other streams or premieres.
While Twitch is the biggest US-based platform for livestreaming, several of its high-profile streamers have left in recent years for YouTube Gaming. And there may be more to come. Twitch partners will get a smaller cut of revenue from subscriptions (50 percent from 70 percent) under a new monetization model by the platform. YouTube Gaming takes only 30 percent of a streamer’s revenue from channel subscriptions.
Source Engadget
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