Key takeaways
- Like TikTok’s gifting system, YouTube presents “Jewels” as a new way to help creators during livestreams.
- For creators, gifts turn into “Rubies” worth one cent each, and earnings are increased by an initial bonus program.
- The feature gradually replaces the platform’s existing Super Stickers and allows vertical livestreams using the YouTube mobile app.
Like TikTok’s “coins,” YouTube has included gift giving as a new way to monetize vertical live streaming.
The feature will be accessible to streamers and watchers in the United States in the coming weeks. Another way to make money from vertical live streaming will be possible with this upgrade, which will allow viewers to buy Jewels to deliver in real-time during streams. Jewels & Gifts, which were unveiled during the Made on YouTube event, replicate a TikTok-popularized feature by adding another means of interactivity to live streams.
How It Operates
The system’s goal is to make audience participation easier. Viewers can buy “jewels” during a live stream by using bundle purchases. The presents can then be sent during streams.
Every gift manifests itself instantly on the screen as a distinct response. Every gift given to creators is converted into rubies, where one ruby is worth one penny. In honor of the feature’s launch, YouTube will give a 50% bonus on Ruby profits for the next three months, up to a monthly ceiling of $1,000.
Who Qualifies?
Creators who are members of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and accept the Virtual Items Module in YouTube Studio can activate this feature. But for the moment, it is only available to viewers and creators in the US. Only US audiences can buy jewels and send presents during vertical live streams on the YouTube mobile app, but viewers from all over the world can see the gifts. Gifts can still be given to artists who use third-party streaming software, but keeping an eye on the YouTube mobile app or Live Control Room guarantees that no present is overlooked.
YouTube’s Super Stickers for vertical live streams are replaced with jewels and presents. Gifts overlay the stream itself, making it more interactive and visually appealing than stickers, which show up in live chat. YouTube may encourage producers to go live more frequently and viewers to participate more actively due to its design.
Using the Gifting System on TikTok
The gifting mechanism on TikTok, which has effectively increased fan interaction and creator revenue, is quite similar to this function. Fans send digital “coins” in TikTok’s version, which has sparked viral moments. Following TikTok, YouTube extended Shorts earlier this fall. Users can now upload videos up to three minutes long instead of the initial one-minute limit.
Gifts and jewels will have adjustable prices. Jewels’ prices will change according to promotional reductions and bundle sizes.
