YouTube has teased several upcoming YouTube Live changes, including live stream guests, new notifications for when a channel is streaming in the app, and additional viewing options.
To begin, on live guests – YouTube will soon debut a test program called ‘Go Live Together,’ which will allow creators to invite a visitor to their live stream by simply emailing a link, similar to other live alternatives.
According to YouTube:
“The host creator will be able to create a live stream, invite and screen their guests before going live to their viewers. Note that the guest channel and user information will remain hidden during the live stream.”
Streaming analytics will be available to hosts, just like any other live stream, but viewers will not have access to this data at this time. The ability to go live with a guest might relieve stress for a solo artist, as going live when it’s just you and your camera can be scary. Adding the ability to invite others will assist to increase the number of people streaming, which may result in more creators monetizing their video via YouTube’s developing ad systems.
YouTube is also introducing new ‘live rings,’ which will allow users to see when a channel goes live. The new ‘Live’ ring works similarly to Instagram in that it provides a unique identification when a channel is live, allowing you to tap through to view the broadcast.
YouTube is considering implementing a new function known as ‘cross channel live redirection.’
Currently, creators with at least 1,000 subscribers can use a tool called live redirect to direct their viewers from one live stream or premiere to another on their own channel. They can’t, however, direct their viewers to another channel’s live stream or premiere. Creators with at least 1,000 subscribers and no active community guidelines strikes will now be able to direct their audience to a live stream or premiere broadcast on a different channel with this launch.
This expands the app’s capacity for joint promotion and could make it a useful tool for influencer collaborations.
Furthermore, YouTube is working on making Live more full-screen, as well as developing a new Q & A tool that will allow viewers to submit questions based on the creator’s question prompt during a live stream.
These new features are similar to those we’ve seen in other live-streaming platforms, but they could be much more useful on YouTube, and it’ll be interesting to see how producers react to them when they become more commonly accessible.
The Go Live Together and Live Rings features will be available in the coming weeks, while the other updates will be available soon.