Video streaming giant YouTube has announced that it will be expanding its popular creator monetization tool, Gifts.
Mobile watchers of YouTube can now give thanks to their favourite creators as they may now send gifts on the go while watching a livestream. This move is a direct attempt by YouTube to maximise the potential of what creators could earn through their live streams. Formerly, it was impossible to donate on a mobile device, which was directly bottlenecking the amount of money that streamers could potentially earn.
The update will be rolling out for all eligible creators and will be in markets like Canada, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. YouTube has also promised that this update to its streaming service will be rolling out in many other countries as well as time progresses.
Any creator who is interested in activating gifts and has not already done so can find a step-by-step guide on the Google Support website. All gifts that are bought are done so by buying the prerequisite of Jewels. The Jewels themselves are only available to purchase through the mobile app, which was formerly a United States-only deal, but with the new update, it has been expanded to many of the aforementioned countries. For creators, any jewel obtained is transformed into a Ruby, which is valued at about one cent for each gem.
This new update should be a big deal to any creator who lives outside of the United States, as it will mean a completely new source of income for them. Streamers can monitor the amount of Jewels and Rubies that they have gotten either through a third-party app like Stream Labs or the native YouTube mobile app. Google and YouTube really came through for those who want to donate to their favourite streamers and those who are getting a whole new source of income after this update.
