YouTube Introduces New Features to Compete with Twitch
YouTube is stepping up its game in the battle for livestream viewers by unveiling new features on its platform today.
Expanding its clipping tool and catering to the demands of gamers, YouTube has now officially introduced subscriber-only chats and polls for all streamers.
Clipping Tool and Sub-Only Chat Now Available
YouTube began testing its clipping tool in January and has now made it accessible to gaming creators with at least 1,000 subscribers.
The sub-only chat feature, which was previously beta-tested in May, is now available to all streamers. Additionally, streamers can create live polls to engage with their viewers during a stream.
YouTube’s Growth in Game Streaming
Although these features have long been available on Twitch, YouTube has seen significant growth in its game streaming in recent years. In the first half of 2021, YouTube Gaming accumulated 2.7 billion hours watched, a substantial increase from 2.1 billion in 2020 and 1.3 billion in 2019, according to Stream Hatchet.
Potential Competition for Twitch
Several popular content creators, including Valkyrae, Dr Disrespect, and CouRage, have already made the transition from Twitch to YouTube Gaming as their preferred streaming platform.
While YouTube’s viewership still falls short of Twitch’s 12.8 billion hours watched in the first half of 2021, the steady growth is promising, especially after the shutdown of Microsoft’s Mixer in 2020.