YouTube Japan Announces New Membership Gifting Feature for Livestreamers
YouTube Japan recently announced its plans to introduce a new membership gifting feature for livestreamers. Currently in the alpha testing stage with a select group of streamers, this feature may eventually be rolled out to the wider platform.
This new feature will allow viewers who are already channel members to gift membership rights to other viewers watching the stream. Channel memberships typically offer exclusive content such as badges and emotes, which are usually locked behind a monthly cost of $4.99. It is unclear if gifted memberships will be priced the same or if users can gift multiple memberships.
Similar to Twitch’s Sub Gifting Option
This potential new feature bears similarity to Twitch’s sub gifting option, which has been available on the platform for several years. The feature allows users to gift subs in various increments, randomly distributing them to users in the chat.
Over the years, Twitch has been the leading platform for livestreaming content and has introduced many features that are now considered essential to streaming. YouTube’s introduction of gifting features reflects the website’s efforts to meet the expected standard set by Twitch for its growing livestreaming division.
Youthful Yet Ambitious
Although YouTube’s livestreaming division is still relatively young compared to its competitor Twitch, the website has been actively investing in its streaming side and content creators. While Twitch still holds the lead in terms of overall viewership, YouTube has successfully attracted and retained popular creators such as Valkyrae, Ludwig, and TimTheTatman.
With the introduction of the gifting feature, it is evident that YouTube is not only focused on acquiring talent but also aims to make its streaming content more accessible and user-friendly.