YouTube monetizes live streams with Super Chat
(BI Intelligence)
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YouTube has launched a product called Super Chat that gives creators a new way to monetize their live streams. Super Chat is essentially a paid instant message or comment that live stream viewers can purchase and send as a donation to a broadcaster.
The comment will then be highlighted and pinned to the top of the chat stream for up to five hours. Super Chat has rolled out in limited beta to select partners, with a broader rollout slated for the end of January.
This new way to earn money will be welcomed by YouTube creators. Super Chat is like adding a tip jar to a live stream — it allows viewers of live streams to send money to a broadcasters. YouTube already had a similar mechanism in place called Fan Funding, wherein viewers make voluntary payments to support creators, but is shuttering this tool at the end of February in favor of Super Chat. Aside from these tools, YouTube creators make the bulk of their living from revenue generated from advertising, and from brand endorsement (influencer marketing) deals.
It also incentivizes creators to broadcast live on YouTube more often. As the live streaming wars heat up – with Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and others all vying for supremacy – it’s important for YouTube to find ways to encourage creators to broadcast, and audiences to consume, live content on its site.
All of the above mentioned platforms have recently increased the incentives for creators to go live on their platforms. Facebook was infamously paying star personalities to go live on its site, Twitter has sweetened the ad-share deal for creators last summer, and Twitch has its own chat- and donations-based monetization feature called Cheering for its broadcasters to tap into.
If 2015 was the year that brands and advertisers embraced online video, then 2016 saw the medium take the next step as live streaming took off.
Live streaming video refers to broadcasts in real time to an audience over the internet. While the concept of live streaming has been around for years, mobile-first video platforms with user-generated content have just recently begun to make serious waves thanks to improved video quality, faster broadband speeds, and enhanced mobile technology.
Online video has become a key part of the strategic business model for both brands and marketers as they seek more innovative ways to capture consumer attention. Creative live streaming video initiatives and campaigns are a way for companies to cut through the digital clutter and have emerged as the medium of choice not only for person-to-person sharing, but also for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communication.
Brands are increasingly using live streaming to reach audiences. Its importance has grown significantly thanks to substantial investments by social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter to build and enhance their live-streaming platforms.
And advertising dollars are likely to follow. 88% of agency respondents stated that they “might” or “definitely will” invest in live stream video advertising over the next six months, according to a recent Trusted Media Brands survey.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on live streaming video that examines the eruption of online video from the perspective of both consumers and advertisers and assesses how live streaming is emerging as the medium's next catalyst for growth.
Here are some key points from the report:
Live streaming video will further accelerate streaming videos overall share of internet traffic. Streaming video accounts for over two-thirds of all internet traffic, and this share is expected to jump to 82% by 2020, according to Cisco’s June 2016 Visual Networking Index report.
Live video’s value comes from its unique ability to add an authentic human element to digital communications. As a result, brands are leveraging three main streaming methods to connect with their viewers: tutorials, product launches, and exclusive and behind-the-scene footage.
Advertisers will continue to invest heavily in online video, especially as live streaming video gains traction. Already in the US, digital video ad revenue reached $7.8 billion in 2015, up 55% from 2014, according to figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
While live streaming is still in its early stages, brands are leveraging micropayments, mid-roll video ads and direct payments from social platforms, to monetize their live streaming videos.
The success of live streaming video hinges on brands overcoming a lack of measurement standards in the space, as well as changes in social media sites' algorithms that affect what content users see.
In full, the report:
Examines the eruption of live streaming video.
Explores the differences between platforms that host live streaming video.
Breaks down successful approaches from both brands and publishers.
Discusses unique monetization opportunities live streaming presents.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
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Purchase & download the full report from our research store. » BUY THE REPORT
The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of live streaming video.
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