Global Expansion of YouTube's 'Hype' Function for Smaller Content Producers
YouTube Introduces Hype Feature: A New Way for Fans to Influence Content
YouTube has recently rolled out a new feature called Hype in 39 countries, including India, Brazil, and Turkey. This innovative tool is a blend of TikTok's viral lottery and Twitch's fan-powered boosts, aiming to give fans a bigger role in deciding who gets seen and who doesn't on YouTube.
The Hype feature, located under the "like" button, is available for channels with less than 500,000 subscribers. Fans can hype up to three videos per week, and each hype adds points to a video's total. A video's position on the new Explore tab leaderboard is determined by the number of points it accumulates.
YouTube weights hypes for smaller channels more heavily to level the playing field. This means that a hype from a fan can have a more significant impact on a smaller creator's visibility compared to a larger one.
The Hype feature includes badges, leaderboards, and soon, money. Fans will also be able to share the fact that they hyped a video. Creators will have a dedicated analytics card in YouTube Studio to track the performance of their hypes.
However, the potential impact of paid hypes on the visibility of smaller creators is a significant concern. YouTube is currently testing paid hypes in Brazil and Turkey, potentially turning fan support into a literal currency. This could potentially lead to a situation where YouTube's Hype feature goes back to the problem it was designed to solve.
The effectiveness of Hype in helping smaller creators break through the noise is yet to be determined. The small creator who can't mobilize deep-pocketed fans might face challenges with the potential introduction of paid hypes.
YouTube has built its popularity on the promise of anyone, even those with zero followers, potentially going viral. TikTok has also built its popularity on this same premise. With Hype, YouTube is continuing to strive towards this goal, offering a new avenue for creators to gain visibility and for fans to engage with their favourite content.
Fans participating in the test of YouTube's Hype feature in Brazil and Turkey can filter their feed to only see hyped content, get notifications when a creator they support is close to the leaderboard, and earn Hype Star badges.
As YouTube continues to evolve and introduce new features, it will be interesting to see how the Hype feature impacts the platform and its creators. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting development.
