YouTube is today announcing a new feature to help creators monetize when they go live. It’s a brand new tool called Super Chat, and allows viewers to pay to pin a comment on live streams. This will replace the Fan Funding, which a majority of the community don't use or don't like. So what is Super Chat?
Super Chat is a new tool that is available to live streamers on YouTube. Super Chat basically allows you to pin a comment to the top of the chat. When someone goes on a live, you’ll see a dollar bill symbol in the chat window and by clicking this you will open up a slider that lets you set the amount you’d like to send the YouTuber.
The more you pay, the longer the comment gets pinned and the more you will support the creator. The comment will appear and stand out from other comments and it can stay pinned for up to 5 hours.
The idea behind this is to build a stronger relationship with fans, it allows them to connect with their favourite creators, and also lets them offer financial support.
Super Chat will replace Fan Funding which according to YouTube, never really made much of an impact, except during live streams.
There are also some potential problems with this new feature, it is possible that anyone can potentially pay to pin hateful or spammy comments on to the stream. We are however led to believe that YouTube will be releasing some moderation tools, as well as the option to ban certain words.
Super Chat is currently in beta with a few selected channels and will be widely available to creators by January 31st.
Let us know your thoughts on this new tool in the comments below. We'd love to hear your views on whether you believe this is a good or bad idea and what else you'd like to see added.
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