YouTube Launches Live Mobile Streaming

YouTube today announced that its new mobile live streaming feature is officially launching to all content creators with 10,000 or more subscribers on their channel, while promising that the rest of YouTube viewers "will have it soon." YouTube has supported live streaming on its website since 2011, but it began a very small beta test of mobile live streaming on iOS devices last summer.

To begin live streaming, creators will only have to open the YouTube app, tap the "capture" button, and their broadcast will be sent out to their subscribers so they can tune in. After a stream ends, former live videos will be indexed alongside traditional YouTube videos, able to be searched for, added to playlists, and protected from unauthorized use. The company implemented a few pieces of creator feedback discovered during the beta, including slowing down live chat and ensuring solid streaming quality on every device.

Our mobile live streaming uses YouTube’s rock-solid infrastructure, meaning it’ll be fast and reliable, just the YouTube you know and love. And we’ve been working hand-in-hand with hundreds of creators to refine the mobile streaming experience while they stream from a boat or take live calls from their fans.

On the monetization side of things, creators will be able to earn money through broadcasts thanks to "Super Chat," which lets viewers "stand out from the crowd and get a creator's attention" through the purchase of chat messages and bubbles that are highlighted in bright colors and remain pinned at the top of the live chat for upwards of five hours. Super Chat will be available for creators in more than 20 countries and viewers in more than 40 countries.

Super Chat gives viewers a chance to add a little visual flair to their chats and gives creators a new way to keep connected to their fans while earning a little money on the side, let’s say for example, while shopping at Target or playing video games.

YouTube is entering the mobile live streaming video market in a crowded field, following companies like Facebook and Twitter, which each have ways for every user to stream from their smartphone. YouTube's angle on creator-only streaming may help it stand out, and the company has yet to give a hint as to when the rest of its users will be able to stream on mobile.