At the VidCon 2018 conference in Anaheim, California, YouTube rolled out a few new tools for creators to enable them with more options to generate revenue which is outside the purview of traditional advertising currently available on the platform.
One such new YouTube feature is Channel Memberships. This is a feature that allows the fans of a particular channel to sponsor them with a monthly fee which gives them additional access to exclusive digital goods, like a custom badge and emoji.
Previously, YouTube had offered this sponsorship feature on YouTube Gaming. With an elaborate testing across a larger video network this fall, YouTube has finally rolled out Channel Memberships. Its pricing point remains same as the YouTube Gaming sponsor feature that is $4.99 per month for exclusive access to custom badges and emojis.
That’s not the only benefit of sponsoring a channel – it also gives access to exclusive posts in the Community tab where creators will share custom perks from time to time, like access to an exclusive live stream, additional videos, shoutouts, news of upcoming events, early access to ticket sales and more.
READ MORE: YouTube Update: Creators Can Now Sell 20 Merchandise Items To Fans Directly
In order to ensure that the creators are providing legitimate perks to their channel members, YouTube has said that it will manually vet these perks. They want the creators to use this tool creatively, keeping it under the YouTube guidelines and only provide products/services which they can actually deliver.
The eligibility criteria for having this feature on the channel is firstly the creators having more than 100,000 subscribers, secondly that they are a part of the Youtube Partner Program and thirdly that they are more than 18 years of age.
In this revenue model, YouTube will retain 30 percent of sponsorship revenue after local sales tax is deducted, but covers all transaction costs, including credit card fees.
Shruti Sen
I love to explore challenging opportunities in the field of Digital Media. Primarily, my skills revolve around Digital Video in terms of Content Strategy/Marketing, Analysis and Audience Development. My natural affinity towards diverse audio-visual content across platforms helps me develop a multitude of perspectives. In totality - I'm a keen learner, collector of new enriching experiences and have an undying conviction to always stay curious in life!
