David Bridges
YouTube is set to unveil its innovative “Jewels” creator donation feature, designed to empower viewers to purchase unique digital stickers during live streaming sessions. A portion of the proceeds from each sticker sold will be directed to the streamer, enhancing the monetization experience for content creators.
In this exciting new feature, live-stream audiences will have the opportunity to purchase Jewels while watching eligible broadcasts. These Jewels can then be utilized to acquire animated stickers, enhancing viewer interaction and engagement during live sessions.
Jewels function similarly to YouTube’s existing Super Chat stickers and comment features, offering more versatility in terms of purchase options for viewers. This added flexibility is expected to encourage greater viewer participation and support during live streams.
According to YouTube:
“Gifts are engaging animations that viewers can send on your vertical live streams, showing their appreciation in real-time. Jewels enable real-time engagement through bundle purchases, removing the need to purchase more every time viewers want to express themselves in the moment and send a gift.”
This new feature provides viewers with an additional avenue to express their appreciation for content creators, allowing them to contribute real financial support during live broadcasts.
However, the monetization structure may lead to some confusion.
“When viewers use Jewels to send gifts, you get Rubies – which represent your earnings. 1 Ruby = 1 cent. So for every 100 Rubies you receive, you get $1!”
To clarify, viewers purchase Jewels, which then convert into Rubies for the streamers. Each Ruby equates to 1 cent. Are you following along so far?
The monetization aspect becomes even more complex due to the variable creator revenue share:
“The amount a user pays for Jewels varies based on the bundles that they purchase and any viewer promotions we may be running. Therefore, there isn’t a fixed effective revenue share like we have for other features like Super Chats & channel memberships that have set prices.”
So, how many Rubies will you earn for each sticker purchased with Jewels during your stream? Unfortunately, that information remains unclear, even to YouTube, as it will depend on the specific Jewel package chosen by the viewer.
Does that make sense?
Indeed, the distinction between “Jewels” and “Rubies” can add to the confusion. Nonetheless, viewers will soon have a new method to contribute during live streams, and for each animated sticker they apply, you will receive a certain amount of revenue.
YouTube first announced the Jewels feature during its “Made On” event in September, and the platform has been diligently working on backend processes to ensure a seamless rollout of this exciting option.
Initially, Jewels will be available exclusively to U.S. channels, with all eligible creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) expected to gain access in the coming weeks.
“This also means only U.S. viewers are currently eligible to purchase Jewels and send gifts, although all viewers will be able to see the gifts sent during the live stream. Viewers will only be able to purchase Jewels and send gifts on vertical live streams on the YouTube mobile app, but you can receive gifts if you stream vertically directly on YouTube or with third-party streaming software.”
In summary, this new feature offers additional monetization opportunities for live-streamers through the use of digital Jewels and Rubies, each having variable worth.
While the variability of the system raises questions about its effectiveness, the popularity of animated donations on platforms like TikTok suggests that there could be significant interest from creators, making this a potentially valuable opportunity for some.
Troy Sanders
Mason Thompson
