YouTube Launches Live Guests, Full-Screen Mode, and Other New Live Stream Features

YouTube has teased several upcoming YouTube Live changes, including live stream guests, new notifications for when a channel is broadcasting in the app, and additional viewing options.

To begin, on live guests - YouTube will soon debut a test program called 'Go Live Together,' which will allow creators to invite a visitor to their live stream by simply emailing a link, similar to other live alternatives.

According to YouTube:

“The host creator will be able to create a live stream, invite and screen their guests before going live to their viewers. Note that the guest channel and user information will remain hidden during the live stream.”

Streaming metrics will be available to hosts, just like any other live stream, but guests will not have access to this information at this time.

The ability to go live with a guest might relieve stress for a solo artist, as going live when it's just you and your camera can be scary. Adding the ability to invite others will assist to increase the number of people streaming, which may lead to more creators monetizing their video via YouTube's developing ad systems.

YouTube is also introducing new 'live rings,' which will allow users to see when a channel goes live. The new 'Live' ring, as seen in these samples, works similarly to Instagram in that it provides a unique identification when a channel is live, allowing you to tap through to view the broadcast.

YouTube is also considering implementing a new function known as cross channel live redirection. This expands the app's capacity for joint promotion and could make it a useful tool for influencer collaborations.

“Today, creators with at least a thousand subscribers can use a feature called live redirect to direct their viewers from a live stream or premier to another live stream or premier on their channel. But they can't send their viewers to a live stream or premier hosted on another channel. With this launch, creators with at least a thousand subscribers and no active community guidelines strikes will be able to direct their viewers to a live stream or premier hosted on a different channel.”

In addition, YouTube is working on making Live more full-screen, as well as developing a new Q & A tool that will allow viewers to submit questions based on the creator's question prompt during a live stream.Live gives another opportunity to connect and engage with fans, which might be a useful hook for YouTube in luring stars away from other apps as it seeks to grow its content offering and provide more channels for creators to promote and monetize their presence.

These new capabilities are similar to features we've seen in other live-streaming platforms, but they could be much more useful on YouTube, and it'll be interesting to see how producers react to them when they become more widely available.

The Go-Live Together and Live Rings features will be available in the coming weeks, while the other features will be available soon.