YouTube Introduces Hype: A New Tool For Growing Creators

At its annual event, “Made on YouTube,” the platform introduced a new feature called Hype, aimed at helping emerging creators expand their audiences. This tool allows creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers to “hype” (or boost) their videos, as long as the content has been out for no more than seven days. These creators can get featured on a weekly leaderboard of the top 100 hyped videos, with a limit of three boosts per week, as outlined in a YouTube blog post.

Earlier this month, YouTube also launched tools that assist artists in identifying and managing AI-generated videos mimicking their work. This technology is already used to manage copyright content.

“We want to ensure our support for India’s thriving creator economy remains vibrant and positive,” said YouTube CEO Neil Mohan in an exclusive interview with ET. He highlighted that YouTube’s creator economy in India has generated approximately Rs 16,000 crore in economic activity and created 750,000 jobs. Globally, YouTube has paid out $70 billion to creators, musicians, artists, and media companies in the last three years, Mohan added.

Hype was developed following a survey of over 2,500 viewers aged 18-45 from the U.S., Japan, and Germany. The survey revealed that a significant portion of respondents, particularly Gen Z, wanted to support smaller and mid-sized creators. The “small creator bonus” allows creators to earn points for every hyped video, providing emerging creators with an opportunity to compete against larger channels.

Other updates from YouTube include features like YouTube Communities for continuous interaction between fans and creators, Dream Screen for Shorts to create custom video backgrounds, and Brand Connect, which links creators with brands. Mohan mentioned that YouTube is a driving force in today’s content ecosystem, with 11,000 creators now having over a million subscribers—a number expected to rise.

Additionally, YouTube plans to integrate Google DeepMind’s advanced video generation model, Veo, into YouTube Shorts later this year, as noted in their blog.