YouTube Hype Feature. Photo | courtesy.
YouTube has introduced a new tool called the “hype” feature to help small creators get noticed. Fans can now show extra support for videos they enjoy, giving smaller channels a better chance to grow. But many are asking why African countries were left out of this global rollout.
YouTube said one of the reasons for introducing hype feature is to help creators to grow their channels acknowledging that it can be hard for a creators to “break through.”
What the YouTube hype feature does
The world’s leading video sharing platform announced that the hype feature is now available in 39 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The option will appear on the side menu where you find Home, Subscriptions, Gaming and Music.
The tool lets viewers “hype” videos made by creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. Once hyped, videos can climb country leaderboards, helping creators gain more views and engagement.
Fans are limited to three hypes per week and can earn badges and notifications when they support videos.
“Your viewers can hype a limited number of times at no cost for a specific video that has been published in the last seven days,” YouTube stated.
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Creators can also track their hypes and hype points using the YouTube Studio mobile app. A new hype card will appear in weekly analytics so creators can see how their videos are performing. The most hyped videos in each country appear on a leaderboard every week. Paid hypes are currently being tested in Brazil and Turkey.
Why Africa was left out
The big question for many creators is why Africa was excluded from this feature. YouTube has not explained the exclusion officially. However it could be because of monetization policies, internet infrastructure or the number of active creators in the region. While feature is unavailable in Africa now, it may be included in later rollout phases.
Who can use the hype feature?
The YouTube hype feature is only available to creators who are already part of the YouTube Partner Program and have between 500 and 500,000 subscribers. At the moment, it is accessible in selected countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Brazil among others.
However, not all videos are eligible for hype. YouTube said that videos which are age-restricted, misleading, clickbait, private or unlisted cannot be hyped. In addition content made for kids, YouTube Shorts, fundraising videos, live streams while still live and videos with Content ID claims are excluded from this feature.
