At its “Made On” event on Tuesday, YouTube announced
new features designed to help creators and advertisers make money through in-stream shopping, intended to give the 20-year-old video-sharing platform an enhanced focus on users’ shopping
impulses, AI, and sponsorship opportunities.
First, the Google-owned company announced a feature aimed at increasing the flexibility of brand sponsorships.
“Instead of
permanently ‘burning in’ a sponsorship segment, creators will soon be able to dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots,” YouTube explained, adding that after
the deal is complete, creators will be able to remove a sponsorship, resell the slot to another brand, or sell the same slot to multiple brands.
YouTube believes this method, which is slated
to roll out in 2026, will make sponsored creator videos into “living assets” capable of growing a business.
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Whereas Shorts creators will soon be able to add a specified link to a
brand’s website, allowing video-viewers an easier way to buy products. Advertisers will also be able to see exactly how creators’ Shorts drive direct traffic and conversions for their
brand with “data that goes beyond traditional metrics like views and likes,” per the company.
Building on YouTube's video linking API, creator request feature and partnerships hub on
Google Ads, the company will soon use AI to suggest creators who align with a brand's targeting mission.
In an attempt to help creators with tagging products, YouTube is also planning on using
AI to automatically find and tag products mentioned in videos based on images, voiceover, and information input by a video creator.
The company says its Shopping program -- which is expanding
into new markets with major brands like Nike, Etsy and Best Buy – is seeing a 5x year-over-year increase in gross merchandise volume (GMV), with over half a million creators enrolled.