YouTube is bringing its “Watch With” feature to more creators in an expanded test, inviting live on-the-go reactions to videos across the company’s mobile app.
Creators included in the test will see the option to “React live” in the Share panel for eligible live streams, giving them the opportunity to broadcast an
original reaction to the content from their mobile device.
“Your phone camera will automatically lock
in a horizontal orientation, and you can’t turn your camera off for the reaction,” YouTube’s announcement states.
Creators can earn revenue
by recording and sharing Watch With reactions, as users are able to simultaneously view the live stream and the reaction stream from any device.
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The creator of the livestream source video will earn revenue as usual, with the option to allow others to react
to their content in real time or opt out of the feature altogether.
“Revenue from reactions is not
shared, however, the concurrent viewership metrics, public views, and watch time from all the reactions will be attributed back to your content,” the company’s announcement
states.
The expansion of YouTube’s Watch With feature -- originally introduced in 2024 -- marks the company’s attempt to capitalize on the
growing popularity and engagement around live streaming.
Last September, YouTube reported that over 30% of daily logged-in
YouTube users watched live content in the app.
In addition, the platform’s live NFL broadcast from São Paulo, Brazil last September set a record for the most concurrent viewers of
a livestream video.