Independent content creators have plenty of avenues to monetize their work. YouTube, home to many of those creators’ videos, has been pushing their fans to contribute gifts during livestreams with Super Chats and Super Stickers. Now, it’s opening up a way for them to do the same for video-on-demand with Super Thanks.
Viewers will begin seeing a new Thanks button in the carousel below the title bar. Creators can set up to four price points between $2 and $50 (or their local equivalents) for their fans to give. Those fans can optionally attach a comment before paying via Google’s interface. Once the payment’s been made, a “thank you” animation plays and the comment is posted along with a tag showing how much you’ve donated.
Creators’ revenue share will be 70% after sales tax and Apple’s cut from iOS in-app transactions. YouTube will take the other 30%, less other transaction fees that it will cover. This policy is the same for Super Chat and Super Stickers.
The feature, originally an experiment called “Viewer applause,” is now available to thousands of monetized creators in 68 countries. All YouTube Partner Program participants will get Super Thanks later this year. If you happen to be a potentially eligible creator and are interested, you can follow the directions posted in this YouTube Help page to turn Super Thanks on.
