YouTube is gearing up to roll out a new feature that allows select creators to invite a guest to go live with them, the company announced on its website. Creator Insider Channel and in a blog post. At launch, creators will only be able to co-stream through a phone, as the feature isn’t available on the desktop version of YouTube. The new feature will initially only be available to a select group of creators, but YouTube plans to expand co-streaming to more creators in the future.
Creators can schedule a live stream with a guest from their computer and then go live from a mobile phone. Or they can go live right from their mobile phone. While you can rotate guests on your live stream, only one guest can appear at a time. Once you’ve invited a guest, your stream feed will appear above your guest’s.
In the coming weeks, some creators will be able to select the new “Go Live Together” button on their accounts. Creators must start by entering their stream details, including the title, description, monetization settings, thumbnails, and visibility settings. After selecting the “Invite a fellow streamer” option, creators can choose a guest to invite to their live stream. After the guest clicks on the invitation, it is sent to a waiting room. When both people are ready, the host can tap the “Go Live” button.
YouTube’s guest streams may serve ads, but the revenue goes solely to the host. It’s worth noting that the stream won’t appear on the guest’s channel, but YouTube says it’s aware that visibility on guest channels is important, indicating that the company may be able to provide the feature in the future.
The launch of the new feature comes as TikTok and Twitch recently launched their own co-streaming features. A few weeks ago, TikTok introduced a new feature called “Multi-Guest” that allows hosts to go live with up to five other people using a grid or panel layout. Last week, Twitch officially launched a new feature called Guest, which makes it easy for streamers to draw other creators and fans to their streams for a talk show-like experience. Guest Star makes it possible for anyone to stream up to five speakers simultaneously.
Unlike YouTube’s co-streaming feature, TikTok and Twitch both allow you to go live with more than one person. Since YouTube co-streaming is still in its infancy, it’s possible that the limit will be extended to allow creators to go live with multiple people.