YouTube is preparing to roll out a new feature that will allow select creators to invite a guest to live with them, the company announced on its Creator Insider channel and in a blog post. At launch, creators will only be able to co-cast via phone, as the feature will not be 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, then go live from a mobile phone. Or, they can go live immediately from their mobile phone. Although you can alternate guests on your live stream, you can only have one guest appear at a time. Once you’ve invited a guest, your stream feed will display 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 should start by entering their feed details, including title, description, monetization settings, thumbnails, and visibility settings. After selecting the “Invite a Co-Streamer” option, creators will be able to choose a guest to invite to their live stream. Once the invitee clicks on the invite, they will be sent to a waiting room. When both people are ready, the host can press the “Go Live” button.
YouTube guest streams may serve ads, but revenue will only go 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 eventually offer the feature to 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 rolled out a new feature called “Multi-Guest” which allows hosts to 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 lure other creators and fans into their streams for a talk show-like experience. Guest Star lets anyone pull up to five speakers into a stream at once.
Unlike YouTube’s co-streaming feature, both TikTok and Twitch allow you to live with more than one person. Since YouTube co-streaming is still in its infancy, it may expand the limit to allow creators to live with multiple people.