YouTube expands Applause feature to let viewers pay voluntarily

Google’s video platform YouTube is expanding the Applause function. With that feature, creators can ask viewers to voluntarily pay a one-time fee for a video. The feature has been available on a limited basis for a year now.

YouTube will expand the feature to more channels and creators later this year. It is unknown if the feature will be available in more countries. Applause has so far worked in a limited number of countries and the Benelux is not among them.

Applause should provide an additional source of income for creators, in addition to ads and donations through Super Chat. Google’s video platform has been testing the function for a year. There are no numbers of how successful the feature is.

With Applause, creators can ask viewers to make a voluntary donation for a video. The maker gets 70 percent of that money, the other 30 percent is for YouTube. That’s the same distribution as with Super Chat earnings. These chat messages cost money, but in return they are extra noticeable and remain stickied in the chat log of a live stream or premiere for a while. Users can spend up to $500 a day and up to $2,000 a week on Applause.