New YouTube Features for Shorts, Channel Customization, and Ad Revenue Updates

YouTube continues to refine the creator experience with a series of updates that touch upon everything from short-form content collaboration to the technicalities of ad revenue and channel layout. For creators, these changes represent a mix of streamlined workflows and shifts in how viewers interact with channel pages.

Expanding Shorts Collaborations and Remixes

One of the most immediate updates concerns the accessibility of Shorts collaborations and remixes. These features, which allow creators to build upon existing content and engage in more dynamic interactions, are now fully available for users on iOS devices.

For those using Android, the rollout is still in progress, with the feature expected to become available in the coming months. This expansion is a significant step in making the Shorts ecosystem more interactive, allowing creators to leverage remixes to reach new audiences and collaborate more fluidly across different mobile platforms.

Changes to Copyright Claim Notifications

Managing copyright claims can be one of the more stressful aspects of being a creator. To reduce inbox clutter, YouTube is changing how these notifications are delivered. Previously, creators would receive an individual email for every single claim placed on a video. Now, YouTube is consolidating these notifications so that creators receive only one email per video, regardless of how many claims that specific video has attracted.

While reducing the volume of emails is generally a positive step for organization, this consolidation introduces a potential management hurdle. By grouping all claims into a single notification, there is no longer a clear, immediate distinction between different claiming entities. For instance, if a video is claimed by both Warner Music Group and Sony Music, these will now appear in one email rather than separate communications. This could make it more difficult for creators to assign, track, and resolve claims with different rights holders.

Introducing the “For You” Section

A major addition to channel customization is the new “For You” section. This feature is designed to give creators more control over how their content is presented to viewers.

Currently, the “For You” section is visible and editable for creators within their settings, but it will not become visible to the general public until November 20th. It is important to note that this is an opt-out feature; creators who do not wish to use it can simply disable it.

For those who choose to use the section, YouTube provides options to determine which content is highlighted. Creators can choose to present content from the entire history of their channel or limit the selection to the last 12 months. This allows creators to either showcase their legacy “greatest hits” or keep their channel page fresh by highlighting only recent, relevant work.

Streamlining Channel Tabs and the “About” Section

YouTube is also making several adjustments to the visual layout of channel pages to improve the overall user experience and aesthetic.

Removal of Empty Tabs

To ensure a cleaner and more professional appearance, YouTube is permanently removing tabs that contain no content. A primary example of this is the playlist tab; if a creator has not yet created any playlists, the tab will no longer be displayed. Once a playlist is created, the tab will automatically reappear. This prevents viewers from clicking into empty sections of a channel, creating a more seamless browsing experience.

The “About” Tab Transition

The “About” tab has undergone a significant structural change. Rather than being a standalone tab, the information is now housed in a pop-up window that appears when a viewer clicks on the short description text located next to the channel name.

This change has already sparked some concern among creators. Moving this information to a pop-up may impact how easily viewers can find essential information, and there are concerns regarding how this affects the visibility of legal notices and other critical channel documentation.

Simplified Ad Controls and Revenue Implications

YouTube has recently introduced simplified advertising mechanisms that change how creators manage their monetization. The most notable change is the removal of the choice between skippable and non-skippable ad formats. Instead, YouTube is providing more options for mid-roll ads and similar placements.

According to data shared by YouTube in September, this shift toward non-skippable ads could lead to a revenue increase of approximately 5%. If pre-rolls are active, that increase could potentially reach 15%. However, these financial gains come with a trade-off.

The Revenue vs. Watch Time Trade-off

YouTube has disclosed that they are willing to accept a 5% decrease in overall watch time in exchange for the aforementioned revenue increase. While a 5% dip in watch time might seem negligible for established creators, it can be a significant blow to those who are not yet part of the YouTube Partnership Program. For creators striving to hit the 3,000 or 4,000-hour watch time thresholds for monetization, a 5% loss represents a substantial amount of progress.

Best Practices for Analyzing Your Channel Data

Given these updates and the natural fluctuations of the calendar year, creators should be cautious when analyzing their performance metrics during the transition from October to November.

The “Christmas Budget” Effect

It is common to see a spike in revenue in early November. This is largely due to the start of the “Christmas budget,” where advertisers increase their spending in preparation for the holiday season. Because of this, a creator might see a 10-15% increase in revenue and mistakenly attribute it to new feature updates or content performance, when it is actually a seasonal trend. When comparing current data to the previous year, it is essential to account for both this seasonal spike and the overall growth of the channel.

Understanding Data Significance

When monitoring fluctuations in watch time or views, it is important to distinguish between minor noise and significant trends. For example, a drop in watch hours from 20 to 9 is a 55% decrease, but in absolute terms, it is not statistically significant. However, a drop from 1,000 hours to 800 hours is a 20% decrease and represents a significant loss of engagement.

Creators are encouraged to look at daily and weekly fluctuations with a critical eye and consider the broader context of platform-wide changes before drawing conclusions about their channel’s health.

Original transcript

Transcript

Shorts collaborations and remixes are now fully available on iOS devices, and the feature will be rolled out to Android devices in the coming months. Have you already tried this feature? If so, let me know how it worked for you. You can also start a collaboration right here in this frame and share your thoughts. Just drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

Next up, we have copyright claims. Of course, I hope none of you receive any, as you are all very responsible creators. But if a video receives multiple claims, instead of receiving one email per claim, you will now get one email per video. I don’t think this is the best approach. While it’s good that emails are consolidated and there’s less to read, I think it’s poorly executed that there’s no clear distinction between different claim creators. For example, if Warner Music Group submits five claims and Sony Music submits three, I would rather receive two emails - one for Warner and one for Sony - instead of just one email with all the claims combined. This way, things can be handled and assigned more easily. What do you think? Do you like receiving fewer emails?

Another new feature is the “For You” section, which we mentioned before and is now visible and editable for creators. Viewers will be able to see it starting November 20th. Please remember that this is an opt-out feature, meaning you can disable it if you don’t want to use it. As a creator, you can roughly determine which content or content from which period should be presented to viewers - either the entire period or the last 12 months. Would you use this feature? Or would you rather disable it?

Moving on to channel adjustments: Tabs without content will now be removed permanently. This means that if you haven’t created a playlist, there will be no playlist tab displayed. This improves the channel’s appearance. If you create a playlist later, the corresponding tab will of course be provided.

Another adjustment concerns the “About” tab, which is now placed as a pop-up when you click on the small text next to the channel name. I’m not sure if this is a good solution, and some of you have already expressed your dissatisfaction in DMs. I hope this decision is reconsidered, as it doesn’t feel right and may require adjustments in the legal notice and similar areas.

The simplified advertising mechanisms that YouTube introduced about a week ago take away your choice between skippable and non-skippable ad formats, instead offering more options for mid-roll ads and the like. Data shared by YouTube in September suggests that you can generate 5% more revenue from these non-skippable ads, or even 15% if prerolls are active. Have you noticed a 15% increase in revenue compared to last year in the past week?

Creator News: Important Notes on Analyzing Your YouTube Data

We can’t compare the end of October to the beginning of November because the Christmas budget starts in early November and revenue generally increases. So, it could be easy to think that you’ve made 10-15% more revenue. Therefore, please be cautious when comparing to the previous year and also consider channel growth. You know how it works.

And vice versa: Have you received 5% less watch time? That was actually a point YouTube disclosed. They said they’re willing to take a 15% increase in revenue for a 5% decrease in watch time. This is particularly relevant for those without a YouTube partnership, as 5% of 4000 or 3000 hours is a significant amount of lost hours. We need to observe how this affects everyone.

I’m curious about your significant data. A decrease from 20 to 9 watch hours is 10%, but not significant. However, if you go from 1000 to 800 hours, we can talk about significance. So, if you’ve noticed larger fluctuations, please reach out. It could also be daily or weekly fluctuations, so be cautious.

Looking forward to your comments, and have a fantastic weekend! See you next week for the next patch. Stay tuned and take care!