YouTube Updates: AutoDubbing Issues & New Features for Vertical Live Streams

Transcript

MLA or auto-dubbing is being rolled out gradually. We already discussed this last week, and the timeline is still ongoing. I’m sadly very disappointed because our esteemed colleague Mark Molter has already been allowed to test it. It unfortunately sounds super monotonous, it’s a bad translation, and there is still no response from YouTube as to why they don’t simply give viewers more options and save those options. This means that the automated language recognition system is still being used. I touched on the factors last week: The problems with mixed consumption of German and English content lead to incorrect language selection at times, which is unpleasant for everyone involved, especially when the auto-dubbing language is catastrophic. Well, the good Mark allowed us to listen in briefly. That’s why we’re doing it now. This is an original German video that has been dubbed into English: “Hello and welcome to my new video! In this video, I’m starting a multi-part series because what is being offered here is not convincing at all. I think it’s outrageous that you can’t add reasonably good alternatives like haen or similar providers yourself but are practically forced to use this monotonous crap. It just shouldn’t be! If in doubt, consider twice whether you want to offer your content with such a catastrophic AI translation. No, we can also create a poll in the Community tab. But I think it might be better to wait a bit until you can add language tracks yourself and make sure they sound reasonable. Even if it means paying a fee, because it does cost something to use third-party programs. But I believe it’s definitely more meaningful and better than what YouTube is currently producing.”

Okay, let’s move on to some pleasant news. A little mood lifter. The YouTube team has indicated that the long shorts will finally be displayed correctly in YouTube Studio, on the channel page, and in the subscription feed in early December. This is, of course, a sensible thing. So far, they have always appeared as videos even though they are already categorized as shorts. A really terrible story that will get better in early December. They will finally be shown properly, which is a step in the right direction. Have you already produced and tested lots of shorts? Let me know. I wouldn’t be surprised if they perform poorly because they are currently not available in the shorts feed and so on. A really bad story. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Then, as we already discussed in recent weeks, there will be a reminder of upcoming live streams in the shorts feed, and this has now been fully rolled out to 100%. There was also a tweet about it from the YouTube team. I think this is a nice feature. If you already publish clips on YouTube Shorts, it’s also sensible to familiarize yourself with YouTube Live. Because if you have many opportunities that might perform well, your live stream will be suggested accordingly when you plan it in advance. A meaningful step, in my opinion. If you have questions about how to get started with YouTube Live or anything, feel free to share them in the comments. I’m collecting information for a video and can then confirm or debunk myths. I’m excited about that!

And yes, as I said, I look forward to your feedback. Let’s stay with vertical live streams, specifically in the shorts feed, but move on to vertical live streams. In the coming weeks, so-called YouTube Jewels or Jeels will be introduced, unfortunately only for US creators. Still, listen up because maybe all this stuff will come to us eventually, and we can already learn what we want to do with it. So, a quick recap: Jeels are a digital currency that viewers can buy in packages. Those of you who game will recognize this from having digital currencies somewhere. For 1000 jewels, you can pay $8.99 and get some extra jewels. The more you spend, the more extras you get. Therefore, the exact price of jewels varies depending on the package purchased. That’s good or bad. Microtransactions are always a tricky topic. Jewels can only be used in vertical live streams for so-called gifts or in the…

Gifts and Rubies: An Overview

The English gifts that are bought with jewels have a fixed ruby value. Here is an important distinction we need to make:

Jewels and Gifts: A New Monetization Feature

• Jewels: These are what viewers purchase.
• Gift: The gift that costs jewels and generates rubies for the creator.
• Rubies: The currency paid out to creators, with a fixed exchange rate of 1 ruby = 1 cent.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments! I can explain it again or provide a visual representation if needed. Rubies are counted as your earnings, but the exact price of gifts is not yet known. I’ll be sending out my “spies” in the English and American markets to gather more information on pricing and the conversion rate between jewels and rubies. We can then create a list to see which gifts are worth it and how much reaches the creator’s pocket.

Using Jewels

This feature is not yet available in Germany, but here’s a preview: There’s a new module on the YouTube Partnership or Monetization page called “Virtual Items.” It’s located in the same area as Fan Funding (Memberships), Super Chats, and Shorts Ads. To use this feature, you need to activate the module in your agreements/contracts. Important: If you enable jewel gifts, Super Stickers will be disabled. So, you can choose to use either one or the other, but not both simultaneously. Personally, I find Super Chats more interactive and enjoyable for creators compared to Super Stickers.

For more details about this launch, check out the video description, including a link to the YouTube Forum. Stay tuned to this channel for updates on availability outside the US. See you next week! Keep grinding!