YouTube has launched the latest Live Ring feature, which indicates that the channel is currently broadcasting live. This makes it easier for users to find out which creators are live streaming.
“We focused on making it easier for users to find live streaming on YouTube. So we launched the Live Rings feature for mobile devices,” said YouTube Chief Product Officer, Neal Mohan, quoted from The Verge.
The Live Ring feature appears in the form of a ring containing the word ‘Live’ circling the channel profile photo. If clicked, the user goes directly to the live stream. At first glance, the feature is similar to the one on TikTok and Instagram.
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In comparison, Live Ring on TikTok appears with a flicker effect when they are live streaming. Meanwhile, the Live Ring on Instagram appears colorfully on the profile photo. Instagram’s Live Ring can be found in the top column of the feed, next to Stories content.
Previously, YouTube also introduced YouTube Shorts, a feature in the form of short videos that appear in a vertical format.
Currently YouTube is the main choice of users when searching for videos or streaming on the Internet. Not surprisingly, YouTube’s revenue managed to beat Netflix in the fourth quarter of 2021.
In the quarter, YouTube’s revenue from advertising and not including revenue from premium subscription services surpassed Netflix’s revenue for the same period.
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According to the financial statements of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, YouTube recorded revenues of 8.63 billion US dollars from the advertising business in the fourth quarter of 2021 ending December 31, 2021.
YouTube’s ad revenue increased 25.4 percent year over year. In comparison, Netflix’s revenue only reached 7.71 billion US dollars in the fourth quarter of 2021, as quoted by Variety.
YouTube’s total revenue in a year from advertising alone has also increasingly caught up with Netflix’s total revenue in 2021. YouTube reportedly collected revenues of 28.8 billion US dollars from its advertising business last year.
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That revenue does not include a premium subscription service for 12 US dollars, which is claimed to have 50 million users.
When calculated, YouTube’s total potential revenue from premium subscription services amounts to 600 million US dollars, as compiled from Quartz.
So, YouTube’s total revenue is estimated to reach 29.4 billion US dollars.
This figure is close to Netflix’s total revenue throughout 2021 which reached 29.69 billion US dollars, as compiled from Statista.
Basically, YouTube is a social media platform with video content, while Netflix is a video-on-demand streaming platform.
However, because the YouTube service also focuses on video-only content, this Google-owned social media is also considered a competitor to Netflix.
