YouTube Is Piloting A Feature That Displays Concurrent Views In Real-Time

YouTube is currently piloting a new feature that will showcase how many people are watching the same video at the same time.

The company is testing live view counts in its Android app, Android Police

reports, which will display how many viewers are watching any given video concurrently. A handful of users reported seeing a ‘watching now’ figure below video titles — and right above the ‘thumbs up’ button (see below). Android Police notes that while several third-party websites provide live subscriber counts, this is the first time that concurrent viewership data on prerecorded videos has ever been available.

If the feature ever rolls out officially, such information could provide unique insight into whether videos are gaining viral traction, or the times of day when users tend to congregate around certain clips.