YouTube‘s newest feature for creators looks a little Twitch-y.
In its latest Creator Insider video, YouTube unveiled a new section creators can add to their channels: Community Clips.
“We know that many users discover and watch clips off-platform on Reddit and Discord, but can’t do the same directly on YouTube,” YouTube staffer Louis said in the video. The new Community Clips shelf will let creators “feature top community clips publicly on their channel page, making it easier to discover highlights and encourage viewer participation.”
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YouTube first introduced Clips in 2021. The feature lets viewers cut and share short selections from creators’ uploads and live streams, with those clips linking back to the original long-form videos. Creators are able to manage what clips are made from their content, and can also make clips of their own stuff–but in general, it’s encouraged to be a community feature, where viewers pull their favorite moments from VODs and streams.
The new shelf, built to show off those moments, is very reminiscent of Twitch’s Featured Clips shelf. There, Twitch streamers can feature moments from their streams that are usually recorded by their live viewers (hence the memeification of “Clip that, chat”).
Louis specifically says YouTube wants the Community Clips section to “encourage more interactivity” between a creator and their viewers.
Creators who want to enable the new shelf can go to YouTube Studio > Customization, and select the option to add Community Clips. Once it’s enabled, the shelf will be publicly visible on the creator’s channel page, with options to organize clips by number of views and recency.
It’s interesting to see YouTube continue to expand its on-platform discoverability tools. This feature being reminiscent of Twitch is ironic, as many Twitch streamers still turn to YouTube (and other platforms, like TikTok) to make up for its relative lack of discoverability features.
