YouTube Takes a Page Out of the TikTok Playbook with 'Jewels'

YouTube takes a page out of the TikTok and Twitch playbook with digital 'jewels' you buy to send to your favorite creators.

In a continued effort to hold its own against competitors like Twitch and TikTok, YouTube is getting in on the digital gifting game by adding “jewels” you can buy in exchange for virtual gifts to send to your favorite creators during livestreams. The feature was initially announced back in September, but is rolling out across the US over the next few weeks for eligible creators in YouTube's Partner Program.

YouTube's jewels are similar to TikTok's coins, which you purchase with real money and exchange for virtual livestreaming gifts to send streamers while live that appears on the screen. Gifts you send to streamers on YouTube also appear on the screen and add to the creator's earnings, called “rubies,” valued at one cent each.

There's no fixed revenue share, according to YouTube, since the cost of jewels can change based on promotions, meaning the amount of rubies earned can vary. Over the next three months, YouTube will give a bonus of 50% on earnings to eligible creators of up to an additional $1,000 per month.

Notably, creators can only receive gifts on vertical livestreams directly on YouTube, or through third-party streaming software, and viewers can only gift items while using the YouTube mobile app. Also worth mentioning, creators who enable gifts for their account can no longer receive YouTube's “Super Stickers” from fans.

“We believe enabling fits on your channel offers your viewers a different way to express themselves, show their appreciation, and connect with you in real-time,” says YouTube. “We're working hard to develop exciting features for gifts to make them even more engaging for your biggest supporters.”

TikTok's virtual gifting feature can be addictive for viewers, so it makes sense YouTube would want to get in on the action. Reports have emerged of people spending their inheritance or stealing money from their church in order to buy digital coins to send virtual gifts to their favorite TikTok streamers.

Perhaps a less controversial feature YouTube is taking from the TikTok playbook: an endless video feed with a new swipe gesture to use on long-form videos.