YouTube's 'Hype' feature goes global, boosts emerging creators worldwide
What's the story
YouTube has launched its innovative "Hype" feature globally, aimed at helping smaller creators gain visibility. The feature was first unveiled at Google's 'Made on YouTube' event in 2024. It is represented by a dedicated button below the existing "like" button and is available for videos from creators with less than 500,000 subscribers.
Global reach
Hype up to 3 videos a week
The "Hype" feature is now live in 39 countries, including the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and India. It lets viewers hype up to three videos a week for their favorite creators. This process gives the video points and helps it gain traction on a new ranked leaderboard that YouTube users can find in the Explore menu.
Fair play
Bigger boost for smaller creators
To ensure fair play, YouTube has said it will give a bigger boost to smaller creators. This means that if a creator has fewer subscribers, they will get a bigger bonus when fans hype their video. Videos that have received this fan boost will display a "hyped" badge and users can filter their Home feed on YouTube to see only videos with the new "hyped" category.
Expansion plans
YouTube is working on hype leaderboards for specific interests
YouTube introduced the "Hype" feature after noticing that passionate fans wanted to be part of a creator's success story. YouTube is also developing hype leaderboards for specific interests such as gaming and style. The platform plans to let fans share that they've just hyped a video, further expanding user engagement with this new feature.