YouTube is testing channel gifting subscriptions. Channel administrators can donate one or more subscriptions to users. The feature will be tested with a small group of channel administrators in the coming months.
The video platform had the Memberships Gifting feature announced last October, but it was not yet known when it would be released. Normally, fans of a channel pay $4.99 per month for a membership. This gives them access to special badges, emoticons and other exclusive content from the channel. In the case of the gift subscription, access to these features is free for the recipient for one month, writes YouTube.
The subscriptions are currently being tested among YouTube Gaming users in the US and UK. It is unknown when the Memberships Gifting feature will be available to a larger group of channel admins. Interested parties can to fill out a form, which ensures that they are placed on a waiting list. YouTube will then judge whether the specified channel is eligible for the feature.
The Memberships Gifting feature is similar to Twitch’s gift subscriptions. In addition, streamers can give away subscriptions, but viewers can also give other users a membership. YouTube has added multiple features over the years that Twitch also has. For example, the video platform recently released the Live Redirects feature, which allows streamers to redirect their audience to another channel operator’s broadcast. Twitch also has this in the form of Raids.