YouTube’s 2023 Priorities: Supporting Creators & Expanding Opportunities

As we enter the new year, YouTube’s new lead, Neal Mohan, has announced the company’s priorities for 2023, highlighting its commitment to supporting creators and artists on the platform.

YouTube has always been a go-to destination for creators and artists to showcase their content and grow their businesses. In 2023, YouTube plans to double down on this commitment, providing creators with more tools to make a living, while also investing in features and experiences that will make it a home for viewers and creators now and in the future.

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Revenue: More Ways for Creators to Make Money

YouTube has always been a platform that supports creators and artists in their passion and vision. This year, the company plans to give creators more tools to make a living on the platform by:

• Expanding its subscription business
• Investing in shopping
• Improving its paid digital goods offerings
• These monetisation options are already making an impact, with more than six million viewers paying for channel memberships on YouTube in December 2022, representing a 20% increase from the prior year.

This increase in paid memberships not only supports creators financially but also helps them grow their businesses.

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Listening to Creators

At the heart of YouTube’s priorities for 2023 is the creator community. Creator feedback is a crucial part of how YouTube develops products, and Mohan plans to meet with more creators in person to hear how he can better support them.

Recently, YouTube heard from creators about the importance of broadening accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It now provides automatic captions in more languages thanks to long-term investments in machine learning.

This is a great example of how YouTube is listening to creators and making changes to improve their experience on the platform.

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Building for the Future

YouTube is investing in features and experiences that will make it a home for viewers and creators now and in the future.

The company is:

• Doubling down on streaming and connected TV
• Unlocking new creative potential
• Expanding the canvas for creators across formats
• YouTube recently adapted the mobile experience of Shorts to a TV-friendly format, and TV was the fastest-growing screen last year.

This shows that YouTube is committed to providing creators with the best tools and features to showcase their content across all screens and devices.

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Creators: Unlocking Creativity Across Formats

YouTube Shorts has been a game-changer for creators, allowing them to reach a wider audience and showcase creativity in new ways.

1. 50 billion daily views – Shorts has quickly become a popular format for creators.
2. The number of channels that upload to Shorts daily grew around 80% last year.
3. YouTube is also making it easier for creators to showcase their podcasts on the platform with new features in YouTube Studio.

Later this year, RSS integration will offer podcasters another way to upload their shows to YouTube, providing users with more listening options.

Additionally, YouTube will roll out a new tool that lets creators record a Short in a side-by-side layout with both Shorts and YouTube videos. This feature will allow creators to easily add their take on a trend or join in with reactions.

This tool will further enhance creators' ability to showcase content and unlock their creative potential.

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The Future of AI in Digital Video

YouTube is always at the forefront of innovation, and it is no surprise that the company is imagining the future of creation by developing sophisticated tools for creators to grow their ambitions across Shorts, live, podcasts, and more.

With AI’s generative capabilities, creators can:

• Expand storytelling
• Raise production value
• YouTube is taking the time to develop these features with thoughtful guardrails and plans to roll out tools for creators and protections to embrace this technology responsibly.

This focus on AI shows that YouTube is committed to keeping its platform at the forefront of technology and providing creators with the best tools to showcase their content.

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In Summary

YouTube’s priorities for 2023 focus on:

• Supporting creators and artists with more opportunities to make money
• Improving accessibility and features based on creator feedback
• Investing in the future of streaming and connected TV
• Unlocking new creative potential across different formats
• Exploring AI’s generative capabilities to enhance storytelling and production value
• YouTube aims to remain a leader in the digital video industry and continue providing a home for creators and viewers alike.

If you are a creator, you can look forward to more tools and features that will help you grow your business and showcase your content to a wider audience.