YouTube continues its dominance in the streaming video space. Overnight, it held its significant lead in the latest release of Nielsen’s The Gauge – a monthly report showing US streaming video usage with 13.1% of all viewing done on YouTube (the second place again went to Netflix with 8.7% of viewership.
It also announced some major upgrades to its platform at the annual Made On YouTube event. Held at Pier 57 in New York City, YouTube executives were joined on stage by leading platform creators BrandonB, Lana’s Life, Ashley Alexander, Mark Rober, Christen Dominique, and Katarina Mogus. And it wouldn’t be a YouTube event without a huge musical act – Dua Lipa took to the stage.
YouTube reports that it has paid creators over $100 billion over the past four years and used the event to announce new tools that would help drive further monetisation for both creators and advertisers on the platform. Increasingly, creators are being given tools that will help videos rival the TV experience in the connected TV space.
The big announcement for creators was the announcement of likeness detection tools, which will enable creators to detect, manage, and request the removal of unauthorised videos made with your facial likeness. In an era of tremendous AI video capability, the tools are necessary for creators to safeguard their identity on platform and retain audience trust. It is currently in an open beta to all YouTube Partner Program creators.
It also announced Edit with AI, a new feature to create a first draft video edit that YouTube claims will find and arrange the best moments from a raw video, while also adding music, transitions, and even voiceovers that it has labelled as “playful.” The voiceover is available in English and Hindi.
It’s now easier to go live
The live viewing experience is becoming more core to the YouTube experience. The company reports that, on average, over 30% of daily logged-in users watched live content on the platform during Q2 2025.
New tools have been announced to help creators get online to stream live.
• To encourage reluctant streamers to try live streaming, YouTube now lets users practice with its tools before pressing the button to go live. Previously users had to go live and hope for the best.
• Any creator watching a live stream can then create their own vertical livestream which allows them to react in real time to the initial livestream with their own commentary. As YouTube pushes further into sports content, this seems like a perfect way for fans to provide their own bespoke complimentary content.
• Creators can create ready-to-share shorts out of live streamed content automatically.
• Playables on Live was launched last year and brings a Twich-like live gaming experience to YouTube with a library of 75 games that creators can play while interacting with their audience through chat. And, of course, monetise the stream.
• Mid-live stream, creators will be able to transition from public to members-only livestreams, without disruption.
• Creators will be able to live stream in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously.
• Live streamers will be able to run side-by-side ads to ensure limited disruption from their live content.
Side-by-side live content and ads
Shorts are getting more creative
The wildest announcement was Speech to Song – a remixing tool that will take spoken dialogue and turn them into soundtracks. YouTube will use SynthID watermarks and label the videos to inform users that the videos were AI generated.
Further tools include:
• Lip-sync technology is improved, with translated videos now matching speakers lips. 20 different languages are supported with user testing starting in the coming months.
• Google DeepMind’s Veo 3 video generation model is coming to YouTube with a custom version created for use in YouTube Shorts. It creates outputs with lower latency at 480p, allowing creators to create clips with sound from their phone. The functionality is out now in Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK, and Canada.
• Further Veo integration into Shorts will bring capability including bringing photos to life by applying motion from another video, video stylisation, and the addition of opjects to video.
• Video titles can now be A/B tested.
Brand partnerships are making YouTube shoppable
There were a number of tools announced that were aimed squarely at improving monetisation.
• In a huge game-changer, brand segments can can now be dynamically inserted into long-form videos. This lets creators remove sponsorship from videos once a campaign or deal has ended, resell slots to other brands, or even sell the same slot to multiple brands in different markets. This feature isn’t yet live, but will go into testing with users early next year.
• YouTube Shorts users will be able to add a link to a brand’s site specifically for brand deals.
• The introduction of a creator partnerships hub within Google Ads to help advertisers and agencies find and connect with creators. Using AI, YouTube says it will soon be able to suggest creators who may be a good fit for brands.
• YouTube will use AI to identify moments for product mentions and automatically display the product tag at that time.