YouTube are bringing three new features to Premieres: Live Redirect, Trailers and Countdown Themes, helping creators build excitement prior to the release.

YouTube launched Premieres in 2018, giving viewers of pre-recorded videos the sense of watching live, by debuting a video at a certain time all around the world. Arrive on the landing page early, chat with other fans, wait for the clock to strike and everyone can watch the video at the same time. For creators, it’s a fantastic way to engage with fans in real-time and generate excitement.

Today, YouTube announce three new features coming to Premieres, that all centre around the idea of building excitement prior to the Premiere, helping creators provide an interactive experience.

Live Redirect
Image credit: YouTube

Host a live stream as a pre-show in advance of the Premiere. Once the live stream ends, your audience is seemlessly directed to the upcoming Premiere before it starts. Similarly to a pre-party or red carpet, Live Redirects are a fantastic way for creators to engage with their audience live, create excitement and anticipation.

You may have seen this already. The feature has been tested over the last few months on big accounts such as We Are One Film Festival, New York Comic-Con, BTS, Cardi B, and Justin Bieber. YouTube claim they’ve seen great results from this feature already.

Trailers
Image credit: YouTube

Trailers allows you to upload a pre-recorded hype video that’s played in advance of the Premiere. Videos must be between 15 seconds and 3 minutes in duration, so it’s specificially for a short trailer-style video. Should your trailer be engaging, this should encourage viewers to set a reminder for the big event.

Countdown Themes
Image credit: YouTube

Before every Premiere, a countdown video is played to build excitement as fans around the world tune in. Now you choose what kind of countdown shows prior to the Premiere. Select a custom countdown video from a range of themes, vibes and moods. This ensures you can match your videos mood, be it something calm, playful, dramatic or sporty.

Live Redirect and Trailers are rolling out to eligible creators now, with Countdown Themes coming in the next few months.

Many creators, artists and publishers have made use of Premieres to great effect, such as BLACKPINK, Tiny Desk, James Charles, Supercell and Cirque du Soleil. Since 1st March 2020, YouTube has seen an 85% growth in daily Premieres from 8 million channels, 80% of which had never used Premieres before. Clearly, Premieres were the perfect feature for the pandemic, with many events moving online.

BTS – Dynamite breaks YouTube Premiere and 24-hour records with over 100m views.