YouTube announced a host of new features and enhancements at its Made On YouTube 2026 event. The changes are set to enhance the experience of creators and viewers of the video platform. These include custom feeds, conversational editing tools for creators, Ask YouTube for product recommendations, Shorts Series, voice-based Likeness detection and other live-focused changes. Here is the list of features YouTube announced for creators and viewers.
YouTube said creators can soon use Ask Studio to tailor responses for brand briefs and build pitches. Plus, it can give information on how creators can customise their Media Kit to match the brand’s goals.
YouTube Creator Partnerships (available in 20 countries) will help creators push their channel in front of brands. After gaining access, brand partners can put paid media behind the content. Plus, creators will be able to insert segments in up to 20 long-form videos at a time based on region.
The platform is working to bring more partners for its shopping affiliate program. Further, the ability to tag Amazon products will expand to India and Brazil in upcoming weeks and to more regions later.
The company will display localised tags across regions that can help creators earn commission on global sales. Further, the new affiliate campaigns will enable retailers and brands to offer incentives, such as exclusive bonuses and commissions on featuring their products.
Expanded scope of Watch With: YouTube will expand the Watch With feature beyond livestreams to eligible long-form videos later this year. Creators can also choose ‘React live’ to jump into live content conversations. “Reacting creators keep the live ad revenue and fan funding they earn,” YouTube said.
Live creator matchmaking: Starting in early 2027, creators will be able to browse and select live streamers for co-streaming or let YouTube automatically pair them with a creator in a quick match.
Live showdown: Two co-host creators can use Live showdown to turn fan funding into a challenge (starting in 2027). Viewers can send Super Chats, gifts and chats to push their chosen creator’s score higher, giving creators a means to grow revenue.
Live auto dubbing: Starting in early 2027, the company will pilot Live auto dubbing to translate the voice of the creator in a live stream in real time to help viewers outside the creator’s home country listen in their preferred language.
With the Short series feature, creators can structure their Shorts into episodes and seasons with new custom thumbnails and sequence playback. It is rolling out to creators on mobile, TV and web.
New Insights and Research can help creators understand previous video performance and explore “outlier videos” to spark content inspiration. The feedback feature will give customised tips on storytelling, structure and more for videos.
Creators can also generate channel-matched thumbnails or choose the dynamic one to recommend the best choice for different audiences. Further, Ask Studio can run in the background to assess older content and recommend and test updated thumbnails.
With new A/B testing, creators will soon be able to test up to three clips to check which hook performs the best. YouTube will also integrate Gemini as a conversational editing assistant for Shorts and the YouTube Create app for personalised answers.
The company is also testing AI-based comment moderation that learns your tailored style. Further, the likeness detection tool will also get speaking voice detection with facial detection to improve match accuracy. The feature will also ship in the mobile app for creators to assess and act faster.
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The Custom Feeds feature will allow viewers to create a specific tab for dedicated moods, routines and interests, which will be accessible from the homepage. It will be available in the US soon.
Secondly, the company also highlighted that Ask YouTube can help answer questions regarding a product. When searching for reviews of a product, viewers may receive “organised video recommendations such as a comparison table that includes product attributes and categories” based on their choices.
For YouTube viewers on TV, the company said users will be able to add comments via voice. Meanwhile, YouTube will now recommend posts to viewers from the Shorts feed on web and mobile and soon on TV.