It’s officially Fall and as the leaves begin to change, video technology’s top platforms are also transforming by releasing new features and getting rid of outdated services. With school is back in session, here is your monthly lesson from technology’s top headliners including YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook and Google Maps.

YouTube Ends Paid Channel Service

YouTube is putting an end to its paid channels service. Originally launched in 2013, as the site’s first attempt to pay its creators, the paid channel service allowed creators to set their own price for a subscriber-only channel. Although it attracted some premium brands like National Geographic and Sesame Street. However, this subscription-based service never really took off–– less than 1% of users actually pay for it. Paid channels will officially end this December and any creator that currently has one will have the option to either hide their channel or make it available for free on YouTube. As the paid channel door closes, another revenue-generating door opens with YouTube’s new ‘Sponsorship’ program for creators. YouTube ‘Sponsorship’ lets viewers set up monthly payments of $4.99 to their favorite YouTube stars in exchange for exclusive perks like custom chat badges/emojis and access to a sponsor-only chat. YouTube has been testing this Twitch-like sponsorship model with select Gaming creators since 2015 but is now opening up to all creators on the YouTube Gaming platform. In order to start making money off of the sponsorship model, YouTube requires that you must:

  • Have a gaming channel
  • Be over the age of 18
  • Have over 1,000 subscribers
  • Have live streaming capabilities turned on
  • Meet YouTube’s guidelines for monetization

YouTube will also be looking to make this service available for non-gaming channels in the future, however, for now, it is in a closed beta.

Snapchat Brings Virtual Bitmojis into the Real World with AR

Step aside dancing hot dog, Snapchat has unveiled its latest advancement in augmented reality technology: virtual Bitmojis. Since acquiring Bitstrips for $64 million last year, Snapchat has been incorporating Bitmojis stickers into its app for users to add to their snaps or send via chat. Now, Snapchat is taking Bitmoji to the next level by giving users the ability to place a 3D version of their customized Bitmoji character into the real world. As long as their Bitmoji account is connected, Snapchat users can access this new feature by flipping to their rear-facing camera, tapping the screen and selecting the Bitmoji option from the lenses carousel located at the bottom of the screen. Snapchat hopes that this new and highly personalized AR experience will help cement its position as a leader in AR technology. Currently, more than one-third of Snapchat’s 173 daily active users interact with its AR technology. Despite it impressive statistic, the competition for top AR technology provider is up for grabs. Apple’s new ARKit and Facebook’s late adoption of AR lenses of Facebook and Instagram may cause some trouble for Snapchat in the future.

Facebook Begins Testing New Bonfire Application

Facebook continues to aggressively incorporate video strategy into its platform and now the social media giant has begun to test a brand new standalone video chat app, Bonfire. Bonfire allows users to host a video chat with up to 8 friends at any given time. Although Bonfire will be a standalone app, users can also access it via Facebook Messenger. Within the app, each member of the chat will have the opportunity to switch between different viewing formats from everyone getting equal screen space to one that prioritizes the speaker. Similar to Snapchat and Instagram, Facebook’s Bonfire will have special effects, like face filters, available for users to enjoy. Facebook will also be using Bonfire as a way to feed content back to its other social networking apps by giving users the ability to take screenshots of their bonfire chats and share them directly to Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger without leaving the app. Built off the success of Facebook Live, Facebook is hoping that Bonfire will be the more private and intimate live broadcast. It will offer the same urgency and constant engagement of Facebook Live, but without the stress of having a video be public. Currently, Bonfire is beta and is only open to users in Denmark.

Google Maps Adds Video Review Feature

Video is everywhere and now even Google Maps is looking to take advantage of the power of video by incorporating it into its mapping services. Users now have the ability to leave video reviews for local restaurants, stores, or other sites. Videos that are shot directly from the app can be up to 10 seconds long, while videos uploaded from a user’s camera roll can be up to 30 seconds long. Google believes that this new video feature will better capture a location’s atmosphere in order to provide more guidance for users while increasing overall service satisfaction. This new feature is currently only available to users within Google’s new Local Guide program. The program was designed to provide Google Map users more incentives to contribute content like reviews, post photos and now videos on Google Maps. While Google Maps may still be far away from real-time Google Street View or satellite imagery, the addition of video on this popular mapping service is a sign that more advanced features are around the corner.

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