YouTube is expanding its “Hype” feature, a tool designed to spotlight smaller creators, to 39 countries after initial testing in Brazil, Taiwan, and Turkey. The rollout now includes major markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and India, significantly broadening the reach of the program.
Hype allows viewers to support up to three videos per week from creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. Each hyped video earns points, with smaller creators receiving an added bonus to increase their chances of discovery. Videos that collect enough points can appear on a ranked leaderboard within YouTube’s Explore menu, giving them visibility beyond their usual audience.
To make the system more accessible, YouTube is introducing a dedicated “Hype” button directly beneath videos. Hyped videos will carry a badge across the platform, and viewers can filter their feeds by a new “Hyped” category to find them. Fans will also receive notifications if a video they hyped is close to making the leaderboard, while the most active supporters can earn a monthly “Hype Star” badge.
For creators, the feature is being integrated into YouTube Studio. They’ll be able to track hype counts and points, see performance data in a new hype analytics card, and review weekly recaps highlighting their progress. YouTube says additional leaderboards focused on categories like gaming and fashion are planned for the future.
The expansion of Hype reflects YouTube’s ongoing effort to help mid-tier and emerging creators find audiences at a time when competition for visibility is fierce. Unlike established channels that benefit from massive subscriber bases and algorithmic boosts, creators under the 500,000 threshold often struggle to gain traction. By rewarding community-driven discovery, YouTube appears to be betting on fans themselves as a pathway to broader recognition.
In parallel, YouTube has also been rolling out new age-detection tools in the US, using machine learning to identify when accounts belong to teens. If flagged, accounts automatically receive restrictions like disabled personalized ads and added digital well-being protections. Users who feel misidentified will need to verify their age with government ID or a credit card.
