YouTube has introduced $3.99 sponsorship fees for certain channels

YouTube looks to generate more revenue via a newly-optional $3.99 sponsorship fee for certain online gaming channels, as well as a fan funding feature, according to the LA Times. The channels the streaming giant looks to cash in on are all part of YouTube Gaming, a recently created website and app that focuses on live gameplay and advice videos for everything from League of Legends to Minecraft. Gamers reportedly spend 2.5 billion hours watching game-related content each month. Users can choose to sponsor a channel for a monthly fee of $3.99, which then gets split between content creators and YouTube in exchange for a special token placed by their username and exclusive access to certain content from the channel. The new sponsorship program copies a similar $4.99/month fee at rival game streaming website Twitch. Users miniminter, TwoSyncFIFA, and hikeplays will be the first to roll out sponsorship, but the website says the option will be made available to all content creators soon. One thing sponsors will not get is ad-free playback. Both paid and unpaid users will see the same ads they saw before.