YouTube is expanding its test of “Watch With,” a feature that lets eligible creators broadcast live reactions alongside another creator’s livestream, the company said in a blog post. The tool, first piloted in 2024 around YouTube’s sports coverage, is rolling out to more mobile creators as part of an ongoing experiment.

Creators in the test group see a “React live” button in the Share panel when viewing an eligible livestream on mobile. Tapping it starts a separate broadcast that pairs the reacting creator’s camera feed with the source stream. According to YouTube, “Tapping this button lets you broadcast your own reaction alongside the original content. Your phone camera will automatically lock in a horizontal orientation, and you can’t turn your camera off for the reaction.” Viewers can watch the combined feed from any device, and YouTube says it will render as a vertical stream regardless of which device is used to view it.

Reacting creators earn revenue from their own reaction broadcasts under YouTube’s normal monetization rules. The original streamer keeps earning from the source stream as usual but does not receive a share of the reaction creator’s revenue. Instead, YouTube attributes the concurrent viewership, public views, and watch time generated by all reaction streams back to the source content.

Eligible streams are opted in to allow reactions by default. Source creators who want to opt out need to change a mobile metadata setting from “Allow eligible channels” to “No one” before going live.

“Watch With” is one of several live features YouTube has tested this year to drive engagement, alongside livestream leaderboards, 24/7 livestream stations, and expanded livestream gifting, Social Media Today reported. YouTube said in September 2025 that more than 30% of daily logged-in viewers watched live content in Q2 2025 on average.

The expansion comes as YouTube’s live business gains ground on competitors. A Streamlabs and Hatchet report covering Q2 2026 found YouTube Live’s watch hours rose 18% year over year to nearly 13 billion, lifting its share of total industry watch time to 60.3%, while Twitch and Facebook Gaming both declined. Features like “Watch With” extend that push by keeping commentary and reaction content, previously scattered across platforms like Twitch, Discord, or X, inside YouTube’s own product.

YouTube has not disclosed specific eligibility criteria for the experiment or said when, or if, the feature will roll out more broadly.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast