YouTube has officially launched its latest discovery feature, ‘Hype,’ for Indian users in a move that could significantly change the way small and emerging creators are discovered. After undergoing beta testing in select countries, including Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, the feature has now made its way to one of YouTube’s biggest and fastest-growing creator markets.

What Is ‘Hype’? Why Does It Matter?

The ‘Hype’ feature is tailored specifically for creators with subscriber counts between 500 and 500,000, aiming to bridge the gap between obscurity and visibility. Viewers will now notice a new ‘Hype’ button alongside the usual like, share, and subscribe options on eligible videos. This gives audiences a direct way to support their favourite under-the-radar creators, beyond just passive engagement. Each user can hype a video up to three times per week, but only during the first seven days after the video goes live. This time-sensitive interaction adds an element of urgency and boosts the chances of new content being discovered quickly.

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How ‘Hype’ Works 

Whenever a viewer clicks the Hype button, the video gains points. The more points a video collects, the higher it rises on a special leaderboard in YouTube’s Explore section. The top 100 most hyped videos are prominently featured, which enhances their visibility and may lead to them appearing in more users’ home feeds. To further level the playing field, YouTube is also assigning bonus points based on a creator’s subscriber count—meaning smaller channels with fewer followers gain an extra push when hyped. This scoring system is designed to ensure that newer voices aren’t drowned out by more established names, giving regional and niche content a fair shot at going viral.

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A Boost for India's Diverse Creator Base

With India being a diverse content hub spanning multiple languages and genres, this new feature could prove especially impactful. The country has long been one of YouTube’s priority markets, both in terms of viewership and content creation. By rolling out Hype here, YouTube is signalling a clear intent to nurture talent across tiers, regions, and communities. Eligible channels in India can now access the Hype feature, and viewers will begin to see the Hype button on freshly uploaded videos from small and mid-sized creators. As the platform evolves to reward genuine engagement and community support, Hype might just be the stepping stone many creators have been waiting for.