The leaderboard creates a fun, interactive, and rewarding environment for viewers that encourages ongoing engagement with their favorite creators. It is visible during live streams and ranks viewers based on their engagement in a given live stream.
Top fans leaderboard
The top fans leaderboard reflects and ranks each viewer’s engagement in a live stream. Viewers earn points by actively engaging during the stream and the leaderboard displays the audience ranking based on their total points. The more viewers engage (for example, via live chat messages, Super Chat, Super Stickers, or gifts) the higher they may rank on the leaderboard.
As viewers engage with a live stream, they’ll notice the crown icon at the top of the chat, which displays the cumulative points they’ve earned for engaging with that specific live stream. Clicking on this icon will take viewers directly to the leaderboard to see the top 50 engaged viewers. The top 3 engaged viewers even get a special badge next to their name in the live chat!
Participate in the top fans leaderboard
The leaderboard offers a fun new way to connect with your favorite creators and other fans during live streams. Here's what you can look forward to:
- Get recognized: Your active participation via live chat messages, Super Chat, Super Stickers, or gifts (only US on vertical live streams) may earn you a spot on the leaderboard, giving you more ways to be seen and get recognized.
- Join the fun: Compete in a friendly way to see who the most engaged fans are. It's a new level of interaction that adds excitement and engagement to live streams.
- Build your community: See and connect with other dedicated fans who share your passion for the creator. Being on the leaderboard can help you become part of the top 50 fans in a live stream.
Earn & claim XP
As you engage in the live stream, keep an eye out for the crown icon at the top of the live chat. This reflects the points you've earned during the live stream. Click it to see the leaderboard and where you rank among the top 50 most engaged viewers.
You can earn experience points (XP) for:
- Sending live chat messages
- Sending Super Chats
- Sending Super Stickers
- Sending gifts (only on eligible vertical live streams)
- Replying to Superchats
- Claiming watch time XP
- You can earn 10 XP after your first 30 seconds of watching a vertical live stream. You may earn an additional 10 XP for every 10 consecutive minutes of watch time.
- You must tap the Claim XP button to add watch time points to your score. Points do not accumulate past the 10-minute mark, so you must claim your XP to stay eligible for more.
Manage your leaderboard activity
You can find a record of your watch time XP claims in My Activity.
This provides a history of your participation and the points you have contributed to different live streams. You can also:
- Delete activity: You can remove specific watch time claim entries.
- Deleting entries from your activity history will not remove the points you have already contributed to a creator's leaderboard or change your current ranking in a stream.
- Review channel transfers: If you transfer ownership of a channel to someone else, your past watch time claims remain in your personal My Activity section until you choose to delete them.
Managing top fans leaderboard participation
Viewers are automatically enrolled in the top fans leaderboard. If you prefer not to participate, you can opt out in your YouTube settings:
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Go to Settings
and select Privacy.
- In the Live Chat section, toggle off the leaderboard by selecting Turn off leaderboard participation.
Managing top channels leaderboard participation
To turn off the top fans leaderboard on your live streams
To turn off leaderboards before going live within YouTube Studio (Web):
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Proceed to the customization process of creating your stream.
- Deselect the Leaderboard box.
To turn off the leaderboards during your live stream within YouTube Studio (Web):
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Click on the Edit button in the top right corner of your Live Control Room.
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Deselect the Leaderboard box.
To turn off leaderboards before going live on mobile via Cameo:
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Select on Live at the bottom of the YouTube app.
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Prior to streaming, adjust your settings by clicking Advanced settings.
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Navigate to the Advanced settings tab.
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Proceed to toggle Allow leaderboard rankings on or off.
Channel ownership transfers
If ownership of a channel is transferred from one person to another, the channel's leaderboard settings remain the same. This means any opt-out settings selected by the previous owner will carry over to the new owner.
Manage activity after a transfer
If you transfer a channel you previously owned, you may still see your personal watch time claims in your My Activity section.
- You can delete these claim entries from your My Activity view at any time.
- Deleting these entries will not change the points or rankings on the channel's leaderboard, as you no longer own the channel.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the leaderboard visible?
The leaderboard is visible during the live stream while it is active. After the stream ends, viewers can still see the leaderboard during replay.
Is there anything I can do with the experience points (XP) points I’ve earned?
If I make one of the top 3 spots on a leaderboard and unlock a badge, how long do I get to keep it?
How much is each eligible action worth?
Is there a limit to the number of points that can be earned through live chat messages and paid engagement (i.e., Super Chat, Super Stickers, and gifts)?
Yes there is a cap on the number of points that can be earned from live chat messages. Also, depending on the user’s country/region, the daily and weekly purchase limit will vary. In general, a user can spend up to $500 USD per day and up to $2,000 USD per week (or the local currency equivalent) combined on:
- Gifts, powered by Jewels (A user can have a maximum of 30,000 available Jewels at any time)
- Super Chats
- Super Stickers