YouTube Update: Creators Can Now Opt Out of Live Stream Leaderboard

YouTube experimented with its live stream leaderboard feature a few months back, in which the top 3 engaged viewers are awarded a badge that appears next to their names. Now, in this update, creators can opt out of this feature.

Opt-out Options From Live-Stream leaderboard

In July 2025, YouTube announced that during live streams, the most interactive viewers will be awarded badges. The viewers used to earn points by doing Superchats or Super Stickers. The more they do this, the more points they get.

These viewers will be highlighted at the top of the live stream leaderboard. After experimenting with the feature, creators didn’t like it. They didn’t want to display the list during their stream, so now, with these updates, they are giving them the option to opt out of this feature.

Recently, YouTube focused its updates on live streams. For example, it raised the live-stream age limit to 16. YouTube aims to bring young creators and audience together in an interactive way. Seems creators didn’t like the change, as known from the YouTube survey. Still, if some creators want to keep the live stream leaderboard feature, they can; if not, they can toggle it off.

Additionally, YouTube’s latest update is in the YouTube Studio. The Copyright tab is now called content detection. This is used to detect any video that has reused your content.

Conclusion

The live stream leaderboard was implemented to bring more interaction between streamers and viewers. However, most creators didn’t like the feature. YouTube didn’t eliminate the feature; they have given the option to use the live stream leaderboard at their choice. Although the feature was a fun way to interact, viewers didn’t benefit much compared to streamers.