[NewsPoster]

Google is making a number of small changes to YouTube, that will likely be welcomed by advertisers and gamers alike. YouTube's live streaming capability will now include support for 60fps streams, making it more suitable for gaming, while the initial advertising preroll that runs before many videos will now allow users to find out a lot more information about the advertised products, as well as making it easier to purchase.

The 60fps live streaming option comes seven months after a similar option appeared on YouTube for standard videos. An attempt to draw gamers away from the Amazon-owned Twitch, the stream now provides 720p and 1080p streams at the higher frame rate, which makes gameplay appear smoother. Streaming systems including Elgato Game Capture and Xsplit Broadcaster can stream at 60fps from today, with any other apps using the Live Streaming API able to add the new high frame rate flag to enable 60fps streams.

The streaming player has also been updated to HTML5. The use of the player in supported browsers enables variable speed playback, with users able to skip backwards during a live stream, as well as catching up on previous content at 1.5 times or double speed.

The new TrueView for Shopping advertising option brings up more information about the product being shown, including photographs and pricing information, from within the video ad. Selecting the product card takes the user to the retailer's store listing for that item, saving the potential customer from having to search the site. According to Google, the new advertising unit provided Wayfair with a three-times revenue increase per impression compared to earlier campaigns, while Sephora saw an 80 percent lift in product consideration and a 54 percent increase in ad recall.