The video service is also testing sponsorships with a "handful" of non-gaming channels, such as DIY video blogger Lauren Fairweather.

It's no secret as to why YouTube is making this move -- it knows that it risks being left by the wayside as gamers flock to Twitch and Mixer, especially as they expand beyond gaming. However, this is also an admission that YouTube's years-long experiment with paid channels didn't, well, pay off. Less than 1 percent of YouTube creators are using it now, and it "never achieved popularity" with either channels or their viewers. Simply speaking, YouTube had to switch things up if it wanted to remain relevant in an era where viewers are as likely to tune into a live PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds match as they are a pre-recorded clip.