YouTube will remain the exclusive free streaming home of Coachella in the United States through 2030, extending a partnership with festival producer Goldenvoice that has run for nearly 15 years.
The extension was announced Wednesday by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan during the company’s Made on YouTube event. “We’re excited to bring the energy of the desert to millions of music fans around the world,” Mohan said.
The agreement follows the most recent Coachella edition led by Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G, which YouTube said became its most-watched Coachella livestream ever.
AI tools across YouTube and YouTube Music#
YouTube detailed a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features, including new comment features and conversational tools. The announcements reflect a broader push by Google and parent company Alphabet to integrate AI across platforms, including Gemini for businesses and Flow and DeepMind teams for creatives.
A new “Ask” tool across YouTube and YouTube Music lets users query an AI agent about shoppable items in videos, request music recommendations and carry conversations across different YouTube pages. It will begin rolling out later this year.
For podcasts, YouTube Music is testing a “podcast lineup” feature that provides a spoken preview of shows and uses an AI agent to ask users why they like specific podcasts before recommending episodes. Testing begins later this year.
The music features were demonstrated by creator Derrick Gee, who used Ask to explore Troye Sivan’s single “She’s the Best” and its influences. Sivan, who began his career on YouTube, discussed the platform’s role in his work.
“I uploaded my first YouTube video in 2007,” Sivan said. “I was a child, and it really still informs everything that I do. I would say to this day, because I learnt really, really early on that it was all about creating community and having such [a] direct line to people, and realizing that people are smart and people know and can feel when something is genuine.”
Shorts expand into microdramas#
YouTube is expanding shows to YouTube Shorts, allowing creators to format short-form videos into structured, episode-based experiences, or microdramas.
Microdrama viewership surpassed 6.5 billion views in the first half of 2026, up more than 60% year over year. Viewership on TV screens rose 90% year over year in the same period, and more than 35% of YouTube Shorts viewers watched on TV in July.
“Shorts are more than a discovery engine to drive views to your longer videos, and viewers are not only watching them on mobile; they’re also watching them together on the biggest screen in their house,” said Emily Moxley, YouTube’s vice president for product management for viewer AI. “They’ve become a content genre all on their own.”
Kurt Wilms, YouTube’s senior director for product management for YouTube on TV, said the format’s pace is resonating. “Microdramas in particular, they’re fast paced, they’re action packed, they’re quick, and so, in the industry as a whole, I think viewers are resonating with this type of content,” Wilms said. “I assume it’s going to continue to grow.”
YouTube did not disclose the dominant viewing medium for microdramas, but Wilms said the new tools reflect the format’s continued growth.
Homepage feeds and creator tools#
On the viewer side, a custom feed feature powered by AI will let users create channels on their homepage dedicated to recommended videos on topics they request. Fashion creator Mina Le demonstrated feeds for stationary videos and “late night coziness” clips focused on ambient noises.
“No clutter, no searching every time I want to dive in. Just this personal space curated for me that I can come back to whenever I want,” Le said. “This new feature is a huge shift in the viewer experience of YouTube, a shift towards greater customization.”
For creators using YouTube Studio, a separate Ask feature will help edit and test videos and provide feedback. Other additions include A/B testing for videos, AI-generated titles and thumbnails based on a creator’s style, dynamic thumbnails for different audiences and specific insights into video performance.
YouTube is also rolling out new monetization options, including a “Hype with Jewels” feature that lets viewers celebrate creators’ work. The company is also boosting its affiliate program.
