YouTube launched a program Thursday to reward channels that surpass 1 million or 100,000 subscribers.
Dubbed YouTube Partner Rewards, the program just honored its first batch of channels: nearly 80 channels with some 1 million subscribers each and more than 1,400 channels with at least 100,000 subscribers each.
Those channels, which will receive a gold-plated play button, gift cards or camera cases, have a combined 500 million subscribers and 251 billion views. YouTube says that amounts to 36 views for each person on Earth.
YouTube plans to recognize more channels "on a regular basis." Any channel can be honored.
The gold-plated award reminds us of the Recording Industry Association of America's certification awards given to artists when they sell a certain amount of albums or singles. Will we start to refer to YouTube Channels as "going gold?"