YouTube just recently launched a me-too product called YouTube Shorts. This app will compete directly with, now rival, Tiktok.
The YouTube Shorts app is currently in beta test in India where recently TikTok was banned due to China’s aggressive border actvities against India. India retaliated economically by banning TikTok completely in the social media space and market of India, thereby living a very big gap in the Indian social media space for a TikTok replacement. Hence, YouTube Shorts.
YouTube officials said that YouTube Shorts will allow creators and artists to shoot short, catchy videos up to 15 seconds long using theit smartphones.
The YT Shorts app will feature a multi-segment camera to edit multiple video clips together, and will feature a library songs to include with the videos. Like TikTok, YT Shorts will also have a speed controls that “give you flexibility to be creative in your performance,” as well as a timer and countdown to “easily record, hands-free,” said a YouTube senior product executive in a company blog.
However, prior to YouTube Shorts, another social media rival, somehow, managed to released their own version of TikTok. Facebook’s Instagram launched Reels, 30 days prior to YouTube’s announcement. The new Instagram feature is currently available in France, Germany, Brazil, and India.
The move by the two social media giants, YouTube and Facebook, in the short-form video space comes as TikTok faces several interntional political and economic pressures, first from the US and now in India.
If you do not have access to the Shorts camera, you can still upload your existing vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds using the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description. YouTube will be testing out a section on the YouTube homepage to highlight videos created from the Shorts camera, as well as any vertical video up to 60 seconds that have been uploaded to YouTube. Therefore, you can start right away creating Shorts even if you do not have the service enabled on your device.
Can Shorts be Monetized in YouTube?
Here’s the official answer from YouTube:
Whether Shorts are found on the Shorts shelf or through the short video player, ads won’t be served on them, and they won’t generate YouTube Premium subscription revenue.
Shorts also don’t contribute to YouTube’s Partner Program eligibility, but subscribers gained from watching your Shorts still count toward the eligibility threshold.
As we continue to experiment and improve the Shorts experience, there may be opportunities to monetize Shorts in the future.
YouTube Shorts is currently available in early beta for Android devices. It will available for Apple iOS devices soon. Hence, the short-form video service is available as part of YouTube app for Android devices, including smartphones and tablets.
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