Back in September 2020, YouTube introduced its TikTok competitor – Shorts. The feature was launched in India when the country banned TikTok. YouTube Shorts goes up against the likes of TikTok and its clones including Instagram Reels. Now, the company is launching YouTube Shorts in the US. It is rolling out in beta, and the company says it will be rolled out gradually over the next “several weeks.”
YouTube Shorts offers users tools to make a clip of 15 seconds or less. You just need to tap the “Create” icon at the bottom of the YouTube homepage and select the “create a short” option to instantly record a short video in the mobile app. You can also upload a short video. The tool allows you to merge multiple clips together, add a song to the background by picking up music from YouTube’s vast library of content and more.
With the US launch, YouTube is adding several new features, including the ability to add text to specific points in the video and to sample audio from other Shorts. Now, it also lets you swipe vertically from one video to the next. As of now, it doesn’t include any ads or offer other monetization features for creators. However, YouTube will begin experimenting with those later this year.
According to the company, the number of Indian channels using Shorts has more than tripled since the beginning of December alone. Moreover, the YouTube Shorts player has now surpassed 6.5 billion daily views globally. And now, the company is bringing Shorts beta to the US.
“As more people create and watch Shorts, we expect that our systems will get even better, improving our ability to help you discover new content, trends, and creators you’ll love,” wrote the company in its blog post.