YouTube is building a TikTok rival called Shorts, which the Google-owned company states is aimed at “creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones”.
According to a blog post published by VP of Product Management Chris Jaffe today (September 14), an early beta of Shorts is launching in India over the next few days “with a handful of new creation tools”.
YouTube is the latest tech company to build a 15-second viral video feature to rival TikTok, following the launch of Instagram’s Reels in more than 50 markets last month.
Like TikTok and Instagram Reels, Shorts allows you to create 15 second short-form videos.
Shorts will feature a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the option to record with music “from a large library of songs that will continue to grow”, speed controls that “give you the flexibility to be creative in your performance”, and a timer and countdown to record hands-free.
A ‘Create a short’ icon is being rolled out in India on YouTube’s Android app, and the platform says that it will continue to expand to iOS devices and in more countries soon.
Jaffe adds that YouTube will add more features and expand to more countries in the coming months.
“Creators have built entire businesses on YouTube, and we want to enable the next generation of mobile creators to also grow a community on YouTube with Shorts.”
Chris Jaffe, YouTUbe
Chris Jaffe said: “Every month, 2 billion viewers come to YouTube to laugh, learn and connect. Creators have built entire businesses on YouTube, and we want to enable the next generation of mobile creators to also grow a community on YouTube with Shorts.
“We encourage any mobile creator or artist to start uploading their existing short videos on YouTube today to start getting discovered.”
Added Jaffe: “This is an early version of the product, but we’re releasing it now to bring you — our global community of users, creators and artists — on our journey with us as we build and improve Shorts.
“We’ll continue to add more features and expand to more countries in the coming months as we learn from you and listen to your feedback.”Music Business Worldwide
