YouTube Shorts, a feature inspired by TikTok is rolling out in the US as part of a beta launch. YouTube Shorts lets users create, edit, and upload 15-second vertical videos. This collection of tools for creating short, vertical, looping videos should be available to all YouTube creators in the United States, whether they have millions of subscribers or none at all.Â
“YouTube’s a big stage. It’s a place that’s very interesting for lots of creators who want to find an audience in long-form,” Sherman said. “We’re creating another stage here, one that we want to level the playing field and give this new generation of mobile creators a place where they could make it their home also.”
YouTube Adding A New Viewing Experience For Shorts
In September 2020, YouTube launched the beta edition of Shorts in India. Since then, the format has evolved to a regular viewership of more than 6.5 billion people. Shorter clips can be stitched together, and music from YouTube’s approved song library can be added.
YouTube is adding a new viewing experience for Shorts on mobile that allows users to swipe vertically from one video to another. Users can access the new player via a dedicated carousel on the YouTube home page, or in the Shorts tab on mobile.
“We’re introducing our YouTube Shorts Beta to the United States starting today, as we continue to build the experience alongside our global community,” Sherman said.
“We plan to introduce more features as we continue to build Shorts alongside creators and artists.”
Monetization
YouTube Shorts does not have monetization at the moment in the United States, but Sherman said the company is looking into all possibilities on how Shorts developers can make money. He pointed out that Preroll and Midroll ads, which are at the core of YouTube’s monetization, aren’t suitable for videos that aren’t longer than 60 seconds.
“We’re going back to principles about what it means to define a new business model here,” he said.
According to Sherman, the company plans to launch it soon, and current YouTube creators will be able to opt-out of making their videos available. YouTube is now exploring new ways of curating and recommending Shorts. TikTok is known for being an app where a developer can go from obscurity to internet celebrity overnight. This is due in part to TikTok’s recommendation algorithms.
However, YouTube is experimenting with recommendation algorithms for Shorts that are different from those for longer-form YouTube, which Sherman claims would give less-watched videos more attention. He explained that a viewer’s Shorts feed may have nine famous videos recommended to them, but the tenth clip is one they’ve never seen before.
According to Sherman, YouTube is also focusing on ways for people to make money from viewers at Shorts. YouTube is finally beginning to talk about monetizing Shorts, which would allow creators who are part of the YouTube Partner Network to earn money. The company didn’t offer any information other than to suggest it’s actively exploring options.
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