YouTube is bringing a beta version of its TikTok rival to the US next month, the company announced.
YouTube Shorts allows creators to upload and edit 15-second videos, changing speed and adding music.
Its US arrival was one of several announcements made by YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan Wednesday, including a new shopping tool that will let viewers buy products they see in videos.
YouTube TV will also be more of a fully realized alternative to traditional television, with 4K streaming, offline playback, and unlimited simultaneous in-home streams all on the way.
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First introduced in India, Shorts allows users to upload videos up to 15 seconds that can be edited using the platform’s creator tools, including speed controls and a time and countdown
YouTube Shorts allows creators to upload up to 15 seconds of video that can be edited using the platform’s creative tools, including speed controls and a countdown.
Users can also access YouTube’s massive library of music for their original content.
The short-form platform has done tremendously well in India, with a reported 2 billion monthly users and 3.5 billion views daily.
Other features YouTube announces is a new shopping tool its currently beta testing with beauty and electronics influencers that will allow viewers to buy products they see in their videos.
The YouTube Kids app will soon give parents more control over the individual channels and videos their children see.
Mohan also announced an expansion of the Applause tipping feature, which allows fans to purchase a one-time ‘clapping’ animation to show their appreciation.
A percentage of revenue from each Applause goes to creators.
YouTube TV will also be getting a facelift to make it ‘a more full-featured in-home cable alternative,’ TechCrunch reports.
For an additional fee, members will have access to offline downloads, 4K streaming and the ability to watch on as many devices as they want.
YouTube raised the price of is basic subscription last summer to $65 a month.
Memberships include your local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC streams, as well as ESPN, regional sports networks, and other networks, plus free unlimited cloud DVR storage.
Since launching in India in September, YouTube Shorts has garnered a reported 2 billion monthly users and 3.5 billion views daily
YouTube launched Shorts in India in 2020 just a month after Facebook, well known for cribbing successful features, released its own TikTop copycat, Instagram Reels.
As with TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Reels allows users to make 15-second clips with captions and music.
Former US President Donald Trump had claimed TikTok was a threat to national security and that its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, was selling US citizens’ data to the Chinese government.
A looming TikTok ban led ByteDance to search for a US company to take over operations — and provided a fertile opportunity for rivals to steal the app’s thunder.
President Biden has paused the ban against TikTok and may drop the federal case against ByteDance altogether.
‘A review of the prohibitions at issue here may narrow the issues presented or eliminate the need for this Court’s review entirely,’ said Justice Department lawyer Casen Ross, NPR reported last week.
