YouTube Launches Beta Version Of "TikTok Alternative" Shorts In The US Market

Recently, foreign media reported that after YouTube successfully completed the test of its newly developed 15-second short video function Shorts in India, it is pushing the Shorts beta version to the US market.

In September last year, YouTube "officially announced" the Shorts short video function it had developed, similar to TikTok, and chose to conduct its first test in India. Data shows that since the beginning of December, the number of channels using its Shorts short video creation tool in the Indian market has tripled, and the number of daily views by Indians has also grown rapidly to 600 million times.

The Shorts beta version launched by YouTube in India is equipped with basic creative tools. Users can use multiple cameras to string together multiple video clips, record videos with music, and set the speed of the captured videos.

Now, YouTube has also added the ability to add text to videos at different times. In the future, users will be able to directly sample audio from other Shorts for mixing.

YouTube believes this can help users get more creative with the content they love and find new audiences in the process.

At the same time, YouTube has also reached cooperation with music publishers to provide users with a huge music library, including millions of songs from more than 250 record labels and publishers, such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group, etc. for their use in Shorts short videos. And as Shorts further expands globally, the number of songs available to users will continue to grow.

In addition, users can access the new player through a dedicated carousel on the YouTube homepage on the PC side, while on the mobile side, the YouTube app will also add a new Shorts tab, and users can watch Shorts short videos by swiping vertically.

If the video recommendation method of YouTube Shorts proves to be similar to TikTok, then this new short video format may help the new generation of creators stand out and quickly gain fans.

Regarding the possibility of monetizing Shorts, YouTube stated that creators who join the YouTube Partner Program will have the opportunity to receive corresponding income. However, YouTube did not disclose any exact details, only saying that it is actively exploring possible monetization methods.