YouTube has announced the arrival of the beta version of YouTube Shorts in Kenya.
YouTube Shorts is the company’s new short-form video experience that entails creating short, catchy videos using mobile phones.
YouTube Shorts is playing catchup to TikTok as the short-form video platform of choice, but Google’s service is pushing Shorts’ integration with the wider YouTube ecosystem as a key selling point.
Shorts, which was first announced in September 2020 in 26 countries, will now be available across more than 100 countries around the world where YouTube is available.
As the name suggests, YouTube will allow creators to film up to one-minute videos from the mobile app.
This will include a multi-segment camera that enables them to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more.
“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts,” said Todd Sherman, Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts.
“As of today, the YouTube Shorts player has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views globally. It will be integrated into the YouTube experience users already know and love. For example, if a user hears a snippet of a song on Shorts, they can easily find the full song, watch the music video, or learn more about the artist — all on YouTube,” he adds,” he added.
The new features also include the ability to sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from videos all across YouTube.
When it comes to music, artists and creators will have a large library of songs to use in their Shorts from over 250 labels and publishers, including Universal Music Group’s labels and publishing companies, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Chappell Music, Believe, Merlin, Because Music, Beggars and Kobalt.
With Shorts being a new way to watch and create on YouTube, the company has been looking at various ways to monetise Shorts and reward creators for their content, including the recently announced YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund distributed throughout 2021-2022.
The Shorts beta will be available to everybody in Kenya by Wednesday, 14 July 2021.
