YouTube unveils short-form video ‘Shorts’ to compete with TikTok
by Alexandra SteigradYouTube is rolling out a short-form video feature called “YouTube Shorts” to compete with the popular social media platform TikTok.
YouTube said Monday that YouTube Shorts — set to launch in the next few weeks — will allow creators and artists to shoot short, catchy videos up to 15 seconds long using their mobile phones.
Shorts will feature a multi-segment camera to edit multiple video clips together, and will feature a library of songs to include with the videos. Like TikTok, Shorts will also have speed controls that “give you the flexibility to be creative in your performance,” as well as a timer and countdown to “easily record, hands-free,” Jaffe said.
The new product will first be released over the next few days in India where it will be tested with “a handful of creation tools,” Chris Jaffe, YouTube vice president of product management wrote in a blog post on the company’s website.
The move by Youtube comes as TikTok, the short-form social media app, faces an uncertain future. Oracle emerged as the top bidder for TikTok under a deal that still requires approval from the Trump administration, which has required the divestiture of TikTok’s US assets on national security grounds.
It also comes as Facebook’s Instagram launched Reels, similar TikTok-style videos, last month.