YouTube rolls out TikTok video competitor Shorts to more than 100 countries
- As with TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts play in a vertical format, are suggested by an algorithm and use a swipe up to get to the next one
- Facebook has also tried to take a chunk of the TikTok pie, adding a Short Videos section to newsfeeds and rolling out Reels on Instagram
YouTube is now rolling out its answer to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, to more than 100 countries, expanding well beyond the 26 countries Shorts was available in during its launch last year.
As with TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts play in a vertical format, are suggested by an algorithm and use a swipe up to get to the next one.
YouTube is banking on its wide-ranging deals with the music industry – which will mean more tracks are available for use in its Shorts videos – to give it an advantage over its Chinese-owned rival.
Shorts clips can be up to one minute long – as was the case with TikTok until it recently decided to drop its 60-minute limit.
When Google, which owns YouTube, presented its first-quarter figures, it reported 6.5 billion daily views on Shorts – an impressive figure that is only likely to grow as more people can upload their own clips.
Facebook has also tried to take a chunk of the TikTok pie, adding a Short Videos section to newsfeeds and rolling out Reels on Instagram.
