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 for creating short, catchy videos using mobile phones.
YouTube 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. This version will enable 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.
Commenting on YouTube Shorts, Todd Sherman, Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts said, “We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts. As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we will be adding more features for users to try.”
YouTube Shorts also features 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. This includes 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.
As the company banks on Shorts being a new way to watch and create on YouTube, it has also been looking at other ways to monetize Shorts and reward creators for their content. YouTube recently launched the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund distributed throughout 2021-2022.