YouTube is the latest company to try and take on TikTok, with the launch of a new feature that allows users to watch short videos with ads.
The move comes as TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Bytedance, continues to grow in popularity, particularly among young people.
YouTube has already had some success with its own short-form video format, Stories, which it launched last year. However, that format is not well suited to advertising, so the company is now trying something different Youtube video downloader.
With its new Shorts feature, YouTube will show ads between videos, in a similar way to how TikTok does. The videos will be up to 60 seconds long, and users will be able to create them using existing YouTube content or by uploadi
The company says that it is still in the early stages of testing the feature, and so it is only available to a small number of users in India. However, it plans to roll it out more widely later this year.
It remains to be seen whether YouTube will be able to replicate TikTok’s success with Shorts. However, the company is clearly trying to tap into the growing popularity of short-form video.
YouTube is fighting back against TikTok using the video giant’s key advantage: money.
On Tuesday, YouTube announced plans to share advertising sales with creators of Shorts, its bite-sized video feature. Unlike on YouTube’s main site, the new program will compensate creators using a pool of ads that run in Shorts. That’s similar to the way that TikTok pays its popular stars, although TikTok has used a fixed fund that’s been criticized for meager payouts.
YouTube’s ad-sharing program is currently invite-only and only available in India, where TikTok is banned. The Google-owned company says it will eventually make the features more widely available.
The move comes as YouTube faces growing pressure from TikTok, the short-form video app that has been downloaded more than 2 billion times globally. In recent months, TikTok has lured away several top YouTube stars, including Loren Gray, who has 26 million YouTube subscribers. (TikTok pays its creators based on a number of factors, including how often users watch their videos.)
To better compete against Tiktok Video Downloader, YouTube has also started testing a new home page feature that would spotlight Shorts videos. The company is also considering making Shorts its own standalone app, as The Wall Street Journal reported last week.
But YouTube’s most effective weapon against TikTok may be its deep pockets. As a division of Google, YouTube has access to billions of dollars in annual revenue. That gives the company an advantage when it comes to enticing new talent and keeping existing stars from defecting.
It’s still early days for Shorts, and YouTube will need to make a number of changes before the feature can truly compete with TikTok. But with its deep pockets and vast user base, YouTube has a better chance than most challengers.
But YouTube sees its effort as more ambitious than what TikTok has done. Neal Mohan, the company’s chief product officer, described the plan as the first to fund short-form online video “at scale.”
“This is just the beginning, and we’ll be working hard to bring this to more countries and make it available to even more creators,” he said.
The goal, Mr. Mohan said, is to create a virtuous circle in which better-funded videos lead to more engaged viewers, which in turn attracts more advertisers and creates more revenue to fund even more videos.
To that end, YouTube is not only sharing ad revenue with Shorts creators but also giving them access to new tools, such as the ability to add watermarks and links to their other social media accounts. The company is also working on ways to help creators find an audience for their videos and track how well they perform.
Still, YouTube faces an uphill battle in its effort to take on TikTok. The Chinese app has been downloaded more than 2 billion times globally and has become a sensation among young people, who spend hours watching short videos of lip-syncing, dancing and other creative content.
TikTok also has a head start in building up a community of creators. And while YouTube has long been a platform for aspiring entertainers, it is still seen as primarily a place to watch music videos and other longer-form content.
But YouTube is betting that its vast user base and financial resources will give it an edge in the race to dominate short-form video.
YouTube takes on TikTok by plugging advertising into shorts videos
YouTube is the latest company to try and take on TikTok, with the launch of a new feature that allows users to watch short videos with ads.
The move comes as TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Bytedance, continues to grow in popularity, particularly among young people.
YouTube has already had some success with its own short-form video format, Stories, which it launched last year. However, that format is not well suited to advertising, and so the company is now trying something different.
With its new Shorts feature, YouTube will show ads between videos, in a similar way to how TikTok does. The videos will be up to 60 seconds long, and users will be able to create them using existing YouTube content or by uploadi
The company says that it is still in the early stages of testing the feature, and so it is only available to a small number of users in India. However, it plans to roll it out more widely later this year.
It remains to be seen whether YouTube will be able to replicate TikTok’s success with Shorts. However, the company is clearly trying to tap into the growing popularity of short-form video.
YouTube is fighting back against TikTok using the video giant’s key advantage: money.
On Tuesday, YouTube announced plans to share advertising sales with creators of Shorts, its bite-sized video feature. Unlike on YouTube’s main site, the new program will compensate creators using a pool from ads that run in Shorts. That’s similar to the way that TikTok pays its popular stars, although TikTok has used a fixed fund that’s been criticized for meager payouts.
YouTube’s ad-sharing program is currently invite-only and only available in India, where TikTok is banned. The Google-owned company says it will eventually make the features more widely available.
The move comes as YouTube faces growing pressure from TikTok, the short-form video app that has been downloaded more than 2 billion times globally. In recent months, TikTok has lured away several top YouTube stars, including Loren Gray, who has 26 million YouTube subscribers. (TikTok pays its creators based on a number of factors, including how often users watch their videos.)
To better compete against TikTok, YouTube has also started testing a new home page feature that would spotlight Shorts videos. The company is also considering making Shorts its own standalone app, as The Wall Street Journal reported last week.
But YouTube’s most effective weapon against TikTok may be its deep pockets. As a division of Google, YouTube has access to billions of dollars in annual revenue. That gives the company an advantage when it comes to enticing new talent and keeping existing stars from defecting.
It’s still early days for Shorts, and YouTube will need to make a number of changes before the feature can truly compete with TikTok. But with its deep pockets and vast user base, YouTube has a better chance than most challengers.
But YouTube sees its effort as more ambitious than what TikTok has done. Neal Mohan, the company’s chief product officer, described the plan as the first to fund short-form online video “at scale.”
“This is just the beginning, and we’ll be working hard to bring this to more countries and make it available to even more creators,” he said.
The goal, Mr. Mohan said, is to create a virtuous circle in which better-funded videos lead to more engaged viewers, which in turn attracts more advertisers and creates more revenue to fund even more videos.
To that end, YouTube is not only sharing ad revenue with Shorts creators but also giving them access to new tools, such as the ability to add watermarks and links to their other social media accounts. The company is also working on ways to help creators find an audience for their videos and track how well they perform.
YouTube’s ad-sharing program is currently invite-only and only available in India, where TikTok is banned. The Google-owned company says it will eventually make the features more widely available.
The move comes as YouTube faces growing pressure from TikTok, the short-form video app that has been downloaded more than 2 billion times globally. In recent months, TikTok has lured away several top YouTube stars, including Loren Gray, who has 26 million YouTube subscribers. (TikTok pays its creators based on a number of factors, including how often users watch their videos.)
