YouTube launches Shorts, its TikTok-like short-form video feature, in India

TikTok may live to see another day here in the U.S., but competition for short-form video is getting even fiercer. Following Instagram’s introduction of Reels, YouTube has announced a new feature called Shorts, which is launching in early beta in India.

YouTube Shorts will allow users to create 15-second videos that can be set to music. The service will reportedly feature hundreds of thousands of tracks to choose from, with more music expected to be added in the future.

Shorts will appear on the homepage in a section dedicated to the feature. Users can swipe vertically from one video to the next to discover new Shorts. In a blog post, YouTube encourages users to upload existing short videos as a way to get discovered.

The experience itself will give users a number of controls to create engaging Shorts. Beyond the ability to choose music, users will be able to string multiple video clips together, control the speed of clips, and use a timer and countdown for hands-free recording.

YouTube boasts more than 2 billion views per month, so there’s plenty of opportunities for users to find a massive audience. However, there’s a lot of competition for short-form video content right now, including on Instagram’s Reels and ByteDance’s TikTok platforms, to name a few.

We first got wind of Shorts when references to the feature showed up earlier this year. Not only did strings of code reveal the feature was being prepped, but short videos started to appear for some users as far back as April. YouTube Shorts is now launching first in India, with a wider rollout expected in the coming months.

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