YouTube Is Entering TikTok’s Turf

YouTube is testing a new feature, which will browse Shorts by default instead of the regular YT homepage. The new concept will be available on mobile platforms soon.

YouTube Shorts is a relatively new format, which premiered on the platform not too long ago. The core idea is this: you can shoot, edit and upload a 1-minute-long video using either an original sound source or “sampling” one of the YT’s videos.

The Shorts is almost a direct blow at TikTok’s dominance over the short-video segment. And just like the notorious Chinese app, it offers a palette of editing tools: simple chroma-key, clip editing, and so on.

And now, the mobile audiences will be able to choose between staying with the canonical YouTube or switching to its new Shorts incarnation.

Here’s how it works. If the last thing you’ve watched was a Shorts vid, the app will remember that. And the next time you launch YouTube from your phone, you will be redirected to the Shorts segment by default.

Interestingly, it seems that TikTok also intended to snatch some of YouTube’s audience. Recently, the maximum length of a TT clip has been extended to 3 minutes, which is monstrous compared to the initial 15 seconds that TT fans had to cram their creativity into.

YouTube is adamant about pursuing a new target audience. Recently. A $100 million “prize” fund was introduced to support the Short’s creators. Authors of the most-watched vids will be rewarded directly by YouTube for their efforts, starting with $100 and up to $10 thousand.

As of now, the segment collects 15 billion daily views. It is impressive, but it’s nowhere near TikTok’s level of engagement, with 1 billion videos being watched there every day.

Do you like YouTube Shorts? Do you think it can beat TikTok one day? Let us know in the comments