YouTube Shorts, a short-form video app similar to TikTok, originally launched in India last year, is now expanding its availability globally.

According to reports from The Verge, YouTube Shorts, still in its beta phase, is now accessible “across more than 100 countries worldwide where YouTube operates.”

Catching Up with TikTok

YouTube Shorts aims to rival TikTok as the preferred platform for short-form video content. While TikTok dominates this space, Google’s YouTube is leveraging Shorts’ integration with its broader ecosystem as a unique selling proposition.

The platform recently introduced features allowing Shorts creators to use audio samples from existing YouTube videos. Additionally, YouTube is exploring ways to create quick links from Shorts to the original YouTube videos that inspired them.

Growth and Popularity

In April, YouTube announced a significant surge in Shorts’ popularity, with over 6.5 billion daily views as of March. This marks a substantial increase from the 3.5 billion daily views reported at the end of 2020.

YouTube initially introduced the Shorts feature in India in September last year. It offers creators and artists a platform to produce short, engaging videos using just their mobile devices.

Expansion Efforts

Following its success in India, YouTube expanded the Shorts feature to the United States in beta. This strategic move reflects YouTube’s ambition to compete more aggressively in the short-form video market.

As YouTube Shorts continues to roll out globally, it represents an exciting opportunity for creators and users worldwide to engage with dynamic, bite-sized content on the platform.