YouTube is doubling down on its multiformat strategy through several additions to Shorts. The short-form destination’s new features include a take on TikTok’s Stitches called Collabs, and more changes are coming: YouTube is testing a “mobile-first vertical live experience” that will bring more streaming content to Shorts.
In a blog post, YouTube Shorts Senior Director of Product Management for Creation & Community Sarah Ali described the incoming live format as a way for streamers to get more visibility on the Shorts feed. “Creators can go live in just a few taps – just make sure it’s vertical orientation! – and features like Super Chat, Super Stickers, and channel memberships will be available, too,” Ali wrote. “This is also a great opportunity for creators who recently joined our YouTube Partner Program with the new, lower eligibility requirements to unlock these fan funding features.”
On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, vertical live streams have become a strong revenue source for many creators. In recent weeks, “NPC” creators have made thousands of dollars per day by speaking rehearsed lines in exchange for viewer gifts. YouTube’s decision to encourage mobile live streaming is part of its plan to enable multiple forms of monetization within the Shorts ecosystem.
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Live streams on Shorts combine two YouTube formats. So does Collabs. Creators on iOS can employ the new Shorts feature when they want to put their recording next to a preexisting YouTube video or Short. The two selected videos will appear side-by-side in a split-screen layout. Android support will “follow” the Apple rollout, according to YouTube.
TikTok’s support for smashed-together videos dates back to its Musical.ly days, when it debuted Duets. The collaborative feature has spawned several imitators, including Instagram’s Remixes. TikTok added a second split-screen option with Stitch, which arrived in 2020.
YouTube’s other new creation tools include Q&A boxes — which will be added to the list of effects on Shorts — and “new recomposition tools” that will simplify the process of transforming long-form uploads into Shorts when it arrives “in the coming weeks.” Check out YouTube’s blog post for more details.
