YouTube Introduces New Features to Compete with TikTok and Instagram
YouTube is stepping up its game in the short-form video content space with the introduction of new features that make YouTube Shorts more similar to TikToks than ever before. The move comes after the success of TikTok and the subsequent efforts of other platforms, including YouTube, to leverage its popularity. On Tuesday, YouTube announced a range of features aimed at optimizing both the viewing and creating process for Shorts, many of which are already found on TikTok and Instagram.
One of the new features is called Collab, YouTube’s take on TikTok’s Duet feature. This feature allows users to react to a video in a split-screen format next to the original video as it plays. Collab is already being rolled out to creators on iOS and will continue to be rolled out in the coming weeks. This feature enhances the interactive and collaborative nature of Shorts, allowing users to engage with content in a unique way.
Another feature coming to YouTube Shorts is live vertical videos. This feature, already popular on TikTok and Instagram, allows creators to livestream in a vertical video format for their followers to join. Similar to the Live feature on TikTok, YouTube’s version will enable fans to send funds to their favorite creators while watching the live stream. The demo showcased buttons with viewers’ profiles next to the amount of money they gifted the creator, enhancing the monetization potential for creators on the platform.
YouTube is also adding new effects and stickers to Shorts, including a Q&A feature similar to those found on TikTok and Instagram. This feature allows creators to ask their audience questions on their videos and see the responses populate in the comments. Additionally, creators can now respond to comments with another Short, further facilitating the creation of new content. They can also recreate a short they see with a click of the Remix button, similar to the features already available on TikTok.
While most of the features introduced by YouTube are already found on TikTok and Instagram, there are two unique features that have the potential to significantly improve the creating and viewing experience on YouTube Shorts. The first is the option to save Shorts to playlists. Previously, YouTube had this option only for horizontal videos, but now users can also save their favorite short-form videos to specific playlists for easy access later. This feature allows users to curate their own collections of Shorts and revisit them whenever they want.
The second unique feature is a recomposition tool that allows creators to transform their horizontal videos into Shorts easily. YouTube users will be able to adjust the segment of the video’s layout, zoom, and crop the clip to fit the Shorts layout. This tool provides creators with more flexibility in repurposing their existing content for Shorts, saving them time and effort in creating new videos from scratch.
Overall, YouTube’s latest features for Shorts demonstrate the platform’s commitment to competing with TikTok and Instagram in the short-form video space. By incorporating popular features from these platforms while also introducing unique tools, YouTube aims to attract both creators and viewers to its Shorts platform. As the battle for short-form video dominance continues, it will be interesting to see how YouTube’s efforts pay off and how the competition responds.
