YouTube Shorts Take On TikTok In A Big Way With Worldwide Expansion

YouTube Shorts, the platform's short-form video experience similar to what you get on TikTok, is now rolling out to users in more than 100 countries. The TikTok competitor first arrived in a limited fashion in India last year, later expanding into other markets including the US and UK. Despite its competition, YouTube Shorts has proven popular with users who want rapid-fire entertainment.

If you're in one of the countries that already received YouTube Shorts support, you've likely seen the banner of these short-form videos in the app. As with Snapchat, TikTok, and similar offerings, YouTube Shorts videos aren't very long; users can rapidly swipe through them with limited features directly on each video.

Creators have already embraced this new service, and it's not surprising why: it's simple to add the short-form videos they've already made for other platforms, plus YouTube is a massively popular destination with a huge viewer base. Likewise, creators can offer short edits of their longer videos, potentially drawing in new viewers who may click through to the creator's channel.

YouTube Shorts launched around a year ago in beta form with multiple tools for creators, including a multi-segment camera that enables users to join multiple clips. Likewise, creators have access to video speed controls and the option to include music in their videos from YouTube's songs library. In recent days, the feature was updated to include sampling audio from YouTube videos.

The audio sampling feature started rolling out to users in some markets last week, though it'll be a while before all creators get access to it. With YouTube Shorts expanding into the global market, it seems likely we'll see additional features and tools roll out for both users and creators, including the ability to more easily find longer YouTube videos from which Shorts are made.