YouTube on Monday announced the introduction of the beta version of YouTube Shorts in Nigeria, that allows creators to make short, catchy videos from their mobile devices.
The Shorts beta will be available to everybody in Nigeria by Wednesday, July 14 2021, the company said in a statement.
YouTube Shorts, which was first announced in September 2020, has expanded to 26 countries and will now be available across more than 100 countries around the world where YouTube is available.
While short form videos were already viewable in the platform, the company said users in Nigeria will be able to access for the first time Shorts’ creation tools.
These tools include a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more.
It added that users will also have the ability to sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from videos all across YouTube –which includes billions of videos worldwide – unlocking a new playground of creativity like never before.
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“This means that users can give their own creative spin on the content they love to watch on YouTube and help find it a new audience — whether it’s reacting to their favorite jokes, trying their hand at a creator’s latest recipe, or re-enacting comedic skits. Creators will be in control and will be able to opt out if they don’t want their long form video remixed,” the statement read in part.
YouTube said it was adding a new set of features to all existing and new markets such as:
- Add text to specific points in your video
- Automatically add captions to your Short
- Record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera
- Add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts camera
- Add basic filters to colour correct your Shorts, with more effects to come in the future
“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts,” the Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts, Todd Sherman, said.
“As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we’ll be adding more features for users to try”, he added.
With Shorts being a new way to watch and create on YouTube, the company said it was considering various ways to monetise Shorts and reward creators for their content, including the recently announced YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund distributed over the course of 2021 to 2022.
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When it comes to music, artists and creators will have a large library of songs to use in their Shorts from over 250 labels and publishers around the world, including Universal Music Group’s labels and publishing companies, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and Warner Chappell Music, Believe, Merlin, Because Music, Beggars and Kobalt.
