1.5 billion logged in YouTube users watch Shorts, its TikTok copy - The Verge

1.5 billion logged-in YouTube users watch short-form videos on the platform each month, the company says. YouTube recently started putting ads on short-form videos and is exploring permanent monetization methods for creators.

A lot of people are watching short-form videos on YouTube after nearly two years of YouTube giving creators lucrative cash bonuses and expanding features to be increasingly like TikTok.

1.5 billion monthly users who are logged in to an account are watching short-form videos on YouTube’s TikTok clone, the company announced today. That’s compared to around 2 billion logged-in users who visit the platform monthly as of April, according to TechCrunch.

Launched in 2020, YouTube Shorts is the platform’s answer to TikTok’s ascent. Since then, Shorts have gradually made their way across the platform, including in recommendations, and the company has added additional features mimicking TikTok, like sampling. As of April, Shorts were racking up 30 billion views a day, according to Google.

“This expansion has launched a new trend on the platform: ‘the rise of the multiformat creator,’” YouTube says in a press release.

But creators making more short-form videos isn’t a coincidence — YouTube really, really wants them to and has been offering payments to creators to sweeten the deal and lure them away from other platforms. Last year, the company launched a $100 million Shorts fund that paid creators up to $10,000 per month when they make popular videos. Payment amounts vary according to engagement and where viewers are located.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/15/23167577/youtube-shorts-viewers-advertising-creator-monetization

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