Following the TikTok ban in India after government order in 2020, platforms like Meta and YouTube looked at it as an opportunity to feed the hunger that the absence of TikTok caused, and the two integrated short videos section in the app. Meta was the first to do so, and YouTube followed with an Indian release in 2020, and a global release – a year later.
Senior folks at YouTube are concerned that the 1-minute video content may eventually fade the beauty of long-form videos, which YouTube has always been mostly known for. YouTube parent Alphabet earlier reported that over 2 billion people watch YouTube shorts every month.
YouTube’s ad revenue has been declining YoY for straight three quarters in Q1 2023, reported TechCrunch, which is concerning given the fact that the platform majorly relies on that.
Sooner, during its Q2 2023 results, YouTube parent reported earnings of over $7.67 billion through ads with 4% YoY growth. However, about three years after launch, it is still figuring out more ways to reap a bigger paycheck from Shorts.
There has also been a shift in content publishing on the platform; the content creators mostly push short-form content and less long-form content. Because maybe short-form content is easier to consume than a long-form, however, YouTube doesn’t like it. It seems.
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Amid all the ongoing revenue concerns, YouTube can’t ignore the fact – that Shorts is getting widely popular and Alphabet Inc. can’t afford to lose this market share.
TikTok boasts the title of undisputable winner globally, followed by Reels and Shorts. And, in India, Instagram takes an edge over YouTube due to several reasons.
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