YouTube Shorts Arrives In Kenya

YouTube has announced the arrival of the beta version of YouTube Shorts in Kenya, the company’s new short-form video experience for creating short, catchy videos using mobile phones.

Shorts, which was first announced in September 2020 in 26 countries, will now be available across more than 100 countries around the world where YouTube is available. While short-form videos were already viewable on the platform, users in Kenya and around the world will for the first time access Shorts’ creation tools. This will include a multi-segment camera that enables them to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more.

“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts,” said Todd Sherman, Global Product Manager for YouTube Shorts. “As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we will be adding more features for users to try”, he added.

Timed with the product’s international expansion, YouTube Shorts comes with a new set of features where users can add text to specific points in the video, automatically add captions to the Short, record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera, add clips from the phone’s gallery to add to the recordings made with the Shorts camera and add basic filters to colour correct the Shorts, with more effects to come in the future.

The new features also include the ability to sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from videos all across YouTube. This includes billions of videos worldwide and unlocking a new playground of creativity. This means that users can give their creative spin on the content they love to watch on YouTube and help find a new audience — whether it is reacting to their favourite 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 do not want their long-form video remixed.

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, 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.