YouTube Shorts Not So Short Anymore

Short videos have always captured our fancy even going way back to when Vine was still alive. Videos that are a minute or less are easy to consume, don’t get boring, and the algorithms that the video services employ these days are extremely addictive. But just about every short-form video platform can’t seem to stay short, and that includes YouTube Shorts, which will soon raise its duration limit to 3 minutes.

YouTube Shorts

While many feel that the current 60 seconds is plenty, on October 15th we’ll all enjoy (or not) an increase of 3 times that limit.

That’s not all, new features for Shorts will include a ‘template’ feature to help creators to respond to trends and create videos that they like, and plans for remixing long-form YouTube videos into Shorts clips.

Plus Google’s Veo video-generating AI will be available on Shorts this year, so people won’t even need to take the time to shoot their own videos.

Many Reasons

Reportedly the reason behind the increase is to “make storytelling more immersive,” but you have to wonder if this move will cannibalize both user and creator time from YouTube. On the other hand it may be a move to try to differentiate between the types of users that use each platform.

For instance, hipster influencers might be more likely to use Shorts, while creators who try to educate or entertain tend to go for longer form videos on YouTube.

It’s also possible that the move may be more about TikTok than anything. In 2021, TikTok expanded the maximum length of its videos from 60 seconds to 3 minutes, and currently they can be up to 10 minutes long. Videos uploaded via the app can be as long as 60 minutes, which reportedly was a decision to compete with YouTube.

With legislation against TikTok in the US becoming more likely, this could also be a preemptive move to be more like TikTok in the event that the service actually is blocked by US service providers.

Regardless of the reason, it looks like longer “short” videos are here to stay.


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