Alphabet-owned YouTube has rolled out the beta, or test, version of Shorts – its short-form video experience to rival popular Chinese app TikTok – in more than 100 countries, including the Middle East and North Africa region.
First launched in India in September last year and then in the US in March, Shorts has since expanded to nearly 26 countries. It allows creators and artists to film short, catchy videos using their mobile phones and produce videos lasting up to 60 seconds.
“Through their videos and live streams, Arabic-speaking YouTube creators broke world records, raised millions for humanitarian causes and created powerful communities around their content,” Tarek Amin, director of YouTube for the Mena region, said.
As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we will be adding more features for users to try
Todd Sherman,
global product manager for YouTube Shorts
“YouTube Shorts will be another tool for them to continue telling their stories and expressing their creativity,” he added.
YouTube, which has more than 2 billion monthly logged-in users and over a billion hours of videos that generate massive amounts of views, is doubling down its efforts to expand within the shorter video format to compete with rival apps such as TikTok, Instagram (Reels) and Snapchat (Spotlight).
The company, which did not disclose the exact number of creators and active users of Shorts, said the YouTube Shorts player has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views since its launch.
Users of Shorts can automatically add captions, include clips from the phone’s gallery, use basic filters to colour-correct the recordings and also set the timer countdown to record hands-free and choose when to automatically stop the recording.
Shorts is still in its beta phase, and YouTube said it will add more features to its new platform in the coming months.
“We want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts … as we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we will be adding more features for users to try,” Todd Sherman, global product manager for YouTube Shorts, told a media roundtable.
Short-form video creators can’t share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player. Instead, the company has started $100 million YouTube Shorts Fund to attract more users and reward them for their contributions to Shorts.
Funds will be distributed over the course of 2021-2022 and the company will reach out to creators whose Shorts received the most engagement and views to reward them for their contributions, YouTube said.
“We will be using this fund to help creators monetise their videos while we begin testing ads and work on longer-term monetisation solutions.”
“Creators have built entire businesses on YouTube and we want to enable the next generation of mobile creators to also grow a community on YouTube with Shorts,” it added.
Over the last three years, YouTube has paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists and media companies that generate content to be shared on the platform.
YouTube Shorts player's new features also include the ability to sample audio not only from other Shorts but also from billions of videos across YouTube.
This means that users can put their own spin on the content they like to watch on YouTube and help find it a new audience. However, creators will be in control and will be able to opt out if they don’t want their long-form video remixed.
Music creators will have access to a large library of songs to use in their Shorts from multiple labels and publishers including Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, Believe, Merlin, Because Music, Beggars and Kobalt.
The company has introduced a space on the YouTube homepage especially for Shorts and allows users to swipe vertically from one video to the next. It will soon add a Shorts tab on mobiles that makes it easier for users to watch Shorts with a single tap.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Tips%20for%20travelling%20while%20needing%20dialysis
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EInform%20your%20doctor%20about%20your%20plans.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAsk%20about%20your%20treatment%20so%20you%20know%20how%20it%20works.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPay%20attention%20to%20your%20health%20if%20you%20travel%20to%20a%20hot%20destination.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPlan%20your%20trip%20well.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
