There is a significant rise in the competition in the country regarding short-video space, where YouTube took the latest entrant in the segment with its ‘Shorts’. The Google-owned platform is attempting to fulfill the void created with the ban of TikTok in India, as it said that it is starting to test the latest tools for content creators and artists of YouTube with its early beta in India.

YouTube posted a blog saying, “YouTube Shorts, a new short-form video experience (15 seconds or less), for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using their mobile phones. Over the next few days in India, we're launching an early beta of Shorts with a handful of new creation tools to test out. This is an early version of the product, but we're releasing it now to bring you — our global community of users, creators, and artists — on our journey with us as we build and improve Shorts.”

YouTube also said that it is continuing the addition of more features and expansion to other countries in the next months based on the learning of the users’ feedback. The Indian government on June 29, banned 59 mobile applications related to Chinese links, which included the short video platform TikTok. The banned applications were termed as ‘prejudicial to sovereignty of the country’. After the ban, a number of homegrown applications got launched which include Roposo, Chingari, Josh (Dailyhunt), and Moj (ShareChat). Facebook-owned Instagram has also launched ‘Reel’ within the Instagram app for cashing in on the spurt in usage of such platforms after TikTok ban.

Analysts suggest that the ban created opportunities for players for growth acceleration. The new platforms should ensure good user experience and engagement on their platforms for a successful invasion. YouTube said, “Over the years, the platform has enabled creators to share their voice, who have found an audience of more than two billion people.”

"User-generated short videos were born on YouTube starting with our first upload, a short 18-second video 'Me at the zoo'. As technology advances, creators and artists can now take advantage of the incredible power of smartphones to easily create and publish high-quality content wherever they are in the world," YouTube added.

YouTube’s main focus is on building its foundation in the three main areas – create, getting discovered, and watching. YouTube said, “We are starting to test new tools for creators and artists with the early beta in India. This includes a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the option to record with music from a large library of songs, speed controls, and a timer and countdown to easily record, hands-free.”

It further stated, "We also recently rolled out a prominent new spot for the create icon on Android, starting in India. We'll continue to expand to iOS devices and in more countries soon. You can also expect more creation features in the coming months."