August 16, 2022

Google and Others, to Focus on Discovering and Fostering Creators of “Short Videos”

Google, which operates YouTube, has established a fund that will pay contributors a total of $100 million (about 13 billion yen) by 2022. TikTok, which originated in China, has launched a unique training program in Japan. The use of short videos is growing, especially among young people, and Google and others are rushing to address this issue along with longer videos.

Google established "YouTube Short Fund" to monetize short videos in 2021. The system distributes rewards in the range of $100 to $10,000 per month based on performance, such as number of video views. Google has stated that they will give back $100 million to the creators over the course of 2022.

Short videos are difficult to add advertisements because of their short duration, and it is currently difficult to monetize them at the same level as longer videos. The fund is a breakthrough to attract creators even under such circumstances. For 40% of the creators who received revenue from THE FUND in 2021, this was their first opportunity to earn compensation from YouTube.

The US Meta is not to be outdone. They made an announcement to invest $1 billion by the end of 2022 in programs to help creators generate revenue, among other things.

The popularity of short videos is on the rise. According to a study of global smartphone app usage trends compiled by the app research firm UpAny, the leader in downloads in 2021 was TikTok, a pioneer in short videos. Many younger generations prefer videos that can be viewed quickly and in a short time rather than long videos. It is also suitable for "watching while moving," eroding the demand for longer videos.