Last week, YouTube, the popular video-sharing and social media platform launched a beta version of a short-form video experience called “YouTube shorts” in Nigeria. Shorts is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy, 60 seconds videos using their mobile phones.

Since its initial launch in 2020, YouTube Shorts has expanded to 26 countries and will now be available in over 100 countries where YouTube is available. Although YouTube shorts were already available on the platform, Nigerian users will now be able to access Short’s creation tools, which include a multi-segment camera for stringing multiple video clips together, the option to record with music, and speed controls that allow for creative freedom. There is also a timer and countdown so you can record Shorts hands-free.

YouTube Shorts is expected to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels, and as of today, the YouTube Shorts player has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views worldwide.

YouTube content creators

YouTube content creators, also known as YouTubers, upload over 500 hours of content per minute to a global audience of over two billion people. According to YouTube, it has “aided an entire generation of creators in turning their creativity into businesses and becoming the next-generation media companies. We have paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies in the last three years.”

The YouTube company has been looking for ways to monetize Shorts and reward content creators for their content to support the next generation of mobile creators with Shorts, including the recently announced YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund distributed from 2021 to 2022. Anyone who creates Shorts for the YouTube community is eligible to participate in the fund. Creators whose Shorts received the most engagement and views monthly would be rewarded for their efforts.

YouTube also introduced a new feature called ‘Super Thanks‘ recently. Super Thanks is currently in beta and is available on desktop and mobile devices to creators and viewers in 68 countries (Android and IOS). Fans watching YouTube videos purchase the feature to express their gratitude and support for content creators.

After making a ‘Super Thanks’ purchase, fans will see an animated GIF and, as a bonus, a distinct, colourful comment to highlight their purchase, to which content creators will be able to easily respond. Super Thanks is currently available in price ranges ranging from $2 to $50. (or local currency equivalent). While Super Thanks brings content creators closer to their fans, it also introduces a new revenue stream. Super Thanks is not currently available to all content creators, but YouTube will make it available to all eligible creators in the YouTube Partner Program later this year.

YouTube content creators in Nigeria

As of the third quarter of 2020, YouTube is the third most popular social media platform in Nigeria, with 82 per cent of people with internet access using it, trailing only WhatsApp and Facebook, which have 93 and 86 per cent, respectively. This internet space has seen a massive increase in the number of content creators who create appealing skits based on happenings in Nigeria. 

For example, Emanuella, a young comedian, creates skits based on mischief commonly associated with children. Taooma creates skits based on the no-nonsense attitude of a typical African/Nigerian mother. Mr. Macaroni creates content by playing the role of a ‘sugar daddy’ and exposing the consequences of such a lifestyle. And MC Lively creates comedy based on the character of an unemployed Nigerian graduate and how he navigates Lagos for a job. 

The subscribers of the aforementioned YouTube content creators range from over 300,000 to 7 million. And these are only a few of the numerous content creators that have emerged in recent years.

Some global viral trends that emerged from Nigeria were featured on YouTube. Josh Alfred, also known as Josh2funny, created the pun-filled ‘Don’t leave me’ challenge, which was widely replicated by celebrities around the world. The ‘Dont Rush’ challenge, co-created by Toluwalase Asolo with seven friends from different parts of Africa, is another popular viral trend that made its way to YouTube.

Given the proclivity of Nigerians to create brilliant, appealing content, the YouTube fund would certainly benefit many Nigerian content creators. And although Nigeria is not one of the 68 countries where the ‘Super Thanks’ feature is currently available, its expected availability by the end of the year would help encourage content creation in the country.

Written by Adekunle Agbetiloye

Elsewhere on Ventures

Triangle arrow