Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor YouTube Shorts are about to get a longer playing time. The video platform’s TikTok-like short-form format will triple the maximum length of videos, boosting it from 60 seconds to 3 minutes.
Starting Oct. 15, creators will be able to upload YouTube Shorts that are up to 3 minutes long. The change will make “storytelling on Shorts more immersive,” Todd Sherman, director of product management for YouTube Shorts, wrote in a blog post. “This was a top-requested feature by creators, so we’re excited to give you more flexibility to tell your story.” It’s worth noting that TikTok has already been down this road: In 2021, it expanded the max length of videos from 60 seconds to 3 minutes.
Currently, videos recorded in TikTok can be up to 10 minutes long and videos uploaded to the app can be up to 60 minutes long — a move by TikTok to compete with YouTube in longer-form content.
The 3-minute maximum length for YouTube Shorts applies to videos that are square or vertical in aspect ratio; clips uploaded prior to Oct.
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