YouTube to add watermark to downloaded Shorts

YouTube will display a watermark on Shorts downloaded from the platform to increase awareness of the platform in a crosspost. TikTok, for example, has been doing this for some time.

Instagram even gives less priority to watermarked Reels from another platform. YouTube is itself too clear about his motivation. “We’ll add a watermark to the Shorts you download so that your viewers on other platforms can see that the content you share can be found on YouTube Shorts.” The watermark is now being “rolled out” on the desktop version of YouTube Shorts and mobile platforms will follow in the coming months. According to YouTube, the watermark can only be seen when a creator downloads one of their videos.

Such short videos are a popular format today. YouTube reported two months ago that Shorts has 1.5 billion monthly active users. The major competitor TikTok reported last year to have a billion monthly active users. That translates to a lot of potential for advertising revenue.

YouTube Shorts