YouTube has confirmed its investment for the recently launched Shorts in Kenya with a pledge of paying content creators up to KES 1.1 million every month for short 15-second videos uploaded.

YouTube has confirmed its plans to set up a KES 10.98 billion fund that will be distributed between 2021 and 2022. This will be a reward for those who create the most content that generates the most excitement and engagement on the platform.

The fund will then be distributed among thousands of eligible content creators each month as a bonus payment. Of course, the amount will depend on the videos’ performance throughout the month.

Start off your week with tech news recap and trending conversations in your inbox

Enter valid email-id

Subscribe

I prefer it on Telegram

Kenyan YouTubers will then be glad to be included in a fund that was initially available in only a few countries. This includes Nigeria, South Africa, India, UK and the U.S. among others.

In a statement revealing this, YouTube says, “Creators can receive up to Sh1.1 million ($10,000) based on viewership and engagement of their Shorts content. To qualify, channels must meet the minimum eligibility requirements refreshed each month to give other creators the opportunity to receive a reward for their creative and unique Shorts.”

This could definitely be a huge motivating factor for content creators across the country to concentrate more on Shorts as much as they do on longer videos. But it eventually helps YouTube grow Shorts created to rival TikTok that dominates the scene right now. So, the more content is uploaded on Shorts, the better for creators and YouTube in general.

The performance level required to qualify for a bonus payment will vary every month. This is based on the location of viewers and the general growth of Shorts.

“The Shorts Fund is the first step in building a monetisation model for Shorts on YouTube and is a chance for creators to earn and build their growing businesses as the world focuses on economic recovery,’’ it added.

“Across the world, Shorts creators have already attracted millions of subscribers via their shorts-only channels.”

This will definitely not be hard for some Kenyan content creators who have been busy uploading similar content on TikTok and Instagram Reels. So it is just a matter of how they will transfer the same engagement to YouTube. But this will also motivate other creators who haven’t really concentrated on Shorts to start making their own 15-second videos.