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YouTube has introduced updates aimed at making it easier for users to watch the latest news and helping news publishers create more Shorts content.

According to TechCrunch on Tuesday (Oct 24, 2023), YouTube is rolling out an immersive news watch page designed to aggregate content from various official media outlets and trusted publishers.

Additionally, the video-streaming platform has launched the “Shorts Innovation Program for News,” which offers financial support and other resources to news organizations creating short-form videos on YouTube.

To kick things off, YouTube is partnering with more than 30 organizations across 10 countries, providing a total of USD 1.6 million in funding.

“Over the next year, YouTube experts will work closely with several newsrooms—including Univision in the U.S., AFP in France, and Mediacorp in Singapore—on Shorts content strategies and best practices in video production,” the company said in a blog post.

YouTube explained that the program is designed to support news publishers who want to expand into short-form content but lack sufficient resources.

A Central Hub for News Across Multiple Formats

In its blog post, YouTube also confirmed that the new news watch page will feature content from various news sources across video-on-demand, livestreams, podcasts, and YouTube Shorts.

This gives viewers the ability to explore news from multiple perspectives. With support for different formats, users can choose whether to dive deeper into stories or simply watch quick summaries through short videos.

The new news page is set to roll out to mobile users in around 40 countries, with desktop and TV versions planned for future release.

Google’s video platform says it is confident that this enhanced news experience will help audiences access credible, diverse viewpoints on important topics.