YouTube, the Google-owned video site, has announced that it will be shutting down its Stories feature on June 26, 2023. The move comes as the company redirects its attention to other key areas, such as Shorts, Community posts, live videos, and its traditional long-form content. YouTube aims to align its offerings with evolving user preferences and the success of platforms like TikTok.
Stories, once widely adopted by various social apps, have seen a decline in popularity due to the rise of TikTok and its short-form vertical video format. Many services have now shifted their focus to this format, which has gained significant traction among users. YouTube is not alone in abandoning the Stories feature, as other platforms like Netflix and LinkedIn have also moved away from it in favor of alternative approaches.
Netflix previously tested a Stories-like feature called “Extras” in its mobile app, showcasing videos and photos from popular shows. However, the streaming platform eventually embraced vertical video and introduced features like “Fast Laughs,” a short-form comedy videos feed, and a vertical video feature targeted at children. Similarly, LinkedIn discontinued its Stories feature in 2021. While Spotify introduced a feature resembling Stories for artists’ profiles, the platform’s recent redesign emphasizes TikTok-like discovery feeds as its central focus.
YouTube first launched the Stories feature in 2018, initially offering it to creators with over 10,000 subscribers. However, the feature did not expand to all YouTube users, limiting the potential for casual and personal sharing to gain traction. YouTube suggested that creators could utilize Stories to engage with their audience between more polished videos, providing behind-the-scenes updates, vlogs, sneak peeks, quick updates, and more. Stories on YouTube disappeared after 7 days, unlike Instagram’s Story Highlights.
The adoption of YouTube Stories remained limited, with Community posts proving to be a more successful engagement tool for creators. Community posts allow creators to share quick updates, promote content, and interact with fans. YouTube acknowledges that Community posts drove significantly more comments and likes compared to Stories, leading to the decision to discontinue the latter. Access to Community posts has also been expanded to a wider range of creators, removing the previous requirement of 500 subscribers.
Creators have increasingly shifted their focus to YouTube Shorts, a short-form video format on the platform. YouTube recognizes the success of Shorts, as creators who utilized both Shorts and Stories experienced significantly more subscribers on the former. This trend has influenced YouTube’s decision to prioritize Shorts and invest in supporting creators across various formats.
YouTube will notify creators of the Stories shutdown through multiple channels, including forum posts, in-app messages, reminders in YouTube Studio, and upcoming Creator Insider videos. Creators will have until June 26 to create new Stories, but existing Stories will remain visible for 7 days after their original sharing date.
With the discontinuation of Stories, YouTube aims to concentrate on providing creators with the necessary tools for success and fostering audience connections through alternative formats. By aligning its offerings with user preferences and evolving industry trends, YouTube continues to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of online video content.
