YouTube Shorts Hits 200 Billion Daily Views, Veo 3 AI Confirmed For This Summer

YouTube Shorts has officially hit 200 billion daily views, CEO Neal Mohan announced today at the Cannes Lions Festival. That number nearly triples last year’s estimate and signals YouTube’s total grip on the short-form video market.

Mohan also confirmed a summer launch for Veo 3, Google’s next-gen AI video model. Unlike its predecessor, Veo 3 will allow Shorts creators to generate and edit high-quality videos with audio directly inside YouTube. The tool will first roll out to users subscribed to Google’s AI Pro or Ultra tiers.

The Shorts format launched globally in 2021, but its growth has exploded over the past 18 months. In parallel, users now stream over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos per day on smart TVs. YouTube currently leads all other streaming platforms in total viewership on connected TVs, according to Nielsen’s latest data.

Other recent Google news –

• What is YouTube’s Open Call Feature, and How Does it Help Brands Hire Creators
• YouTube Is Safe For “Brands” Says MRC – Here’s What It Means
• What is YouTube Premium Lite, and What are its Limitations

For creators, the news means stronger incentives to focus on vertical video. YouTube’s push to integrate Shorts into its broader ecosystem — including TV apps and monetization tools — gives creators more visibility and ad revenue potential.

Still, the short-form boom raises concerns. Critics argue that dopamine-heavy content feeds addiction and pulls focus away from long-form storytelling. Mohan didn’t address that directly, but YouTube’s feature roadmap suggests both formats will continue to coexist.

With Veo 3 and Shorts feeding each other, YouTube has made its position clear: dominate mobile and connected screens by accelerating creator tools and viewer volume.

You may also be interested to read –

• Google Meet Just Got Better – You Can Now Style Captions Your Way
• Windows 11 User Gets Locked Out for Skipping Microsoft Account Setup, and People Are Not Having It
• Facebook Will Shift All Its Videos to Reels To Streamline Upload Process – Here’s How