YouTube expands shopping features following digital ad slowdown

YouTube is bringing shopping features to its TikTok-like short-form video service, as it looks to diversify its revenue stream squeezed by falling ad spending, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Ad sales on Alphabet-owned YouTube slipped to $7.07 billion in the third quarter from $7.2 billion a year earlier, as some advertisers pulled back on their ad spending in the face of an economic slowdown.

The streaming service is also testing new commission schemes for influencers who sell products through links in videos, the newspaper said.

YouTube did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.