TikTok Gives Some Creators Ability To Put Videos Behind A Paywall

Topline

TikTok announced a new capability on Tuesday that allows some creators to charge for access to longer, exclusive videos, bringing a service offered by competitors like Patreon and Onlyfans directly to its platform.

Key Facts

The new functionality, called Series, allows certain creators to post premium content that their followers can pay to access.

These paywalled videos can be up to 20 minutes long—double the maximum allowed length of 10 minutes for other TikTok videos, and a creator can make up to 80 videos as part of a single Series.

Viewers can purchase access to this content directly on a creator’s profile or through in-video links, and the creators will set the price themselves.

TikTok did not specify which creators are eligible to use this functionality.

Key Background

To further monetize their fan base, some creators offer exclusive content to their viewers on sites like Patreon and Onlyfans, where they can charge a subscription fee for access to these videos. Series is the latest monetization function to become available on TikTok, as the social media giant competes with Instagram, Facebook and other platforms. In May, the company announced it would share ad revenue with some creators. It also offers the Creator Fund, through which it pays some popular creators for views on their videos. In September, YouTube allowed creators on its platform YouTube Shorts to earn money on ad revenue from their content. Last week, it was reported that TikTok has earned $205 million more than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter through in-app purchases in 2023.

Big Number

1 billion. That’s how many monthly users TikTok said it had in September 2021. Last month, Meta said Facebook had nearly 3 billion monthly active users as of December. YouTube says it has 2 billion monthly logged-in users.

Tangent

The White House said last month federal agencies must remove TikTok from government-issued devices within 30 days, as the platform faces widespread criticism and calls for an outright ban over national security concerns. On Tuesday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is expected to introduce a bill that would give the Biden administration the ability to regulate TikTok in the U.S.

Further Reading

TikTok Sets Default Daily Screen Time Limit For Under 18 (Forbes)

TikTok Must Be Removed From Government Workers’ Devices Within 30 Days, White House Says (Forbes)

TikTok Will Share Ad Revenue With Some Creators (Forbes)

YouTube Targets TikTok With Monetization For Creators’ Short Videos (Forbes)

TikTok Earned $205 Million More Than Facebook, Twitter, Snap And Instagram Combined On In-App Purchases In 2023 (Forbes)