TikTok introduces paywalled content, with videos up to 20 minutes long

On Tuesday, TikTok announced an exciting new monetizing avenue for creators on the social media app. The new “kid on the block” is called Series, a feature allowing selecting creators to share up to 20-minute videos made available behind a paywall for followers to purchase. Creators can include up to 80 videos per “Series” and set their rates from $1 to $190. Followers can then buy access from the creator’s profile page or using direct in-video links, according to a TikTok spokesperson.

In the past, users have only been able to share 10-minute, 3-minute, 1-minute, or 15-second videos on the social media platform.

TikTok has turned up the heat with competitor platforms like YouTube with its latest long-form video option, even though competition has existed between TikTok and YouTube. YouTube introduced a natural alternative in August 2021 to TikTok with its YouTube shorts. 

Other companies that tried to counter TikTok’s meteoric rise in the U.S. was Snap and Meta, who also introduced short video features. However, that didn’t stop TikTok from gaining popularity on the social front.

Although TikTok has stated that the Series option will only be available to a select group of creators for now. There is no need for disappointment, as there is talk about opening applications for other creators to enroll in the coming months.

There seem to be data privacy concerns doing rounds due to TikTok’s parent company ByteDance which is privately held and based in China.

We have heard many rumors about the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voting to advance legislation that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok. Word on the ground is that on Tuesday afternoon Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. are set to introduce a new bipartisan bill.

What will this mean for local TikTok users? The new bill will empower the Secretary of Commerce to act against some foreign tech companies, including ByteDance. I guess we will have to wait and see the outcome, but in the meantime, there are prospects for TikTok creators to monetize their videos for more than just pennies!

TikTok introduces paywalled content, with videos up to 20 minutes long