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TikTok’s Newest Update
TikTok announced a new test of 60-minute uploads with some users, demonstrating its confidence that at least some viewers will watch a 60-minute movie on the platform.
Post by @mattnavarraView on Threads
In an attempt to broaden its scope beyond entertainment, the application is experimenting with longer videos, as demonstrated by this example shared by social media guru Matt Navarra.
The maximum length of a video on the platform has been gradually increased over time. It started at 15 seconds and went up to 60 seconds, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and finally 10 minutes in 2022.
TikTok started experimenting with 15-minute uploads in October, then in January of this year, the platform expanded to 30-minute videos once more.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the app has expanded to include 60-minute clips. However, the important question is whether users would truly view these lengthy videos.
TikTok reports that there is a desire for this from creators since it will provide them more chances to include longer storylines in their uploads.
According to TechCrunch:
“TikTok says that while creators can weave multipart stories together by telling viewers to go to part two or more of a story, it often hears from creators who want more time for things like cooking demos, beauty tutorials, educational lesson plans, comedic sketches and more.”
Artists desire it, but viewers?
To be honest, I don’t think there will be much of a market for longer clips. Furthermore, the fact that Meta is actively discouraging authors from posting Reels longer than ninety seconds suggests that there isn’t much of a market for extremely long in-stream films.
However, TikTok also wants to grow its platform and become a more significant entertainment facilitator.
Although TikTok also introduced a program earlier this year to encourage creators to post lengthier videos in landscape format, there is obviously some pressure from the company to make this move and, perhaps, alter how users interact with the platform.
Longer videos have been encouraged on the Douyin app in China as well; perhaps TikTok is seeking to emulate this success.
Furthermore, that can make it stronger of a rival to YouTube in the competition for creators.
Longer videos have higher potential for revenue because you may include pre- and mid-roll advertising into the content, although TikTok’s revenue streams are still rather restricted at the moment.
Perhaps this is the primary driving force behind achieving compatibility with other platforms so that producers can establish their home base within the app rather than utilizing TikTok as a supplemental channel.
Once more, I’m not sure if users will react as favorably, but it might be worth trying. Furthermore, TikTok might as well do everything before being prohibited in the United States if it believes that prohibition is imminent.
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