TikTok expands its maximum length of its videos to 10 minutes, inching closing to competing with YouTube’s
long for videos.
YouTube still in the lead miles ahead as the world’s largest video streaming platform, with more than 2 billion users every month.
TikTok revealed in September that it already has over 1 billion global Monthly Active Users (MAUs) and is predicted to surpass that number in 2022.
In September 2020, YouTube hit back at TikTok’s closing in by launching its rival Shorts platform in India, the US, and expansions into Latin America, Canada and the UK.
Shorts videos can still only be a maximum of 60 seconds long.
TikTok and YouTube aren’t just competing for users and creators, they’re also competing for advertising revenue as reported in Music Business Worldwide.
YouTube generated USD $8.63 billion in advertising revenues in Q4 2021 (ended December) and over $28 billion across the course of 2021.
TikTok, meanwhile, generated USD $4 billion in ad revenues last year, but aims to triple that figure to $12 billion in 2022, according to China based news outlet LatePost.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience.”
“Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.”
Spokesperson, TikTok
The TikTok spokesperson added: “Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok.
“Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.”
As of December 2021 approximately 430 songs surpassed 1 billion video views as TikTok ‘sounds’ last year, three times more than in 2020, when over 175 songs reached the billion view mark.
TikTok notes that these view counts don’t “exist in a vacuum, but directly translate to commercial success for trending songs and artists”, with over 175 songs that trended on the platform in 2021 charting on the Billboard Hot 100, twice the number that charted in 2020 according to TikTok.
Creator Funds
YouTube Shorts launched a $100 million Shorts Fund in May last year to pay “thousands of creators” for their content on the platform.
The launch of the fund followed TikTok’s own $200 million Creator Fund in the United States in July 2020.
