The TikTok application is now disputing the truth of YouTube with longer-form videos. You are wondering if TikTok is still a short form video platform. Since the company announced that it is going to expand the maximum length for uploads up to 10 minutes, it seems less and less so.
TikTok has been checking ever longer uploads for years; last July the platform introduced three-minute videos, but the latest update is still the longest increase and will now launch globally.
A company spokesperson in a statement said that they are always thinking about new ways for bringing value to their community and enriching the TikTok experience.
Last year, they had introduced longer videos, so their community had more time for creating and also being entertained on TikTok. Now, they are delighted to launch the feature for uploading videos that can be up to 10 minutes, which probably would provide more creative feasibility for the creators across the globe.”
Some of the users received this news via a notification within the app; it was also shared on Twitter by Matt Navarra, social media consultant, and analyst:
Even though the rapid rise of TikTok’s popularity was based on a ceaseless stream of short videos customized to grab the attention of users, the company has been encouraging longer content for a while now. Longer videos let TikTok compete with YouTube as well as attract a more aged audience and grow total engagement time on the application.
While evolution to longer content may damage the company by limiting the total data it is capable of collecting on watching habits of the users, which is actually what customizes TikTok’s algorithms for attracting users primarily. Simply put, optimizing the length of content is somewhat a balancing act.
Sarcastically, at the same time that TikTok develops to provide longer content for creators and also users, its competitors — incited by the success of TikTok — have moved toward the reverse direction. IG, YouTube, Snapchat offered Reels, the aptly-named Shorts, and Spotlight respectively.
All of these companies are making efforts to find the formula right.
A spokesperson said that longer-form content is generally simpler to make money and people also stay on the platform longer. But TikTok requires working out exactly how to place and present these videos on its platform.
