TikTok tries out being indie TV

The Future. TikTok is taking on YouTube by introducing Series — large paywalled collections of videos that can be double the length of a normal TikTok. That’s a lot of premium content, which could be a boon for big creators who want to better monetize their output. With TikTok talent leveling up bonafide Hollywood careers, don’t be surprised if some enterprising creators use Series to distribute a scripted show directly to their audience.

A little money for a little extra
TikToks are getting much longer… for a price.

• Each individual “Series” can consist of up to 80 videos, with each video allowed to be up to 20 minutes long (double the length of a typical TikTok).
• Creators can then sell each Series for a one-time payment of anything between $0.99 and $189.99 — available via a direct in-video link or on creator pages.
• For a limited time, creators will be able to keep 100% of the revenue from Series collections.
• The feature is only available to a small batch of creators, but applications will soon open for others.

Series joins the Creator Fund, the Creator Marketplace, and the Creativity Program Beta as ways for users to make money on the platform. But are all those ways still enough?