Creators are going to have so many more options to make new content
Experts say that TikTok's decision to allow users to upload longer videos is a smart move. They note that this opens up the spectrum for creators to create content in different ways, but that doesn't mean that TikTok's platform is going to be any better than Google's YouTube Shorts now.
Last week, TikTok announced that it would be rolling out the ability for everyone around the world to upload videos up to 10 minutes long. The new video limit is available on both mobile devices, including the best Android phones and desktop sites.
This is the second time the company has increased the video limit; The first was in July 2021, when it allowed users to upload up to three minutes.
Social media consultant Matt Navara said in an interview that this is not a surprise move by the company. He says it's smart and logical because it "gives people more creative space to create different types of content or actual shows or headroom for longer content that they wouldn't be able to do with current limitations."
Interestingly, Navara says it will compete directly with YouTube, but it will give TikTok an opportunity to eventually compete with the likes of subscription services like Netflix and Disney+.
But other than that, it puts TikTok on the same level, or at least closer to YouTube, he says. Where YouTube has already succeeded is in longer videos, so now TikTok will be able to compete properly with the company.
However, what TikTok might want to consider, Navara says, is a way to organize videos of different lengths.
Anshel Saag, a senior analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, says adding longer videos to TikTok's platform is a "clear indication" of a desire for longer content, even on platforms like TikTok, which are specifically designed for short videos. Has been done.
“Even with videos that are three minutes long, there are still multi-part videos, which I think most users hate when there is a story to tell,” he says.
“I think [TikTok] is moving in the opposite direction of [YouTube shorts], filling a gap that TikTok believes it has on the platform and continues to enable growth. I don't think it's a particularly big growth driver, but I think it will enable some creators to better tell their stories."
Richard Lachman, an associate professor at Ryerson University and an expert on social media, says TikTok is competing to expand its market, its users, and creative possibilities.
“Right now, there is some content that doesn't 'work' on TikTok that should only be on YouTube. [TikTok] wants to be everything to all people," he says.
That being said, Lachman notes that TikTok and YouTube are two completely different audiences, and there are still many people who "don't get TikTok" and those who use TikTok tend to be younger.
"So the audience may not expand, but their existing audience's time on stage may increase," he says.
Carmi Levy, a technology expert based in Canada, says YouTube is the originator of the entire online video market, but it has always been Google's.
“While the ascent of TikTok among younger users has certainly made the space more competitive than when YouTube was huge in the room, recent experience shows that creators are seamlessly crossing between the two platforms, Frequent cross-posting of content and related commercial links to drive advertising. Revenue on both sides,” he says.
While TikTok has done a great job of capturing that young audience, he says that YouTube has also been successful in maintaining relevance among its "vastly broader audience, as well as bringing a new generation of TikTokers to the palette of their favorite platforms." But appealing as option B."
While TikTok gets longer videos, and YouTube shorter videos, the two companies are going in opposite directions, but that doesn't make one more successful than the other, Navarra says.
“I think they will both be successful, but for different reasons. I think YouTube is already very established and has options for creators to make money and have all the creative tools for it. The challenge now is that Vertical is building up the feed and trying to encourage its existing and new creators to make shorts.But the challenge is that it's ultimately not TikTok and hasn't got the brand appeal and vibe that TikTok is having. It is very difficult to reproduce,” he says.
Where TikTok will find challenging is trying to capture the attention of people who have been conditioned to have short videos on the platform, Navara says.
That being said, Saag believes that TikTok is still doing a much better job among all the platforms.
While there are challenges with both TikTok and Shorts going in different directions, Lachman notes that where TikTok may suffer is with its algorithm, which has been really good so far.
"One of TikTok's biggest competitive advantages was that their recommendation algorithm looked great," he says, adding that short-form videos could be used to scroll, pause, like, or swipe every time they viewed a creator's profile. Helps in providing data points.
“You have more chances to train the algorithm when you have shorter videos. By moving to long-form videos, TikTok may lose that advantage - the 'speed' of delivering data to them will slow down. This will affect the accuracy of their algorithm, their targeting model of users and, if users notice, ultimately, their advertising revenue,” says Lachman.
Levy agrees, adding that the decision to make longer videos on TikTok probably wasn't an easy decision, but the change opens up new avenues for TikTok to increase revenue for itself.
“This is not a decision to be taken lightly, as it could potentially have a significant impact on TikTok's back-end infrastructure. But when you are a global player with industry-leading growth statistics and unlimited demand from across generations for what you have to offer, you make the necessary engineering investments to meet that demand and stay ahead of the curve." they say.