TikTok is aiming at YouTube again! After dominating the short-form video content space, which has made a notable dent In Google-owned YouTube’s user engagement as well as revenue, TikTok is now gearing upto to challenge YouTube in its dominant space – the long-form video content.
TikTok is testing sixty-minute video options!
A few select users of TikTok have noted the option available to them, and they are able to upload long-form videos without any hiccups. Matt Navarra was the first to spot this feature, and he finds it exciting because now he has one more platform to upload and monetise both his short-form and long-form video content.
TikTok has confirmed the feature; however, it’s unclear which regions it will be made available to or when it will start the public rollout worldwide.
This seems to be TikTok’s well-thought-through strategy to disrupt YouTube’s stronghold on long-form video content. Seeking to fortify its supremacy and ward off competition in the short-form video content arena, TikTok is now aiming to eat into YouTube’s core market. This manoeuvre compels YouTube to intensify its defences to preserve its dominant stance in the long-form video content space rather than challenging TikTok in the short-form video content space.
But that’s not the only reason behind TikTok’s move to expand its offerings.
The user growth in short-form video content is slowing down. TikTok is trying to find new avenues to strengthen its presence and attract users who are more fascinated with long-form video content. The company expects to attract a considerable number of YouTube users with its highly acclaimed AI-driven recommendation engine, which keeps the users glued to videos one after another.
While YouTube beats TikTok in terms of user base in the US, the table turns upside down when it comes to minutes watched. According to eMarketer, users in the US are estimated to spend 55 minutes on TikTok, compared to 50 minutes on YouTube in 2024.
Started with a 10-second video, TikTok has slowly increased the length limitation to ten minutes in the last few years. With a 60-minute video-length feature, TikTok will now compete with YouTube and emerge as a full-fledged video-sharing platform.
TikTok is expecting to taste the same success that it has got in short-form video content with its mind-boggling content recommendation engine, which keeps users glued to the platform for a longer duration.
Lately, TikTok has observed that the platform is being used as a ‘gateway to attract viewers to long-form content on YouTube‘ by content creators who post multiple short clips of their long-form YouTube videos. However, viewers eventually leave the platform to view the complete video on YouTube. Experts believe that the trend might have convinced the leadership team at TikTok to allow users to upload long-form videos for up to 60 minutes and keep the viewers captive.
Well aware of TikTok’s amazing algorithm, which sits at the core of its recommendation engine, the leadership team seems to be anxious about TikTok launching long-form video content, which puts it in direct competition with YouTube. Recent reports indicate that Google’s leadership team is advising their ad sales staff to leverage the potential impact of a US TikTok ban. They are encouraging employees to engage in “thoughtful conversations” with clients regarding the possible ban on TikTok.
Will all the efforts and investment that have gone into launching and promoting TikTok’s new feature pay off? Will TikTok be able to capture a sizeable share of the Youtube market? Perhaps, it’s little too early to be conclusive but given the track record of TikTok, it’s also not impossible.
