TikTok comes for YouTube’s territory

TikTok is reportedly testing longer, more engaged video formats of up to 15 minutes, a trajectory that suggests new opportunities for marketers while the app's rivals continue to compete on shorter formats.

Why TikTok formats matter

TikTok has risen from a youth-centred upstart to a platform capable of defying a broader slowdown in advertising thanks to its unique culture, content, and enormous audience. An expansion in its video formats is surely designed to further broaden its appeal and engagement. 

Generally, more opportunities for engagement are good things for advertisers, especially if longer videos create the chance for mid-roll ads or other formats. However, there is always the spectre of the copycat tendency among platforms, eroding what makes them popular in the first place.

What’s going on

Tech news site TechCrunch confirms earlier observations on social media that showed TikTok testing an increased video length limit among some users. The new option will see the 10 minute cutoff rise to 15 minutes. 

Its last video length increase came in early 2022, when the maximum rose from three minutes to 10 minutes. 

The move will allow creators to expand into longer videos that could begin to rival YouTube for medium to long-form videos, as well as the testing of horizontal full-screen videos. 

Sourced from TechCrunch, WARC