TikTok says it’s testing a new feature that will allow content creators to charge subscription fees for their content.
The feature will allow fans to send money to creators directly through their profiles and also enable viewers to react to videos by buying.
The new feature revealed by TikTok follows the announcement made by Instagram that it will be launching a test of paid subscriptions with a small number of creators and influencers.
According to Instagram in his announcement, the subscribers will pay a monthly fee to access exclusive content from creators they follow, including Stories and Live videos. A price that ranges from $0.99 to $99.99 per month depending on what the creator decides to charge, stating that a purple badge will denote a subscriber’s status to the creator/influencer in the comments section.
However, Meta which owned Instagram says it’s doesn’t plan to take a cut of creators’ subscription revenue until next year.
Though, TikTok did not share more details about when it might roll it out to creators, how many creators are currently testing it, or what the payment structure might look like.
But the company’s spokesperson, Zachary Kizer, confirmed it to The Verge on Thursday in an email, stating that the subscriptions were a “concept that’s has been in the testing process because the company is always thinking about new ways to bring value to its community and enriching it experience.
The spokesperson also said, if adopted, it would be the latest move by TikTok to help its creators monetize their content. Introducing its Creator Next hub with monetization tools and rolled out its tipping feature to eligible creators in December after testing it with a smaller group.
Kizer added that direct-to-creator payments are a highly successful business model despite being a head-scratcher.
He also said the app’s major advantage over its competitors is the uncanny algorithm that surfaced content to users in its ‘For You Pages’. Explaining that it’s a way for creators to reach users and ideally turn them into subscribers.
But he added, if creators are holding their best content for subscribers, that content is probably not available to fuel the algorithm, which in turn could reduce engagement since, in theory, it’s not being surfaced to nonsubscribers.
Explaining further, he said this is not a problem unique to TikTok alone, all digital platforms are trying to help content creators and influencers monetize their content are trying to balance engagement vs letting creators monetize their content directly.
He said the creators themselves have to be able to predict what content their subscribers will be willing to pay for, AMD what content will help them best promote their work.
Thank you for taking your time in reading through our Journal Today. We wish to always provide you with qualitative Stories as far as GOOD-JOURNALISM is CONCERN. But good journalism costs a lot of money and only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, accountability democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism, we ask you to consider subscribing to our daily news updates.
