TikTok on Monday began letting users upload videos as long as 10 minutes, ramping up the young platform's challenge to veteran titan YouTube.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance in China, launched with a
one-minute limit on uploaded videos, but bumped the cap to three minutes last
year.
"Today we are happy to start rolling out the ability to
upload videos up to 10 minutes long," TikTok said in response to an AFP
inquiry.
"We hope this will further stimulate the creativity of
our creators around the world."
TikTok more than tripling the length of videos comes as
YouTube and Facebook-parent Meta strive to counter the rival with short-form
content options and incentives to creators whose posts draw audiences.
"YouTube is still ahead of TikTok in terms of time
spent, but its not immune to the 'TikTok effect'," Insider Intelligence
analyst Jasmine Enberg told AFP.
"The gap in time spent between the two platforms is
narrow, and longer videos could help TikTok catch up in terms of both eyeballs
and engagement."
Longer videos could also enable TikTok creators make more
money and boost the platforms advertising business, the analyst added.
YouTube recently laid out goals for this year that included
making the lives of creators easier and boosting a popular format that rivals
TikTok.
The video-sharing platform is investing in short-form and
live video, along with tools to help creators make money and produce fresh
content, according to chief product officer Neal Mohan.
"YouTube creators are the heart and soul of the
platform," Mohan said in a blog post.
"To give them every opportunity possible, we'll
continue to invest across our multiple formats."
Short-form content like the video snippets that are a winning
ingredient at TikTok are incredibly popular. YouTube's take on the concept,
called "Shorts," has logged more than five trillion all-time views,
according to Mohan.
Short videos, typically made using smartphones, can be as
long as 60 seconds, with music and comedy as popular themes.
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta has its own spin on the
offering called Reels, which chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said is a
priority for the tech firm and growing fast.