TikTok is in crisis mode. It doesn’t want to lose its best (and worst) creators to the giant that is YouTube. Something needs to be done. It could cut creators a larger slice of the pie – but who are we kidding? This is TikTok. What it is doing is allowing creators to upload exclusive content behind a paywall, the platform announced.
The new programme, known as Series, will allow creators to create collections – able to hold 80 videos in each. Creators can then sell access to these collections at their own rates – as long as it falls between $1 and $190. These might not be your standard minute-long videos either. Should the creator desire, videos can be up to 20 minutes long – reminiscent of YouTube content.
Money on TikTok’s mind
At launch, creators that make use of Series will be allowed to keep whatever they earn, minus whatever processing and app store fees are tacked on. For some of the app’s bigger names, that could add up to some real cash. Until TikTok starts taking its own cut, that is. It’s not clear what TikTok’s cut will be, though we’re guessing it won’t be insignificant.
For now, Series will only be limited to a handful of the app’s top creators and that coveted list hasn’t been made public.
And if the rumours are true, TikTok is considering a revamp for its Creator Fund – with creators potentially earning a larger cut. This would only apply to creators with over 100,000 followers if a change-up is coming. There hasn’t been any word on this from TikTok themselves, though it’s possible that the revamped Fund will be announced sometime in March. But we aren’t holding our breath.
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The next OnlyFans?
Well, no. At least, not yet. While the Series programme is structured similarly to that of OnlyFans and Patreon, you’ve gotta admit TikTok’s timing is suspicious. Sure, the Series programme features the same content guidelines as the rest of the app – meaning no NSFW content allowed. But with the short-form king’s recent imposition of an age limit on its younger audience, we can’t help but wonder if we’ll see some sort of NSFW content locked behind a paywall in the not-too-distant future. If the app sticks around that long, that is.