TikTok made a name on ultra-short, prerecorded videos, but it clearly sees an opportunity in the more free-form realm of livestreaming. Live Subscriptions closely mirrors the model popularized by Twitch and later adopted by Facebook and others: Creators receive monthly payments for producing broadcasts, while subscribers gain access to special perks, like custom emotes to post in the chat feed.
In terms of what TikTok expects people to tune into, beauty tutorials, recipe prep and gaming tips were cited in the announcement. It’s not hard to imagine the types of sponsorships — or even branded channels — that could follow. TikTok’s ad revenue is forecast by Insider Intelligence to triple this year to $11.64 billion.
