TikTok will soon give users the option to create longer videos. The company is extending the maximum length of clips from 60 seconds to three minutes.
Up front: TikTok has been testing the expanded format since late last year. Over the coming weeks, the company will start rolling out the option around the world.
Product manager Drew Kirchhoff said the change would pave the way for richer storytelling and entertainment on the app:
Creators are already well-versed in weaving multi-part stories together on TikTok (we all know the phrase, ‘like and follow for part 3’) but we often hear from creators that they’d love just a little more time to bring their cooking demos, elaborate beauty tutorials, educational lesson plans, and comedic sketches to life with TikTok’s creative tools. With longer videos, creators will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space.
The company has shared some examples of how creators have been experimenting with longer videos:
@chowderthebulldogWe’re trying out TikTok’s new longer video format. Please let us know what you think. #fyp #bulldogtiktok #dogsoftiktok #petsoftiktok #tipsandtricks♬ original sound – Chowder
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Quick take:
TikTok videos were initially restricted to a maximum of 15 seconds, but the limit was later extended to one minute. The tight timeframe has played a big role in the app’s rise, but it’s no longer a USP. In Snapchat Spotlight and YouTube Shorts, TikTok now has two competitors with the same maximum video length.
Instagram has also taken the fight to TikTok with the launch of Reels, and the firm plans to expand further into video.
TikTok’s expansion to three minutes could help differentiate the app from its younger rivals, as well as ramp up the competition with streaming giant YouTube. But it may also lose some of the shorter format’s charm — and test the attention span of viewers.
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