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TikTok to Allow Creators to Sell Collections of Long-Format Videos

The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. (Reuters)
The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. (Reuters)
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TikTok to Allow Creators to Sell Collections of Long-Format Videos

The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. (Reuters)
The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. (Reuters)

Chinese short-video sharing app TikTok said on Tuesday it will allow some creators to produce collections of longer videos and charge their audience a premium for access, opening up a new channel of monetization for its users.

Its new offering "Series" will allow eligible creators to put collections of up to 80 videos, each about 20 minutes long behind a paywall. Currently, the allowed length of a video on TikTok is up to 10 minutes.

TikTok, which has disrupted the social media space largely dominated by Meta Platforms Inc's Facebook and Instagram with its short-form videos and a sophisticated recommendation engine, is now taking a shot at YouTube.

TikTok said its users are increasingly coming to the platform for content like must-know spreadsheet shortcuts, workout routines and recipe guides, areas where YouTube still remains the dominant destination.

It is not clear whether TikTok will take a cut from the creators. The company already offers its creators the ability to receive tips and gifts, as well as manages a fund to incentivize them to grow their audience.

TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, hit 1 billion monthly active users in September 2021 and has not reported its user base since. In comparison, Facebook had nearly 3 billion monthly active users as of December 2022.

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Technology

Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)

Microsoft pledged Wednesday to fight any US government order to halt data center operations in Europe as it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would lead to service disruptions.

The company's president, Brad Smith, said it's not something that officials are talking about in Washington, D.C. but it is a “real concern” for Microsoft's customers across Europe, which include governments.

President Donald Trump has stoked tensions between the US and Europe with his tariff-fueled trade war, and alarmed European leaders with policy changes, including pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine, that throw into doubt his administration's commitment to the trans-Atlantic relationship, The AP news reported.

Smith, speaking at an event in Brussels, tried to allay concerns as he announced that the company was expanding data center operations across Europe.

“What we want Europeans to know is that they can count on us,” he said in a speech.

“In the unlikely event we are ever ordered by any government anywhere in the world to suspend or cease cloud operations in Europe, we are committing that Microsoft will promptly and vigorously contest such a measure using all legal avenues available, including by pursuing litigation in court,” Smith wrote in a Wednesday blog post.

He noted that Microsoft has experience fighting lawsuits from the previous Trump administration as well as from former President Barack Obama’s administration.

“If we ever find ourselves losing we will put in place business continuity arrangements” that include storing computer code in Switzerland that European partners can access, he said.

Microsoft is making five digital commitments to Europe, including increasing its data center capacity by 40 in 16 countries over the next two years, Smith said. The expansion will cost tens of billions of dollars annually. Smith declined to be more specific about the cost when asked by reporters.

The expansion comes amid calls for Europe to assert tech and data sovereignty by weaning itself off reliance from big US cloud data service providers, including Microsoft, Amazon and, to a lesser extent, Google.

“Given recent geopolitical volatility, we recognize that European governments likely will consider additional options,” and Microsoft is committed to collaborating with European companies, Smith said.