Musical.ly rolled out today several key updates to its mobile app in what president Alex Hofmann calls “the biggest visual change for Musical.ly since it was born [in 2014].”
Updates include a new section that will recommend ‘similar Musical.lys’ that users may want to watch, as well as the ability to utilize six-second videos in lieu of profile photos, Variety reports. Additionally, Musical.ly is unveiling a cosmetic revamp and adding the ability to link to Twitter and other social media sites. Previously, links were relegated to Instagram and YouTube — though Hofmann said Musical.ly wants to encourage its stars to thrive on other platforms as well.
The aim of the first ‘similar Musical.lys’ update is to broaden the platform’s demographic beyond its core base of teen girls by making “a wide range of content more accessible,” Hofmann told Variety
. “We [also] want to make this about personalization. If someone comes in and they’re a 40-year-old guy who watched basketball videos, they will get value in the same way as someone who comes in at a younger age.”And while monetization is currently available on sister livestreaming platform Live.ly, where users can send one another virtual gifts, Hofmann said that monetization would be coming to Musical.ly soon.
In June, Musical.ly, which counts 215 million users, pacted with Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM), NBCUniversal, and Viacom to launch studio-quality, short-form shows.
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