TikTok adds paywalled content with a new monetization option called ‘Series’

TikTok is introducing a “new, longer format” that aims to serve both creators and viewers. The app has debuted themed collections of paywalled videos, which it has dubbed TikTok Series.

A TikTok blog post described Series as a feature that will turn “stories, talents and creativity” into “premium content.” A single Series can include up to 80 videos, each of which can run for up to 20 minutes. Creators will be able to set custom prices for their Series.

Series is an extension of TikTok’s Collections. “Series joins our growing range of monetization solutions,” reads the post, “as we continue to build new ways for creators to feel valued and rewarded as they inspire and engage our community.”

TikTok has spent the last year exploring the idea of paywalled content; in January 2022, the app tested paid account subscriptions that sounded similar to Twitch’s Subscriptions or YouTube’s Channel Memberships.

More recently, a February 2023 report in The Information

claimed that TikTok was exploring several monetization features, which would allow it to put less emphasis on its flawed Creator Fund. The article mentioned an initiative that has since been revealed as the TikTok Creativity Program. Like Series, the Program will support long-form content on a platform known for short-form videos.

The Information‘s report also noted a paywall feature that sounds a lot like Series. With so many revenue streams in development, TikTok is looking to keep pace with YouTube Shorts and its new ads. Even though earnings on Shorts ads have been uninspiring so far, creators like Zach King have claimed they still make more money on YouTube Shorts than on TikTok.

For now, Series is available to a select group of creators. Applications to join the feature’s testing phase will open up in “the coming months.”