TikTok has begun testing a new landscape mode with select users worldwide.
It’ll help it compete with YouTube, some experts say. TikTok is the fastest-growing social media app globally, thanks to viral videos.
Some countries, like the US and Australia, want it banned over national security concerns.
The TikTok app will host videos up to 10 minutes long this year.
Previously, only three-minute videos were allowed on the Chinese platform.
According to Paul Triolo, a tech expert at Albright Stonebridge Group: “TikTok has been pushing into YouTube territory for a while now, with 10-minute videos, and consistently outranks YouTube among young people.”.
A full-screen mode would work better for an older audience who uses YouTube for informational and learning videos.”
YouTube vs. TikTok
TikTok’s new feature will make it more appealing to content creators, says Carolina Milanesi, founder of The Heart of Tech consultancy.
Shorts have driven YouTube’s recent engagement, and TikTok must be worried about creators turning to YouTube for some content,” she told BBC.
The University of Sydney’s Jonathon Hutchinson believes both YouTube and TikTok will survive.
According to him, YouTube has much higher production values, and it takes users longer to get used to them.
Out-of-pocket film production will remain TikTok’s strong suit for shorter, more engaging content.
With almost four billion downloads, TikTok is the most popular app among young people.
In several countries, the app has been heavily scrutinized.
TikTok was proposed as a national security ban this week by US lawmakers.
ByteDance, owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance, has been fighting this bill for a while.
Several countries have called for banning TikTok, including Australia and Taiwan. A military dispute with India blocked it in 2020.