TikTok looks to court publishers through monetization opportunities

The news: TikTok is developing a “publisher monetization operations” team in a bid to convince major news publishers to create content for the app, per The Information. The team will be led by Harish Sarma, previously TikTok’s global head of sports and gaming.

Why this matters: Courting publishers could go a long way toward helping TikTok improve its public image and make its platform more appealing to advertisers in the critical US market.

• TikTok has been expanding the length of its videos, which have jumped from 15 minutes in October 2023 to an hour long this month. The longer videos spur more opportunities for creators and for different types of content to live on TikTok—and open up more ad space.
• If publishers flock to TikTok to make high-quality, fact-checked content for the platform, it could help reverse its image as a hub for misinformation and harmful content. That could help allay concerns that led to President Biden signing a ban of the app into law last month (TikTok has since sued the US to block any ban).

Playing catch-up: TikTok’s effort to attract publishers puts it behind competitors like YouTube, which successfully attracted news outlets with its revenue-sharing program for YouTube Shorts that began last year. Still, the prospect of revenues from a successful app may prove irresistible to the ailing publishing industry.

• Even without publisher-specific programs, TikTok’s access to a large, engaged audience of young users has drawn interest from news publishers. The Washington Post and NPR have been making popular content for the app for years, as have others.
• But a publisher-centric team and hub for news content could offer unique opportunities for publishers to increase ad revenues and audiences. TikTok currently splits ad revenue down the middle with publishers including NBCUniversal and Conde Nast under its Pulse Premiere program, which offers brand-safe ad placements.
• Those inroads could give the newest initiative a boost and convince publishers to create more content specific to the app. The looming US ban hasn’t stopped advertisers and major brands from continuing to do business with TikTok, and publishers likely won’t be dissuaded either.