TikTok videos to be 10 minutes long

TikTok users will soon be able to upload 10-minute-long videos. The video platform launched worldwide in 2018 allowing users to create one-minute videos. That length tripled in July 2021 to three minutes. TikTok says an extension to 10 minutes will allow people to be more creative. A company spokesperson said: "We're always thinking about new ways to…enrich the TikTok experience." She added: "We introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained. Today, we're excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world."

Social media consultant Matt Navarra said the new time limit means TikTok will be a bigger rival to YouTube. However, TikTok could lose users who prefer shorter videos. They could switch to other social media platforms, like Instagram's Reels, Snapchat's Spotlight, or YouTube's Shorts. Mr Navarra says shorter videos are more popular with younger people, who are used to "whizzing" through videos "at speed". He says longer videos are more suited to older people. Navarra believes the longer videos may increase TikTok's profits as they are "easier to monetize and keep people on-platform longer". Short, bite-sized videos are one of the reasons for TikTok's huge popularity. It has more than one billion monthly active users.