TikTok is raising the stakes against Twitch, YouTube, and others with the debut of TikTok LIVE subscriptions this week, a new service that allows creators to earn recurring cash from their best fans. The new service will offer customers a variety of privileges, including subscriber-only chat, personalised emotes, badges, and more, similar to rival streaming sites.
According to TikTok’s @TikTokLIVE creator account, the service will begin beta testing on May 26 with a small group of creators who have been asked to participate.
The Information initially reported in January that TikTok was considering a move into the subscription industry, but no specifics were available at the time.
TikTok has been previewing the show on the @TikTokLIVE creator feed, which focuses on sharing updates geared at the creator community, for the past week or two.
They found that, in addition to the regular subscriber benefits, members will be able to control the cameras on creators’ livestreams in a series of videos showing creators who will be among the first beta testers. Furthermore, the badges will refresh over time to give long-term subscribers more visibility, and producers will be able to customise their LIVE rooms.
A number of creators have begun to inform their fans of their participation in the new beta on TikTok and other social media platforms. While some of the beta testers are game streamers, the programme is not limited to them. Artists, vloggers, beauty experts, ASMR creators, Spanish-language creators, musicians, dancers, and others appear to have been invited to check out subscriptions on TikTok. Each has created their own emotes specifically for usage with subscriptions.
Once set up, producers can put their TikTok LIVE streams into an unique “subscriber-only” mode, which allows only paying members to comment while allowing anybody to watch. Because users would have to subscribe to submit comments, this might allow authors get to know their biggest followers, offer unique fan Q&As, and potentially reduce trolling.
The cost for these streams has yet to be published, however some producers have stated that it is “comparable” to Twitch’s pricing, and that TikTok’s income share is the same as Twitch’s. Twitch subscriptions start at $4.99 per month, with Twitch taking 30 percent to 50 percent of subscription earnings (though a Bloomberg report says that may be changing).
TikTok LIVE subscriptions begin at a time when prominent social platforms are offering direct payments and perks to encourage creators to publish unique content to their applications. However, social platforms recognise that the greatest and most long-term strategy to attract and retain talent is to provide artists with tools to make a living from their work. Creators can utilise subscriptions to provide recurrent revenue streams, allowing them to continue their work without having to rely on less predictable sources of income such as bonuses, virtual tips from fans, or brand deals.
TikTok isn’t the only platform that has recently entered the subscription business. Instagram also began testing creator subscriptions in the United States in January, giving users paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories, as well as other usual advantages. Twitter’s Super Follows platform, which recently added the opportunity for creators to host Super Follows-only Spaces for their fans, has also been testing subscriptions.
TikTok confirmed the information on its own TikTok creator account is correct, adding that to use the LIVE subscriptions function, creators must be 18 years old and have at least 1,000 followers. It also said that users must be at least 18 years old to acquire a subscription and give or receive Coins and Gifts.