TikTok takes page from Twitch as battle for creators intensifies | Marketing Dive

Dive Brief: TikTok is introducing a monthly live subscription feature as it tries to diversify monetization tools for content creators, according to a company blog post. Live Subscriptions are available on an invite-only basis starting today (May 26) but will expand availability in the months ahead. Perks include badges that subscribers can attach to their profile and upgrade over time, emotes custom-designed by creators for their followers and subscriber-only chats to create a deeper connection between the creator and their community. That sounds a lot like how existing livestreaming platforms — namely Amazon’s Twitch — function. Creators might appreciate TikTok’s promise of “predictable monthly income,” per a promotional video, while a bigger push into livestreaming could open new avenues for brands that are eager to reach a global audience that now tops 1 billion users. Dive Insight: TikTok made a name on ultra-short, prerecorded videos, but it clearly sees an opportunity in the more free-form realm of livestreaming. Live Subscriptions closely mirrors the model popularized by Twitch and later adopted by Facebook and others: Creators receive monthly payments for producing broadcasts, while subscribers gain access to special perks, like custom emotes to post in the chat feed. In terms of…
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