TikTok is Coming For YouTube's Eyeballs

ALSO: Threads soon to get a “Tweetdeck” UI, and easier Snapchat CAPI installations

Today's News

TIKTOK • 60 Minute Videos Being Tested

THREADS • “ThreadsDeck” and Recency Filters

SNAPCHAT • Partnering to Make CAPI Easier

NETFLIX • Launching Its Own Ad Platform

YOUTUBE • Goes Big on TV; Creator Takeovers

TIKTOK • 60 Minute Videos Being Tested

TikTok is testing 60-minute videos. This will be for uploaded videos, not those shot with the phone camera, and it’s currently available to a limited group of users.

Creators have long told TikTok they want more time for cooking demos, beauty tutorials, educational lessons, comedy sketches, and so on.

The shift to longer videos marks a departure from TikTok’s original 15-second format. Over the years, TikTok has gradually increased the video length limit. This change, of course, to compete with YouTube — a platform that’s been very successful with monetizing videos.

This could also lead to new content types on TikTok, like full episodes of TV shows. For instance, last year, Peacock uploaded the first episode of “Killing It” on TikTok in five parts. With the new limit, such content could be posted as a single video.

As part of this shift to longer videos, the app has been testing a variety of long-form features like a horizontal full-screen mode and video-scrubbing thumbnails. Last year, it introduced a feature to fast-forward videos by holding down the right side of the screen — something I use on almost every TikTok video I see.

This is still in testing; no confirmation on when or if the 60-minute video upload option will be available to all users.

THREADS • “ThreadsDeck” and Recency Filters

One of Twitter’s best tools was a third-party app it acquired called Tweetdeck. Fun fact: When Tweetdeck first came out, it actually could handle Facebook content too, but that quickly got stripped out after the acquisition.

Tweetdeck was popular for power users and teams alike. It wasn’t as full-featured as other third-party platforms, like Sprout Social or Sprinklr, but it did the job well.

I know I’m talking about it in past-tense, even though it still exists. It’s just been punted behind the X paywall.

Today, though, Threads is back to try to steal some of that audience. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today showed off a screenshot of a similar UI — so far, he’s just calling it “pinned columns” but it’s definitely a shot at Tweetdeck.

The post wasn’t full of detail about what you could pin, but the screenshot showed the For You column, and three topic columns. There’s no DM functionality within Threads, so we won’t see that, but we can probably expect to see one for @replies and mentions.

For now, this is just in testing with a handful of people.

Second, Threads is adding adding a chronological filter for search results in the app.

This is definitely a must-have for news junkies, sports fans, and other users that want to see the very latest posted in the app on a specific topic.

Until now, Threads has been a little shy about adding this kind of ability, lest it get coopted by spammers, but presumably they decided that this functionality was higher up the priority list.

SNAPCHAT • Partnering to Make CAPI Easier

Snapchat has announced a partnership with Datahash to simplify the onboarding of its Conversions API (CAPI) for ad partners.

This collaboration follows a similar partnership Snap announced with Snowflake last month.

Snap reports that CAPI integrations have grown by 300% year-over-year. In Q1, the number of small and medium-sized business advertisers on Snapchat grew by 85% year-over-year.

NETFLIX • Launching Its Own Ad Platform

Netflix is launching its own ad technology platform, a year and a half after entering the ads business. This move pits Netflix against major players like Google, Amazon, and Comcast.

The company initially partnered with Microsoft to quickly enter the ad space and compete with rivals like Hulu.

Netflix currently has 270 million subscribers.

The company did not detail how this new tech would change ad delivery. But the Financial Times reports it plans to experiment with “episodic” campaigns, featuring a series of ads that tell a story instead of repetitive ads.

It also announced plans to expand its buying capabilities this summer. It will include partners like The Trade Desk, Google’s Display & Video 360, and Magnite.

Netflix's ad-supported tier has been successful, with 40 million global monthly active users. It gained 5 million users within six months of its launch.

YOUTUBE • Goes Big on TV; Creator Takeovers

YouTube also had some time at the upfronts yesterday, showing off its television chops.

The company’s CEO says YouTube views on TV screens have risen 130% in three years.

He cited Nielsen data showing YouTube has led in streaming watch time since February of last year. Viewers watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube daily on big screens.

From an ad standpoint, the company announced an expansion to its Select Creator Takeovers, where advertisers can buy slots on top channels. This allows brands to collaborate with creators and have exclusive ad space. This program started in late 2023 with creators like Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast.

YouTube is also introducing some Google AI-driven formats for connected TV, including non-skippable ads and branded QR codes.

Finally, YouTube announced a deal with Scripps Sports to broadcast Women’s National Basketball Association games on YouTube TV, making it the only service offering both local and national WNBA games this season.

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