TikTok Testing Hour-Long Video Uploads, Eyeing YouTube Rivalry

TikTok is experimenting with a feature that allows users to upload videos up to 60 minutes long, testing the waters for longer-form content.

Currently in a trial phase, only a small group of randomly selected users have access to this feature, TikTok confirmed to CBS MoneyWatch. The company noted that it frequently tests new features that may not become permanent, and there are no immediate plans to roll this capability out to its broader community.

Adopting longer videos could intensify TikTok’s competition with Alphabet-owned YouTube, which introduced Shorts in 2019, featuring videos under one minute long.

However, TikTok’s future in the U.S. is uncertain. In April, President Joe Biden enacted legislation that could lead to a ban on the platform if ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, does not sell its stake within a year. In response, TikTok and ByteDance filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming the bill is unconstitutional.

Allowing much longer videos would represent a significant shift for TikTok, which has grown rapidly by focusing on short-form video content. TikTok currently boasts 170 million monthly active users in the U.S.

When TikTok launched in 2016, videos were limited to 15 seconds. Since then, the company has gradually extended the maximum video length, currently allowing uploads up to 10 minutes for all users.

In 2021, TikTok began permitting videos longer than 60 seconds. “With longer videos, creators will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space,” the company stated in a blog post at the time.

Social media consultant Matt Navarra first spotted TikTok’s new video trial, sharing an alert he received from TikTok on Threads, a text app from Meta. The alert read, “Upload videos up to 60 minutes long! Make sure your app is up-to-date, then try uploading from your app or desktop on tiktok.com,” according to Navarra’s post.

Navarra told CBS MoneyWatch that enabling long-form videos could encourage users to spend more time on the app and reduce the need to leave TikTok for similar content elsewhere. “The algorithm will ensure users see what they want to watch,” he said. “TikTok will find an audience for long-form content, while those who prefer shorter videos won’t be shown the longer ones.”

This shift could also enable streaming services like Netflix to promote new movies or TV series exclusively online through TikTok.