Douyin, known as TikTok in markets outside China, has extended the time limits of its video posts from 15 seconds to 1 minute for all users. Douyin announced the change today in an official statement, but did not say whether it also applies to TikTok users globally.
To promote the new feature, the company is running a campaign encouraging users to post 1-minute vlogs, and offering special “vlogger” certifications for the best videos as well as boosting them to reach a bigger audience. Previously, only those with over 1,000 followers could post videos more than 15 seconds long.
Extending time limits expands the potential for creativity on Douyin. Currently famous for its viral “challenge” videos in which users create super short content based upon a running theme, one-minute long videos could open the platform to a wider diversity of stories and creators.
In particular, it would enable Douyin to ride the rising popularity of vlogs in China, following in the footsteps of major social and video platforms including Weibo and Bilibili, which began promoting the content format in the second half of 2018.
Editor: Nadine Freischlad