TikTok’s 1 Hour Videos: What Will This Mean For Social Media? (2024)

There have been talks that TikTok will be introducing 60 minute long videos to their platform that was originally known for short-form content.

This would put TikTok in direct competition with platforms like YouTube, and it would be interesting to see what content creators would do with this extended time limit.

Many users enjoy long form content like vlogs, documentaries and series on YouTube—when TikTok has hour long videos, it opens their audience up to those who prefer longer videos.

There has also been an increase with similar content that TikTok creators post, and so this feature allows creators to play around more with their ideas.

Different TikTok Time Limits

Right now, TikTok offers:

The Photo Option: for still photos and selfies.
15 Seconds: for short videos.
60 Seconds: for slightly longer videos that cater to more in-depth content, while still not being too lengthy.
10 Minutes: this is currently the longest time videos can be, until the 60 minutes option is officially released.

What Will The 60-Minute Feature Mean For Social Media?

This new feature might go really well, and could be a great strategic move for the company, or it could go similarly to how X’s new feature roll-outs went, with users leaving the platform or abandoning the features.

Experts shared different views on what they think this new update would do to the social media world. Here’s what they have to say…

Emma Critchley-Lloyd, Founder, BIG little LDN

“TikTok is known and loved by Gen Z (and Gen Alpha despite them not being allowed) for its short, snappy, off the cuff, raw content.

“Introducing videos up to one hour long will do a number of things not too dissimilar from what we’ve seen from the likes of Facebook and Instagram.

“It’ll encourage more users aged 35+ to the channel as brands and creators can include more longer form, informative, educational content. TikTok’s quickest growth is coming from the 35-44 age group already, with it making up 22% of the user base, an increase from 17% last year.

“More brands will be encouraged to join the platform as the age group diversifies, brand owners will become more confident that it’s a channel they should invest in and while content should be created bespoke for the channel it is on, having the option to post videos up to an hour long will see more reposting of the same content we’ve seen on TV, on TikTok.

“Overall engagement on the channel will drop. The longer the content, the less people are going to watch the full video.

“That said, it also provides a huge opportunity for brands and creators. Get it right and TikTok will become a fruitful channel for those who manage to maintain engagement rates higher than the platform average.

“More ads. We’ve seen this with social media channels before. Hooking people in with fresh algorithms and give them a chance to break free from the ad heavy channels they used before.

“Encouraging more brands to join, start introducing paid content and then introduce more ad formats to monetise the community.

“Pave a path for a new social platform to start the process all over again.”

Chelsea Hopkins, Social Media and PR Manager, Fasthosts

“1 hour videos on TikTok would definitely be a shakeup for the social media landscape, and is a step towards TikTok becoming the go-to social media app for any kind of content you could want.

“It’s already conquered the short-form video market and has a thriving photo community, and with text and long-form video posting now on the horizon, the stage seems set for TikTok to take even more market share.

“The platform most likely to be impacted by the introduction of these videos is YouTube, with many creators currently using Google’s video sharing service becoming more and more jaded by issues such as wrongful copyright strikes, monetisation issues, and advertising changes making them seek out alternative means of posting their content.

“TikTok is already an extremely attractive platform for creators thanks to the TikTok Creator Fund allowing users to easily monetise their content, and the ability to post videos up to an hour in length will give many YouTube users the alternative they’ve been looking for.

“A lot of video creators will already have accounts on the platform, either posting specially made shorts or clips from their existing videos, and so the transition to posting their normal content on TikTok won’t be much trouble at all.

“That being said, TikTok will still have some work to do before it can truly rival YouTube.

“The main two sticking points are browser-based streaming and smart device casting, allowing people to watch across any and all platforms, but you can bet that this is something that’s being worked on in the background.

“TikTok does already have a browser version, however not too many people know about it – time will tell if that’s set to change.

“X is also trying to push itself as the next big video platform, even announcing plans to release a Smart TV app that will allow you to browse videos in a similar style to YouTube, so the new developments at TikTok could cause X to accelerate their plans.

“That being said, many people still don’t see X as a serious competitor in the video sharing space, and TikTok beating them to the punch with pushing longer form content won’t help this perception change.”

Thomas Walters, Europe CEO And Co-founder, Billion Dollar Boy

“Although traditionally anchored in short form video, TikTok’s embrace of long form content isn’t a surprise. It’s a reaction to a wider shift in user behaviours as people increasingly move away from linear channels and consume a greater variety of content on their phones.

“YouTube has been a beneficiary of this shift, using Shorts as a gateway to transition users from short form to long form content. The approach has yielded strong results for creators and publishers.

“For YouTube, this creates monetisation opportunities with long form content providing more opportunities to sell premium placements – across pre and mid-roll placements, and through Line Ups, YouTube Select premium content packages.

“TikTok’s strategic shift to long form content will likely replicate this approach, opening up more revenue streams to the platform and its creators while also giving users more reasons to stay in-app rather than seek long form content elsewhere.

“For creators and brands, the diversification of content types is good news! Although longer form video is likely to appeal to smaller audiences, those tuning in tend to be highly engaged in the brand or creator.

“The rebirth of long form content also diversifies content creation opportunities, making it more accessible to brands and creators whose content works best outside the confines of the typical 10 minute duration cap.

“It’s a positive development for consumers too. In a space which has been dominated by short form content for so long, with a focus on high output production models, users’ social media feeds have become saturated. In this context, content diversity can only be a positive in combating creative fatigue.

“Caution is advised, though. TikTok shouldn’t lose sight of its USP and will need to ensure its long form offering doesn’t dilute its core popularity as a short form algorithm-led video platform that prioritises discovery.

“With other platforms also increasingly exploring long form formats, there’s a risk that their offerings become hom*ogenised making the social media landscape tricky for brands, creators and consumers to navigate.”