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TikTok says it’s testing letting users post 60-minute videos
TikTok is testing letting users upload videos that are 60 minutes long as it experiments with longer form content.
The feature is in a trial phase, and only a small number of randomly selected users have access to it, TikTok told CBS MoneyWatch. The company added that it has no immediate plans to roll the capability out more widely to its community, noting that it routinely experiments with features that do not become permanent.
A move by TikTok to embrace longer videos would heighten its fierce competition with Alphabet-owned YouTube, which in 2019 launched Shorts, a section of the site featuring videos that are under one minute in length.
To be sure, TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains cloudy after President Joe Biden in April enacted a law that could lead to the platform being banned if TikTok parent company Bytedance doesn’t sell its stake in the company within a year. TikTok and ByteDance earlier this month filed a lawsuit against the U.S., arguing that the bill is unconstitutional.
Facilitating much longer videos on its platform would mark a major shift for TikTok, whose explosive growth was built on users posting short-form video content. TikTok has 170 million monthly active users in the U.S.
When TikTok originally launched in 2016, videos had an upper limit of 15 seconds each. But the company, which is owned by ByteDance, has since extended their durations and currently lets all users upload videos that are as long as 10 minutes.
In 2021, TikTok started letting users post videos that were longer than 60 seconds each. “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 said in a blog post at the time.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra was first to spot TikTok’s video trial, posting an alert he got from TikTok on Threads, a text app from Meta. “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,” the alert read, according to Navarra’s post.
Enabling long-form videos is a way for TikTok to get users to spend more time on the app, while also discouraging them from leaving the platform to find such content, Navarra told CBS MoneyWatch.
“The algorithm will will make sure to serve them what they want to see,” he said. “I think TikTok will find people within platform that want long-form, and those that don’t will not be shown it.”
It would also allow Netflix and other streaming services that might release movies or TV series exclusively online to promote new content on TikTok, he said.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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