• TikTok has announced Series, a new feature that allows content creators to place specific content behind a paywall.
• Videos in TikTok Series are limited to being 20 minutes long, with up to 80 videos capable of being placed into collections.
• Access to the paywall can start at $1 and is capped at $190.

Last month we reported on a new feature being readied for release on TikTok that would allow content creators to place their videos behind a paywall.

Now that feature has been unveiled and it’s called TikTok Series.

“Today we’re introducing Series, a new way for creators to share their stories, talents and creativity as premium content while further deepening their connection with the TikTok community,” the social media platform explained in a blog post.

Series is not available to all creators on the platform, however, with selected creators needing to meet requirements for eligibility. What those specific requirements are though, have not been shared at the time of writing.

Further explaining how the new feature works, TikTok says videos can be placed in Collections, with up to 80 videos per Collection. There is also a limit on how long videos can be, with it currently set at 20 minutes. Added to this is a cap on how much creators can charge for access to the paywalled content, with it starting at $1 and topping out at $190 (between around R18.58 and R3 530 at the time of writing).

At the moment it is unclear whether any of the above limits will be refined or changed when more people start making use of Series. There are some added elements to help monetise content in Series too.

“Creators can select how much their Series should cost that best reflects the value of their exclusive content, which can be purchased for access via direct in-video links or through a creator’s profile. Through Series, creators can build even stronger relationships with their viewers while also giving viewers another way to support creators,” the blog adds.

To further incentivise use, TikTok says creators will take all the revenue from Series at launch, with the app store fees, processing, and any other administrative costs being deducted. Like many of the future questions related to this new feature are concerned, it is unclear what the revenue split will be once TikTok starts asking for a cut.

It will be interesting to see how this new feature helps TikTok maintain its dominance in the short-video format space.