• TikTok Spotlight directs viewers to actual information about movies and series clipped on the social network.
• Spotlight automatically adds an information card to clips that feature content owned by a studio or production house.
• The feature also gives these studios a better look at how their content is being used.

Social media is a great way to find movie and series recommendations except when it isn’t. Of late we’ve noticed folks sharing jaw dropping excerpts from movies and series on TikTok, except they don’t share where those clips originate.

Usually these clips are shared with some sort of clickbait caption such as “I can’t believe they did this in that movie!” or something to that effect. The name of the movie/series isn’t highlighted in the caption and so, viewers head to the comments searching for the name. This means greater engagement for the account sharing that content and frustration for viewers.

It seems TikTok has just about enough of that practice and is introducing something it calls TikTok Spotlight.

According to the platform, TikTok itself will identify content that might benefit from anchor links that direct users to more information about a series or movie. This suggests that users won’t need to label their content and it should be automatically identified.

This also helps production houses and studios as Spotlight will highlight creators they could engage with to improve the conversation around their content.

Of course, copyright owners can also use this feature to issue takedowns if they believe their content is being used improperly. What isn’t clear is whether Spotlight will be able to identify content that is featured alongside other random clips as is often the case with those farming engagement.

“As we navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, TikTok Spotlight has become an invaluable tool in our marketing arsenal,” says Cameron Curtis, executive vice president of digital marketing at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. “By leveraging TikTok Spotlight, we’ve been able to organically amplify our reach, engage with a diverse audience, and create authentic connections around our films, generating dynamic conversations and user-generated content that elevate the social buzz around our movies.”

From an anchor link users can do a number of things. They can find out more information about a movie or series, book tickets if its a release that’s still on circuit or head to a streaming platform that is hosting the content. The feature was used for Dune: Part Two as well as HBO’s House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.

That tells us that studios are going to have to opt-in to Spotlight so it will likely be a while before we stop seeing people farming clips on TikTok.

With that having been said, we really do welcome features such as this as it not only makes it easier to find a movie or series that’s interesting, it cleans up our TikTok FYP as well. If we’re honest, that’s probably the only reason we welcome this change.