TikTok coming to smart TVs in US, Canada
TikTok parent company ByteDance is bringing its popular video sharing platform to smart TVs and streaming devices in the US and Canada.
Starting today, LG and Samsung smart TVs made after 2018 and Google TV or Android TV-based devices can download the new TikTok TV app. The app initially launched earlier this month as an Amazon Fire TV exclusive but is now expanding to other major platforms.
The social media company describes its new launch as a "way to experience the joy and creativity of TikTok together at home." This includes support for the user's "For You" and "Following" feeds, as well as access to lists of the most liked and most viewed videos from categories like gaming, comedy, food, and animals.
A new "Discover" page is also shipping with the app to help users find new content and new creators based on their past viewing history and behavior.
Although the landscape format of smart TV screens may seem like a strange home for TikTok's traditionally vertical, smartphone-centric videos, this move greatly expands the avenues through which users can consume its content. It could also potentially provide a channel through which the video-based social network could produce longer-form content or serve as an asynchronous video chat platform for the 1.5 billion users it is expected to boast by next year.