What’s TikTok Live Subscription and when can you sign up?
As of this writing, the beta for TikTok Live Subscription isn’t widely available. It’s still invite-only. But it will be widely available on May 26, with plenty of creators piloting the program right out of the gate. More creators will gain access as the rollout broadens. With global availability expected in the “coming months.” Pricing for subscriptions has not been fully detailed. However, the company says it will be “comparable” to some other services. And points directly to Twitch for comparison. Twitch subscriptions start off at around $4.99 per month. And Twitch’s cut of creator revenue is between 30-percent and 50-percent. It remains to be seen how the ByteDance-owned app compares to others in real-world use for creators or watchers. In terms of content consumer perks, those who pay for Live Subscription on TikTok will see perks such as membership badges and custom emotes. TikTok ensures that users aren’t just paying for a single badge either. It plans to upgrade membership badges over time. Beyond those perks, subscribers also gain access to exclusive chats.
How is this different from current monetization?
Now, the new beta isn’t the first monetization option introduced by TikTok. And it arguably won’t be the last for the explosively popular service. Prior to Live Subscription, TikTok users could effectively pay creators directly. As long as the creator isn’t breaking the rules, is over 18 years old, and has at least 100,000 followers. That and the new beta program are in addition to the older addition of virtual currency to the social media app. Which itself allowed viewers to offer a payout to creators during live streams.
