TikTok launched six months ago in smart TV stores in Australia and the US, but according to a representative of Samsung, the question still remains about how successful this will become.
Wonki Kim, Samsung’s Global Lead of Lifestyle TV Products said, “As far as I know, TikTok is not in the ranks of, let’s say, the top five or top 10 in terms of smart TV apps.”
He compared this to YouTube which continues rising. Having previously worked with LG, Mr. Kim made these remarks during a recent roundtable in Berlin, Germany.
An Australian spokeswoman for TikTok wouldn’t reveal user numbers or downloads when asked about the app’s progress in the TV market, but claimed the company would be continuing testing and investing in the app.
“The app is still in the early stages with testing underway in Australia and around the world. We will continue to enhance the product through regular improvements.”
TikTok Australia overtook Snapchat back in June, receiving 8.5 million audience customers. Snapchat reached 7.5 million local users in April.
TikTok also seems to be the app of choice for local businesses, with 350,000 using it to grow customer base and advertise products.
TikTok also appears to be the app of choice for local businesses, 350,000 of which use the platform to grow their customer base and advertise products.
If it comes to light that TikTok’s popularity is limited to mobiles supporting the vertical format, Mr. Kim claims it means some users weren’t comfortable watching algorithm suggested videos on a larger TV.
“My … feeling is that TikTok is very personal … it’s your screen and feed. I don’t know how many people want to watch their TikTok feed on an 85-inch screen.”
Tama Leaver, an Internet Studies professor from Curtin University in Perth agreed with this sentiment.
“TikTok’s ‘for you page’ algorithm is a more effective algorithm than any other content recommendation algorithm out there. While it does randomly insert certain things to test out whether that is something the user might like, it’s also … drawing on as many possible signals as it can to intensify a user’s viewing experience for what it thinks they already like.”
While no official statistics surrounding the algorithm’s accuracy came to light, Professor Leaver said the time difference spent between TikTok and other apps was “something astronomical.” TikTok engaged users for approximately an hour, while most other apps had a third of this.
“There are more hours spent by users on TikTok than any other social media platform.”
