TikTok Introduces New Live-Stream Moderation Tools

TikTok is aiming to polish its live-stream offering as it prepares for the next phase of development, with a couple of new features aimed at giving live broadcasters more control, along with new discovery tools to effectively showcase in-progress live-stream content.

The major goal of these new improvements is to ensure broadcaster safety by allowing them to avoid inappropriate remarks or interactions.

To begin with, TikTok is introducing a new feature that will allow broadcasters to designate 'Live moderators,' of which will be an individual person or people who can assist them in managing their streams.

Live Moderators, as shown here, allows you to add multiple users who can then supervise your comments and commenting functions during a stream.

It can be a great aid for those looking to use their streams for professional purposes, allowing them to effectively cut unnecessary conversations while also responding to relevant comments and boosting engagement.

TikTok is also bringing out keyword filtering for live-stream comments, which will help with the former.

According to TikTok:

"In the settings tab of the LIVE launch screen, hosts can turn off comments or add up to 200 terms into the keyword filter to limit those comments in the chat. Words can be added to the list throughout the live-stream by hosts and the person helping them."

Again, this gives you more resources to successfully manage your broadcast and guarantee that your comment stream doesn't deviate off-topic and into more offensive territory. It happens rather frequently, as anyone who has broadcast or even watched streams on a routine basis would know.

TikTok is also bringing its thoughtful comment alerts to live-streams, which could help prevent users from making potentially inappropriate comments.

TikTok's thoughtful comment reminders were added to the main app in March, and the addition of live-streaming will hopefully give more people pause for thought in the same manner.

In the coming months, TikTok will also roll out a new feature that will allow streamers to temporarily mute viewers or erase harsh or harmful comments, which will be available to both hosts and assigned moderators.

These new tools, when used together, will give the app a lot more capacity for managing interactions within live-streams, as well as help keep things civil and welcoming - both of which will be significant factors for potential brand and influencer partnerships.

Moreover, TikTok is working to improve the app's Live video discovery options, with top, in-progress broadcasts getting featured on the For You and Following pages.

"Some of the top LIVE categories include Chat (Q&A), Gaming, Talents, Fashion, and Daily Life, and with updated access points to the LIVE page, Top and Recommended LIVE videos will soon be closer than ever."

TikTok is already experimenting with live-stream shopping options, which will provide companies and influencers new opportunities to monetize their TikTok following. TikTok will be able to welcome more brand partners into this experience by improving its moderation and discovery tools, which is part of its wider transition into eCommerce and in-stream shopping, which will preferably develop the app beyond being a viral hit, and into a more sustainable, revenue-generating machine that can match it with the bigger players in the space.

For if TikTok artists can't make any money, they'll end up leaving, bringing their audience with them. As a result, these new technologies will all play a role in TikTok's future as it seeks to turn its vast audience appeal into a more stable commercial proposition.