TikTok's Connected TV App Expands in the United States

TikTok has announced another expansion of its TV connection app, with Google and Android TV subscribers, Android Fire TV users, and LG and Samsung Smart TV owners now able to enjoy the lean-back TikTok viewing experience on the biggest screen in their home.

The TikTok TV app is designed for viewing on a television set, making it simple to watch content from our 'For You' and 'Following' streams on a big screen. This features the most popular and viewed films in a variety of categories, such as gaming and comedy, as well as food and animals.

It is exactly what it sounds like — TikTok on your home TV, as shown in the image above. Users may log into the TikTok TV app using their existing TikTok account, ensuring that their preferences are taken into consideration when viewing content, and you can also use the Discover option in the TV app to search for content and creators.

With the epidemic pushing more people to consume more web-based content on their home TV displays, and younger viewers, in particular, increasingly aligned with linked TV offers, the additional viewing possibilities could boost larger consumption and exposure of TikTok content. According to eMarketer's research, 52.8 percent of US YouTube visitors watched the platform's content on a connected TV device in 2020, with that percentage expected to rise to 57.7% by 2022.

Given TikTok's popularity, you can expect it to see similar viewing trends - and even if it only gets a quarter of the response that YouTube does, it may still be a powerful driver of content awareness and consumption, boosting the app's popularity and influence. Of course, TikTok clips' vertical format isn't perfect for larger, wider TV displays, with the TikTok app presenting content in an inverted letterbox format, with blurring a problem.

Even so, it could be a useful addition — and for brand promotions, it could provide another way to support TV-like ad reach through more focused social app campaigns in the future. As a result, it's important to monitor TikTok TV's expansion and uptake. We'll keep you informed of any developments.