Get ready to watch more TikTok, on a much bigger screen.
Back in December, Samsung announced a new deal with TikTok to enable Samsung Smart TV owners in Europe to watch TikTok clips on their TV sets. Now, the company has confirmed that the same capacity is coming to the US, with most of its 2021 smart TVs able to access the TikTok-connected app.
And it won’t just be the latest TV sets – the TikTok app for Samsung TVs will be available for all smart TV models made after 2018, providing big-screen access to your ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ feeds. And if you don’t have a TikTok account, you’ll still be able to watch the latest, trending content, separated into 12 different categories within the app.
That could open up new viewing opportunities for TikTok – but then again, there might also be some translation issues when blowing up small-screen clips onto large, 4K screens. As you can see in the example above, the TikTok video display comes via a kind of vertical letterbox format, so the image is not expanded or stretched too much. But still, it’ll be interesting to see how the clips translate, and whether it’s as compelling a viewing experience on your home TV set.
I mean, that, in itself, could be a problem. If TikTok is just as compelling from the comfort of your couch, there could be a lot more people falling asleep to the latest trending tracks, with the images of people dancing flashing across the room.
Still, it’s an interesting option – and it could also open up new opportunities for TikTok advertisers, who, you would assume, will eventually be able to reach connected TV audiences as a targeting option.
YouTube, which has seen a big increase in viewers watching content on connected TVs, has already added TV-specific ad options, like Masthead Ads, providing marketers with additional ways to maximize reach. Having the capacity to create TV-like ad campaigns, with digital ad targeting, is a valuable option, and it could end up being a worthy consideration for TikTok marketers.
Of course, as noted by Cnet, you can actually watch TikTok clips on your TV already via Apple Airplay or other connected options. But the dedicated app could prove more compelling, while also offering additional capacity, and potentially helping TikTok to reach even more users.
