TikTok did confirm to TechCrunch that the company is indeed testing an ad-free tier but only exclusively in a single English-speaking market outside the US. TikTok also disputes reports suggesting a US launch, emphasizing that small-scale tests don’t guarantee an imminent product launch.
However, if the test turns out to be successful, a launch might be on the map after all. For now, the subscription seems geared towards tackling TikTok’s own ads, excluding influencer marketing or campaigns. This means it won’t necessarily address the issue of TikTok users sidestepping brand sponsorship disclosures.
TikTok makes most of its money from ads and has weathered the storm of a broader online ad spending slowdown. Just recently, the company integrated ads into search results, too. Whether an ad-free subscription can replace any ad revenue (remember that $11 billion for 2022 alone) is still up in the air, but TikTok seems keen on giving it a shot.
Drawing inspiration from platforms like YouTube and X, which already provide premium subscriptions without ads, TikTok’s venture into ad-free alternatives might bring some excitement. Even though a relatively small number of users, such as 80 million out of over 2.7 billion active YouTube users, choose to pay for the ad-free option, having the choice would probably be a welcomed feature.
