Entertainment
TikTok has announced some new ad options for streaming service providers, which will provide more ways for VOD companies to connect with TikTok’s highly engaged, younger-skewing audience.
And TikTok users are very into the latest movies and TV shows:
- More than 6.5 million posts about film and TV are shared every day in the app
- Almost half of TikTok users discover old movies or TV shows in the app
- Both #FilmTok and #MovieTok saw a 50% increase in posting activity in 2025
In order to help entertainment advertisers tap into this, TikTok is launching a new option for streaming providers, which guides users directly into the subscription flow from the TikTok feed.
As you can see in this sequence, the new Streaming Ads option will showcase streaming subscription offers, and link viewers through to sign up.
As explained by TikTok:
“Powered by Smart+, Streaming Ads are a performance ad solution that seamlessly converts viewers into new subscribers. Streaming Ads deliver personalized ad experiences to users who have shown interest in entertainment specific content and shows them the most relevant shows in an advertiser’s catalog – whether it be horror, comedy, or unscripted.”
TikTok says that the option is built specifically for streaming platforms, with providers able to incorporate variable display formats to entice interest.
In addition to this, TikTok’s also rolling out “New Title Launch,” an ad format designed to help promote major releases on streaming services in-stream.
“New Title Launch Ads allows advertisers to reach high-intent users using specific signals, such as users’ favorite movie genre or pricing sensitivity, to turn fandom into sales.”
TikTok will be promoting these new options at the Sundance Film Festival, which begins later this week, with TikTok also bringing a crew of #FilmTok influencers along to capture the key news and events.
“As the film world gathers in Park City for Sundance 2026, TikTok will be on the ground with creators, spotlighting the next generation of filmmakers and giving audiences an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at the festival.”
TikTok will also be hosting a screening of “The Moment,” a new “meta-mockumentary” starring singer Charli XCX. The singer will also be in attendance at the event, helping to boost TikTok’s presence at the festival.
The data speaks for itself here, TikTok is a valuable platform for film and TV show discovery, with the short snippets of past and future shows helping to boost interest, and get more people engaged with film culture.
The challenge, then, is that the rise of TikTok, and short-form video in general, has impacted attention spans, to the point that maybe you’re not going to get a lot of truly engaged film viewers out of these pushes.
Actor Matt Damon underlined this in a recent interview, explaining that:
“The standard way to make an action movie that we learned was [that] you usually have three set pieces, one in the first act, one in the second, one in the third, and then kinda’ ramp up to the big one with all the explosions. You spend most of your money on that one in the third act, that’s your finale, [but] now they’re like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay tuned in. And it [also] wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching.’”
This is the new reality that filmmakers are dealing with, which is why old movies now feel so slow, and new movies flash through at rapid pace, leaving you struggling to keep up with the various plot points.
I guess, the broader consideration here is that maybe TikTok fans are happier with snippets of a show, as opposed to having to sit through the whole thing, though that probably doesn’t impact that initial push to boost interest in signing up to watch the full movie.
But it is a consideration, which streamers have to contend with, even if they are able to lure more subscribers via TikTok promotions.
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Andrew Hutchinson