The Hollywood Reporter reported that TikTok and Pearpop are teaming up to produce a comedy docuseries hosted by TikTok creator Jericho Mencke. All eight episodes cost $4.99, with the first two episodes available to watch for free to all TikTok users. They won't be short-form videos as each episode will be 30 minutes long.
Mencke will host comedic interviews with a variety of personalities in the "Finding Jericho" series as he tackles broad topics like humor, interests, and confidence. Pearpop, the creator content and collaboration platform co-founded by Cole Mason, Spencer Markel, and Guy Oseary, is producing the show. Executive producers are Zack Bernstein and Austin Sokol of Pearpop, as well as Mencke.
Following the release of the first episode on June 2 at 9 p.m. PT, the series will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 p.m. PT from the TikTok accounts of @Jercho1 and @pearpopofficial.
The subscription series comes as TikTok begins to roll out a monthly subscription tool for selected creators with over 1,000 followers that offers privileges like subscriber badges, exclusive emotes, and subscriber-only chat to their paying fans.
TikTok Launched Live Creator Subscriptions
According to Tech Crunch, with the launch of TikTok LIVE subscriptions, a new program that will let creators make recurring money via payments from their top followers, TikTok is stepping up its competition with Twitch, YouTube, and others. The new service will offer subscribers a variety of privileges, including subscriber-only chat, personalized emotes, badges, and more, similar to rival streaming sites.
On May 26, the program began beta testing with a small group of creators who had been asked to participate.
@tiktoklive_creator Welcome to LIVE subscription - connect with your community on a whole new level! #LIVESubs #TikTokLIVE ♬ original sound - TikTok LIVE Creator
Monetization Challenges in TikTok
Social Media Today reported that while the app, and short-form video has grown in popularity, TikTok has had difficulty establishing an equitable monetization model, with many of its top stars claiming issues with its Creator Fund, as well as substantial differences between TikTok and other social media applications.
Despite amassing millions of views in the app, this content creator revealed that he only received $622 in TikTok's Creator program over the course of six months.
@cornydirtydan #greenscreen since nobody asked. I give you my unscripted analysis. #fyp #pay #creatorfund ♬ Lofi nostalgic old music box(833007) - NARU
@cornydirtydan's videos get over 30,000 views apiece, and he's been posting roughly 9 videos per week this year, with some of them reaching millions of views. His top-performing clip, as noted in the video, has eclipsed 50 million views in the app.
However, Social Media Today pointed out that if this creator had spent the same amount of time on YouTube and generated similar views, he would have earned roughly $60k under the YouTube Partner Program.
It is worth noting that this is not a straight comparison, and posting longer form videos on YouTube would take more time and work. But the disparity in earning potential is significant, posing the greatest threat to TikTok's continued growth - since if creators can earn more in other apps, they'll certainly forsake TikTok in favor of "greener pastures."
