Snapchat Spotlight Feature Launched, Designed to Be In-App Competitor for TikTok
Snapchat on Monday unveiled a new curated short-form video feed in a stepped up challenge to social media rivals like TikTok.
The new format called Spotlight will allow Snapchatters to see content from influencers and other members of the network popular with young smartphone users.
Spotlight is aimed at broadening the connections among Snapchat users by enabling anyone to create a video that gets distributed on the platform.
It aims to encourage more users to create short-form video “snaps” which can be embellished with filters and augmented reality effects.
“We designed Spotlight to entertain our community while living up to Snapchat values, with our community’s well being as a top priority,” said a statement from Snapchat parent firm Snap Inc. announcing the new service.
Spotlight is being launched in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, and in other markets later.
It marks the latest challenge to the wildly successful TikTok, which is facing pressure from the Trump administration, which wants to ban the app or forces its sale to American investors due to alleged national security concerns about its Chinese connections.
Others using similar short-form videos include Facebook-owned Instagram’s Reels and startups like Triller.