By Jasmine Browley ·Updated November 8, 2023
A landmark program for the financial empowerment of TikTok creators is now ending.
The platform’s $1 billion creator fund will be discontinued in US, UK, Germany, and France, prohibiting users in these countries to monetize their content, according to TikTok spokesperson Maria Jung per a report by The Verge.
Launched in 2020, TikTok pledged $1 billion to the content creators driving interest to the platform through their creative contributions over the course of three years. However, it seems the program had overpromised and underdelivered with creators citing very low payouts after racking up millions of views and high engagement on their posts.
Earlier this year, the platform launched new monetization program that promised higher payouts for creators which, unlike original, requires creators to make longer form content. Earnings would also be calculated based on and engagement.
“Designed to help creators foster their creativity, generate higher revenue potential and unlock more exciting, real-world opportunities, the Creativity Program Beta is the latest addition to our range of monetization tools that support creators of all levels in being rewarded,” TikTok wrote in a statement announcing the program earlier this year. “We developed the Creativity Program based on learnings and feedback from our creators on our creator solutions, including the TikTok Creator Fund. The Creativity Program Beta will initially be available to creators by invite-only and then become available to all eligible US creators in the coming months.”
In a statement shared with TIME, a spokesperson for TikTok says the platform will remain committed to fostering “the best experience possible on TikTok and provide a robust ecosystem of monetization offerings to creators.” The spokesperson continued, saying, “Part of our efforts and ongoing commitment to provide requires us to evolve products and apply resources elsewhere to support creators best and explore new offerings.”
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