Tumblr TV Launches as a TikTok Alternative After 10 Years

After nearly 10 years in development, Tumblr TV has launched as a new alternative to TikTok, offering a platform for short-form video content. The launch marks a significant milestone for Tumblr as it diversifies its offerings to attract creators and users. With features designed to compete with other popular video platforms, Tumblr TV aims to reshape the social media landscape.

In 2015, Tumblr introduced a GIF discovery feature called Tumblr TV as an experimental product. Now, with the uncertain future of TikTok following its U.S. ban, Tumblr has decided to launch Tumblr TV, which has since evolved to support video, as a standard feature for all users.

On Tuesday, the company announced that Tumblr TV would transition from its experimental phase in Tumblr Labs to being accessible to everyone. New users will find the tab in a prominent third position in the app, while existing users can toggle it on or off in the Dashboard Tabs settings.

The decision to promote Tumblr TV to a core feature nearly 10 years after its creation is largely due to the demand for TikTok alternatives, triggered by the U.S. law banning apps with Chinese ownership, including TikTok.

Although the TikTok ban’s enforcement is currently paused due to President Trump’s intervention, it remains unclear whether TikTok will agree to a deal to remain active in the U.S. after the extended 75-day deadline.

Following the TikTok ban on January 19, Tumblr saw a surge in users, with a 35% increase in iOS app installs and a 70% rise in new users joining Communities, which allow people to join groups based on shared interests, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Some new users even created Communities like TikTok Repository, aimed at backing up and sharing TikTok videos, and TikTok Refugees, which attracted both new and returning users.

As a TikTok competitor, however, Tumblr TV doesn't fully measure up. While Tumblr made several improvements during the Labs phase, such as lightbox support and video enhancements, the final product still doesn’t resemble TikTok, where original creator content is predominant.

Tumblr's video feed offers vertical swipe-based navigation within its channels, like Art or Sports, on mobile, similar to TikTok. However, the GIFs in full-screen mode are grainy, and many videos aren’t optimized for vertical viewing as they were originally recorded for other platforms.

Despite these differences, Tumblr hopes the video feed will make TikTok users feel more at home if they choose to move to Tumblr.

With TikTok still available in the U.S., the demand for a backup app is likely decreasing.

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Source: techcrunch‍