The race to become a successful TikTok clone is on—and everyone’s struggling

guest · Jul 2, 2020

The race to become India’s TikTok is on—and everyone’s struggling
July 2, 2020
https://qz.com/india/1875374/the-race-to-become-indias-tiktok-is-on-and-everyones-struggling/

Over 500 million Indians who were using TikTok are looking for their next online entertainment hub.

With the Indian government’s decision to ban the Beijing-based app [...] several local apps are positioning themselves as the “Made in India” alternative to TikTok and inviting its users to their platforms.

Leading the pack are Chingari, Roposo, Mitron, and social network ShareChat, which recently debuted its own short-form video app, Moj.

“This is the digital aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) moment that most Indians have been rooting for,” said Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO of InMobi Group, which last year acquired TikTok rival Roposo.
These attempts, however, might garner limited success because, as of now, none of the Indian players seem ready for the challenge.
Click to expand...

Struggle central
It’s not hard to build an app like TikTok [...] The technological barrier is low,” he added.
Yet, homegrown apps are no match for Tiktok.

For instance, seven-year-old Roposo still has only 55 million users in India, and Mitron, launched in April 2020, has garnered just two million users so far.
In terms of user experience, too, these apps have failed to impress.
Click to expand...

Still, it’s not as easy as copy-and-paste.

Importing content won’t bring the users with it. “The first-mover that pioneered any social app (e.g. TikTok) has a larger user base. So, even if another app replicates the concept, people don’t want to join the other app because there are fewer users on it,” said Hosanagar.

“These Chinese products have global markets and that gives them the scale to invest more,” said Harish HV, an independent analyst tracking India’s startup sector. “For an Indian product to get there is quite tough as these are typically winner-takes-all markets.”
Click to expand...

guest · Jul 3, 2020

Facebook is shutting down Lasso, its TikTok clone
July 2, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/01/lasso-facebook-tiktok-shut-down/

Facebook is no longer betting on Lasso, an app it launched a year and a half ago, to take on TikTok . The social juggernaut’s TikTok clone is shutting down on July 10, Lasso alerted users on Wednesday.

Launched in late 2018, Lasso was seen as Facebook’s answer to TikTok that’s gained ground with young users, both in China and in the West.
As of February, Lasso was available in Colombia, Mexico, the U.S., Argentina, Chile, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador and Uruguay, research firm Sensor Tower told TechCrunch.

Lasso added support for Hindi language earlier this year, prompting speculation that Facebook may eventually bring the new app to India, the American tech firm’s biggest market by user accounts.
Click to expand...

It’s unclear why Facebook never expanded Lasso to more markets. But what is clear is that Lasso’s journey was troubled from the beginning. Brady Voss, who led the development of this app, left Facebook days after the launch of Lasso.
Click to expand...

xxJackxx · Jul 3, 2020

I find it amusing that everyone tries to rush to be the next clone of (insert trendy thing here). You've already missed the boat. If you want to succeed you need to create the next big thing, not copy it.

Minimalist · Jul 11, 2020

Any Chingari App (Indian TikTok Clone) Account Can Be Hacked Easily

Following vulnerability disclosure in the Mitron app, another viral TikTok clone in India has now been found vulnerable to a critical but easy-to-exploit authentication bypass vulnerability, allowing anyone to hijack any user account and tamper with their information, content, and even upload unauthorized videos.
Click to expand...

https://thehackernews.com/2020/07/hack-chingari-app-account.html

guest · Jul 26, 2020

TikTok's Indian rivals use competitions, prizes to engage users
Indian social media platforms are using competitions and in-app features to drive user engagement
July 26, 2020
https://www.livemint.com/technology...ns-prizes-to-engage-users-11595740392772.html

After pulling through the sudden spike in new signups following the ban on TikTok, the Indian social media platforms like Chingari, Trell, Roposo and Mitron now face the challenge of making new users stay.
A recent report by KalaGato claims that the engagement level of these platforms is lower compared to TikTok. Some TikTok creators have also not been satisfied with the user experience of these apps.

Sumit Ghosh, co-founder, Chingari points out, the competition is aimed at promoting desi (homegrown) talents and helping them fulfil their dream of becoming famous and rich. We are confident that people in large numbers will join Chingari to showcase their talent.
On the same note, Roposo is working on holding 100 online competitions with prize money for creators this year.
Click to expand...

In addition to driving up engagement through competition and large cash prizes, platforms like Roposo are also providing incentives to creators on a daily basis by rewarding them for bagging more views.
So, if a video gets certain number of views on Roposo, the creator gets proportional number of coins. Users can cash out the coins and transfer to a mobile wallet.

Experts believe engagement and brand doesn’t build overnight and may even take years to reach the levels of TikTok.
Click to expand...

That discovery journey will take time and eventually only one or two of these apps will float and the rest will disappear.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 4, 2020

ShareChat in talks with Sequoia, others to raise up to $200 million: sources
August 4, 2020
https://www.news18.com/news/tech/sh...aise-up-to-200-million-sources-2-2757081.html

Indian contentsharing platform ShareChat is in earlystage talks with U.S.based Sequoia Capital and some other investors to raise up to $200 million, which could value the company at over $1 billion, three sources aware of the matter told Reuters.

ShareChat, in which Twitter last year invested an undisclosed amount, declined to comment. It has 140 million monthly active users in India.
ShareChat allows users to post content in 15 Indian languages and after TikTok was banned, it launched a similar short-video sharing app named Moj which has clocked up more than 50 million downloads so far.

The money raised by ShareChat will be used to grow its video app further, bring more content creators to its platform and raise its marketing spend, said the first source.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 6, 2020

Attack of the TikTok clones
With TikTok in turmoil, competitors take their shot
August 6, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/21356971/tiktok-alternatives-instagram-reels-byte-triller-zynn-ban

After two years as the hot new app, TikTok is suddenly fighting for its life. The app faces a potential ban in the United States due to concerns around its Chinese ownership; [...]
With that window of opportunity opening, a new class of apps has elbowed into the spotlight: Byte, Triller, Zynn, Clash, Instagram, and Snapchat are all offering TikTok clones or music features designed to fill the hole TikTok might leave.

Some of those apps have racked up eye-popping numbers: Byte had 1.2 million downloads in the US during the past month, Triller had 700,000 downloads, and Zynn had 400,000 downloads, according to data compiled by App Annie. Clash said it signed up 200,000 users since launching just last week.
Click to expand...

Perhaps more significantly, the two biggest names in shortform mobile video — Instagram and Snapchat — are now launching TikTok-like features, too.

For TikTok, there’s a lot on the line. TikTok is in position to be the next big social network, a huge use of teenagers’ time and a major advertising business. Some investors see TikTok being worth $50 billion [...]
Now, TikTok has to contend with not only the threat of a ban, but the possibility that one or more of these apps will take its place as the home for shortform videos, potentially siphoning off its existing users in the process.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 7, 2020

mood said: ↑

ShareChat in talks with Sequoia, others to raise up to $200 million: sources August 4, 2020
Click to expand...

Microsoft in talks to invest in ShareChat
August 7, 2020
https://www.livemint.com/technology...ks-to-invest-in-sharechat-11596760972110.html

ShareChat is in talks with Microsoft Corp. for an investment of around $100 million in the Indian content sharing platform, two people aware of the development said.
If the deal materializes, the Microsoft investment will be about a third of what ShareChat is looking to raise in the latest funding round, the first person said on condition of anonymity.

The deal might take a couple of months to close as the talks are at an early stage, this person added.
Click to expand...

Microsoft’s interest in ShareChat comes at a time when the tech giant is negotiating the purchase of video-sharing app TikTok’s operations in the US and a few other markets from China’s ByteDance.
Microsoft is now also looking to acquire TikTok’s services in India and Europe, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing unidentified people.

Interestingly, ShareChat launched its Moj video-sharing service just a day after the Indian government banned TikTok. Helo, another app owned by Bytedance, competes with ShareChat.
ShareChat had last raised $100 million from Twitter, which pegged the valuation of the startup at $650 million.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 21, 2020

There’s no frontrunner to be found among the TikTok alternatives
August 20, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/20/theres-no-frontrunner-to-be-found-among-the-tiktok-alternatives/

The U.S. market has no real frontrunner poised to claim TikTok’s throne if the app is banned in the country.

Instagram, of course, is clearly vying for TikTok users with the launch of its latest short-form video feature called “Reels.” But the addition has so far seen mixed reviews. Though it’s still early days for Reels, The New York Times rushed to call it a “dud” on arrival. Engadget, meanwhile, said the feature was actually a “worthy rival,” but it gets lost in Instagram’s bloat.

There are a number of other apps that are more direct competitors to TikTok, as they also employ a similar vertical video feed format, focus on short-form video and offer a combination of editing tools and music that made TikTok so popular.
Click to expand...

According to data provided by app store intelligence firm App Annie, Singapore-based Likee had the largest number of weekly active users in the U.S. for the week ending August 8.
Likee is very much a TikTok clone, unfortunately with ripped content aplenty, no less.

The next two largest apps were Byte and Triller with 1.1 million weekly active users apiece, during the same time period of August 2-8.
Click to expand...

There are a number of lesser-known TikTok alternatives as well, including Lomotif, Funimate, Kwai, Firework and others. And there are video apps that focus on some aspect of TikTok, such as the live-streaming apps like Live.Me, Twitch and Caffeine, as well as social video chat apps like Squad, Houseparty, Murge and others. But none of these could be considered a TikTok competitor.

What could happen, instead, if TikTok were to entirely disappear, would be a fracturing of its user base across a range of competitive apps.
Click to expand...

guest · Sep 28, 2020

Indian start-up ShareChat is one of many looking to fill the vacuum left by TikTok ban
September 28, 2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/28/ind...ng-to-fill-the-vacuum-left-by-tiktok-ban.html

India’s ban of the popular short-video sharing app TikTok has left a vacuum that local start-ups are moving in to fill.

One of those start-ups is ShareChat, a Twitter-backed Indian social media platform that caters to users in 15 regional languages.

“We’ve been very, very opportunistic because we figured that this is a large vacuum, it’s a large opportunity of short-video market, and therefore, we launched on that product,” Ankush Sachdeva, co-founder and CEO of ShareChat, said on CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Monday.
ShareChat said last week it raised $40 million in pre-Series E funds from a variety of investors.
ShareChat’s total funding to-date is at $264 million.
Click to expand...

guest · Oct 2, 2020

Triller Has Allegedly Been Inflating Its User Numbers
October 2, 2020
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2020/10/triller-has-allegedly-been-inflating-its-user-numbers.html

One of TikTok's main competitors, Triller has allegedly been inflating its own user numbers. As reported by Business Insider, some former employees have expressed wariness at the monthly user number published by the company.

Given all the strain TikTok has been under this would be a great time as a competitor to try and make a move. Should a ban come to fruition Triller would have been in a great position to strike.
Triller inflating its user numbers has the potential to totally devalue the brand and its integrity to the outside world. If this news turns out to be true it could have big ramifications for the company.
Triller may have been fudging its own user numbers
Triller claims that it was hitting 100 million monthly users as reported by The Verge. However, its own ex-employees have disputed those numbers.
Click to expand...

Regardless of how true the claims are it can only be damaging for Triller.
It was in a position to capitalize on the hype surrounding TikTok and now this may have had a massive negative impact on any growth the app could have gained.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 4, 2021

Kuaishou pulls its video app from US after failing to dent TikTok’s market dominance
August 4, 2021
https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/...-video-app-us-after-failing-make-dent-tiktoks

Zynn, released by Kuaishou in May last year, once reached top spot on the App Store in the US with the help of cash rewards and gift cards

The company’s average monthly active users outside China exceeded 100 million in the first quarter and grew to more than 150 million in April

Click to expand...

Zynn, a TikTok clone that once topped the iOS App Store in the US, has been taken down by its operator Kuaishou Technology, in what is seen as an admission that the dominance of rival TikTok in the American market is too hard to beat.

“We took the initiative and removed Zynn from the US App Store. Other overseas products will not be affected … our overseas strategy remains unchanged,” the Hong Kong-listed company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The company budgeted US$1 billion to increase its overseas user base this year and had already spent US$250 million in the first three months, local media LatePost reported in June, citing people familiar with the matter.
Click to expand...

However, its popularity faded over the subsequent months, and in the three months before being pulled it only ranked between 350 to 450 in the entertainment category of the US App Store, according to data provider Sensor Tower. TikTok currently ranks No 1 among all free apps in the US App Store, followed by YouTube and Instagram, according to Sensor Tower.
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

The race to become a successful TikTok clone is on—and everyone’s struggling

guest Guest

guest Guest

xxJackxx Registered Member

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

The race to become a successful TikTok clone is on—and everyone’s struggling

guest Guest

guest Guest

xxJackxx Registered Member

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

Useful Searches