In the battle for finite consumer time and attention, social video giant TikTok is likely seen by many as a competitor in the entertainment space. But today TikTok introduced two new performance-focused advertising options designed specifically for streaming platforms and entertainment studios. They’re meant to help streamers tap into TikTok audiences and leverage the platform’s targeting capabilities and utility as a content discovery vehicle to help drive subscription signups and ticket sales.
Coinciding with the platform’s broader presence at the Sundance Film Festival, TikTok announced the launch of Streaming Ads, powered by Smart+, and New Title Launch ad products for entertainment providers.
TikTok Streaming Ads are built specifically for streaming platforms to help them convert users into new subscribers by highlighting shows to what it dubs “high-intent” TikTok viewers. This option delivers personalized, targeted ads to TikTok users that have demonstrated interest in entertainment-specific content and shows them the most relevant programming in a streaming advertiser’s catalog, whatever the genre or type might be.
The product allows streamers to show multiple show titles within a single ad experience through two different formats. That includes the “Multi-Show Experience” – which is a video carousel highlighting four video tiles provided by a streaming service’s catalog. The second format, called Media Card, is an interactive add-on that highlights multiple titles from a streamer’s library.
Also announced from TikTok is the New Title Launch performance ad solution, which is meant to be utilized around big moments and tentpole events – such as new season premieres, franchise releases, major live sports events or other marquee releases – to drive subscription signups and ticket sales.
According to TikTok, these ads allow entertainment advertisers to reach high-intent TikTok users using specific targeting signals, like their favorite movie genre or pricing sensitivity.
“Entertainment advertisers are increasingly turning to TikTok as a powerful audience-building engine," said Tao Baecklund, Global Head of Content & Services Ads at TikTok, in a statement. "We're listening to their evolving needs and are continuously developing new tools that allow them to reach high-intent viewers and drive key business results like subscriptions and ticket sales - all while delivering a more personalized, engaging experience for our users."
With YouTube already securing a dominant CTV streaming position and younger generations seemingly unabated appetite for social and short-form video, streamers alike not only compete for attention against platforms like TikTok – particularly for younger generations - but also seek to leverage them and the related consumption to help deepen fandoms and boost relevance of their own content and offerings.
And through TikTok’s latest ad products, promotion isn’t the only play for streamers on the social video app as they can take it a step further to convert users to subscribers and drive sales.
Speaking to TikTok’s relevance as a content discovery vehicle, the release noted that 4 in 5 of its users say the platform “inspires their streaming choices and encourages them to explore more content.”
In 2025 alone, TikTok saw an average of 6.5 million posts about film and TV shared every day on the platform.
Additionally, a 2024 survey for the company found 167% of TikTok users are more likely to maintain a streaming service subscription to participate in discussions about content online.
And the two new products focused on driving subscriptions are meant to help entertainment advertisers reach that community of already engaged or could-be fans.