TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing platform, is coming to your Fire TV devices. If you live in the UK, France, or Germany you’ll be able to watch TikTok content through your Amazon streaming stick, giving you an easy way to enjoy your favorite creators on your home cinema screen.
Users of TikTok on TV will notice many similarities and a few changes from the mobile app. Firstly your usual ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ feeds will remain, giving you an easy way to watch the same content you’d see on your phone. New options like the ‘Discover’ page will enable you to find and watch videos from curated trends that the app recommends, letting you more easily find new ways for TikTok to entertain you.
If you don’t own a streaming stick, though, you may still be in of luck. TikTok is also launching on Samsung Smart TV, Google TV, and Android TV. If your smart TV runs one of these OS you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite short-form videos on the big screen too.
- Best Samsung TV: amazing flatscreen TVs worth buying
- What are the best 8K TVs to buy?
- Best 120Hz 4K TVs: the best TVs for your Xbox Series X and PS5
How will TikTok on TV look?
TikTok videos are designed to view on your phone when it's held vertically. So unless you have a rotating Samsung Sero, you're probably wondering how they'll translate to your TV's horizontal display.
Based on what we've seen, you aren't about to deal with any weirdly cut content, as the whole vertical video will be visible onscreen. It also appears that there won't be boring black letterboxing on either side too, as the image below seems to show. Instead, you'll likely be faced with a faint background based on the central video.
Given that the background also seems to sometimes show content that would be just offscreen normally, it's possible TikTok creators may be able to capture footage additional footage for use as a background.
Viewers may also end up disappointed by the new app if they're watching on a large 55-inch 4K TV screen. Most videos are shot on a smartphone – for watching on a smartphone – and low-res videos could get a bit blurry on flatscreen TVs. As ever, it'll depend on the quality of the video being watched.
