SAN FRANCISCO: Reddit is pulling the plug on its TikTok-like platform, Dubsmash, just a year after buying it for an undisclosed sum to bolster its video creation tools.
The standalone Dubsmash app will not be available for download after February 22, Reddit said, as it rolled out new camera and editing features as part of its video tools. When Reddit first announced the acquisition, it said Dubsmash would retain its own platform and brand.
“Combining forces has been a perfect match. Reddit is where passionate communities come together for timely, interactive and authentic exchanges about topics that matter to them, and video is increasingly core to how people want to connect,” the company said in a blog post.
TikTok’s massive success with short-form videos has driven other social networks to incorporate the format on their platforms, with Snap rolling out Spotlight; Facebook, now Meta Platforms, launching Instagram Reels; and YouTube launching Shorts.
“The Dubsmash team has been accelerating Reddit’s video, so parts of Reddit will feel familiar to Dubsmashers,” the company said in a blogpost.
Reddit is also rolling out new video features that come courtesy of the Dubsmash team. The built-in camera now includes options to change recording speeds and set a timer. A new editing screen allows users to add stickers, doodles, voice overs and filters to their clips.
Since Dubsmash’s acquisition, Reddit said it had seen 70% growth in overall hours watched, while the number of daily active video viewers rose by over a third. Viewership for short videos, which the company defines as two seconds or less, has also risen by 50% quarter-over-quarter.
