Tok market: The TikTok Shop is gaining momentum.

11/26/23 7:00PM

One-stop Tok

‍Following the success of "social shopping" offerings in Asia, TikTok may soon reap retail rewards from its >150 million monthly active users in the US.

The e-commerce arm of the platform, TikTok Shop, opened up in the States this September, features a new marketplace tab on the homepage; a commission-based programme for content creators; and the ability to buy tagged products using shop links featured on livestreams and in-feed videos.

The move into the shopping sphere feels like a natural progression for TikTok, having already established itself as a hub for young people to discover new products, particularly clothing and cosmetics. Some of the app’s most popular trends, including the 6-million-post strong #tiktokmademebuyit, are related to marketing. In fact, the #tiktokshop tag itself has racked up some 5 billion views over the last 30 days in the US alone.

By allowing for in-app purchases in America, TikTok aims to raise its global gross merchandise value to $20 billion, up from $5 billion last year — pitting itself directly against e-commerce behemoths like Amazon.

However, political roadblocks remain in TikTok’s master plan. After ramping up e-commerce efforts in Southeast Asia earlier this year, its online shopping operations were banned in Indonesia just months later. And, with privacy concerns still high on legislators' radars across the US, the dance app might have a new, shop-sized target on its back.

Max Knoblauch

5/21/26

Spotify surges to one of its best days ever after announcing upbeat revenue guidance and a new AI remix tool

Spotify announced the deal with UMG at its investor day Thursday.

Spotify Hosts "Best New Artist" Party At The Lot Studios - Inside

Hyunsoo Rim

Greener grass

5/15/26

Millennials may not have been the real job-hoppers after all

New BLS data shows late boomers had actually held more jobs by the same age.

Vibrant colored closed wooden doors in a row on blue sky and sea background. Choice and decisions concept

Millie Giles

GLOBAL STAGE

5/15/26

Could Madonna, Shakira, and BTS make the FIFA World Cup final more like the Super Bowl?

Just because it’s the biggest soccer game in the world doesn’t mean it can’t feel like football to Americans.

Madonna at the New York Giants v New England Patriots final

Max Knoblauch5/14/26

Netflix is staffing up an apparent AI animation studio called INKubator

According to several public job listings, streaming giant Netflix appears to be building a GenAI animation studio called INKubator.

First reported by journalist Janko Roettgers in the Lowpass newsletter, INKubator seems to have launched in March and aims to “develop feature-quality content in a creator-led environment.”

As Lowpass reports, INKubator appears focused on AI-generated short-form animation, but listings imply ambitions toward longer-form content. Netflix didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

INKubator wouldn’t be Netflix’s first foray into AI. Back in March, it acquired Ben Affleck’s AI filmmaking startup InterPositive — which trains on individual films’ already-shot footage — for as much as $600 million depending on certain targets.

Netflix’s potential future AI-generated animations could be served to an increasingly ad-packed streaming service. At Netflix’s Upfront presentation on Wednesday, the company said its ad-supported tier has now reached 250 million subscribers globally, up 31% from November.

Netflix is building an AI animation studio

Saleah Blancaflor5/13/26

Netflix confirms a “KPop Demon Hunters” world concert tour is on the way

Netflix has a “Golden” mine and it's digging deeper.

At its fourth annual TV Upfront presentation on Wednesday, Netflix President of Advertising Amy Reinhard announced a partnership with AEG Presents to create a “KPop Demon Hunters” world tour that will bring the phenomenon to life.

In March, Bloomberg previously reported Netflix was planning a global world tour sometime next year ahead of the sequel in arenas that would hold 10,000 to 20,000 fans, though the news had not been confirmed by the company nor had a partner been in place at the time.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is Netflix’s most watched film of all time, racking up 481.6 million views globally during the second half of 2025. Since its release, the HUNTR/X trio of Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami has appeared and performed at several major events including late-night talk shows, award ceremonies, and most recently at Coachella, where they were a surprise guest for Katseye. It hasn’t been confirmed whether the trio will be on the tour.

The announcement of the tour comes after Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos shared in a recent blog post that the company spent $135 billion on licensing and original film and TV over the last 10 years.

This year, Netflix has a projected content spend of $20 billion, up 10% year over year, while its annual revenue forecast is between $50.7 billion and $51.7 billion. The streaming giant has brought in more than $46 billion in profit over the past decade.

Netflix said more details around cities and tickets for the concert tour are expected to come out later this year.

Tok market: The TikTok Shop is gaining momentum.

More Culture

Netflix is staffing up an apparent AI animation studio called INKubator

Netflix is building an AI animation studio

Netflix confirms a “KPop Demon Hunters” world concert tour is on the way

Latest Stories