TikTok has unveiled a beta period for its own paid monthly subscriptions tied to live streams. The program, developed under the banner of a creator-centric pilot, aims to grant access to exclusive perks such as private chat sessions, customized emojis, and badges that echo the familiar Twitch model. The rollout is designed to give creators new avenues to engage with their audiences while being rewarded for their work.
The beta is scheduled to begin on May 26, with TikTok providing a preview of how live subscriptions will work in practice through guest creators who shared updates on their Instagram profiles last week. The announcement signals a clear shift in how creators can monetize and interact during live broadcasts on the platform.
In TikTok’s vision, these subscriptions offer a monthly cadence that unlocks a range of benefits for paying members. Among the standout perks are subscriber badges that appear beside a creator’s name and evolve over time to reflect support and tenure within a channel.
Subscribers will also gain access to personalized emojis created by the channel’s creators, usable during live streams to express reactions and reinforce community identity. Additionally, a subscriber-only chat is available, giving paying members a more intimate space to connect with creators and fellow fans.
Conceptually, the initiative parallels Twitch’s subscription framework. On Twitch, there are tiered subscriptions at different levels, with the higher tiers unlocking distinctive benefits. The beta version of TikTok’s plan appears to mirror this structure, offering similar prestige items such as unique badges and emoji sets for the most engaged supporters.
TikTok anticipates a global expansion of the subscription feature in the months ahead. Until the feature becomes publicly available everywhere, participation in the beta requires users to be at least 18 years old and to have a minimum follower count to access the creator tools. Potential subscribers must also meet the age requirement to send or receive coins and gifts within the platform ecosystem.
Pricing for these subscriptions has not been disclosed yet. Industry observation suggests the rates are likely to align with established streaming platforms, with speculative benchmarks pointing toward tiers comparable to other major services. Reports indicate that revenue sharing will follow a similar model to existing standards, with a portion of income retained by the platform and the remainder allocated to creators based on subscriber levels and activity.