Reddit Acquired the ‘Dubsmash’ Video Platform
- Reddit welcomes ‘Dubsmash’ under its umbrella and celebrates the unification of two amazing communities.
- Dubsmash is maybe the first “short viral videos” platform to have existed, but it never reached the size of TikTok.
- Reddit needs a boost when it comes to creating original videos that drive up the engagement, and this acquisition could bring it.
Reddit announced the acquisition of ‘Dubsmash,’ the New York-based video-sharing social media service that has been around since 2014 but never quite “played” at the level its competitors - like TikTok did, for example. There’s generally a trend in the field of social media platforms that are trying to become everything and incorporate as many features as possible.
Short viral videos are currently considered indispensable. Last month, Snapchat launched its own short viral video platform called Spotlight to compete with TikTok, so the trend is rising.
Reddit is the undisputed champion in the sector of social news aggregation, and it’s also among the top ten most visited websites in the United States. However, Reddit is not exactly the first that pops in people's minds when thinking about “viral content,” so the platform is obviously looking for a boost there. Video has been there since 2017 and has been growing steadily, but this move could take things to the next level.
Dubsmash focuses more on the younger audience, featuring diverse “underground” creators that deserve widespread exposure. The platform proudly declares that 25% of all Black teens in the United States are on Dubsmash, while 70% of the entire userbase is females. 30% of its users log in on the platform every day, which gives an indication about the retention and the engagement created by the original content there.
Reddit sees alignment between its approach and Dubsmash’s, in the sense that they both cherish their communities above all else and strive to give a sense of belonging to every one of their users. Secondly, both platforms focus on creating original content rather than reposting stuff found elsewhere and engaging with recycled content.
Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit, stated:
From the side of Dubsmash, its head Suchit Dash stated: