TikTok, Universal Music Group seal new deal to return Taylor Swift, BTS, other artists to hit short video app

ByteDance-owned TikTok and UMG have signed in Los Angeles what they describe as a “multidimensional licensing agreement” that would deliver significant industry-leading benefits for UMG’s global family of artists, songwriters and labels. “Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” … Read more

TikTok owner ByteDance earns praise from Chinese social media for rejecting US sell-or-ban ultimatum

Beijing-based ByteDance late on Thursday rejected a report by US digital publication The Information, which said that it was “exploring scenarios” to sell a majority stake in TikTok’s US operations to firms outside the technology industry and without the algorithm that powers the platform. In a statement posted on its Jinri Toutiao news platform, ByteDance … Read more

US sell-or-ban law against TikTok stirs unease in China as Beijing, social media giant ByteDance stay mum on next moves

An article published by the Beijing Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party’s Beijing Municipal Committee, said the measure against TikTok is tantamount to a “robbery” that would “completely destroy American national credibility, which is already flawed”. United States President Joe Biden speaks after signing into law the foreign aid bill and a … Read more

TikTok owner ByteDance stays hands-off as video app faces US ban, leaving local team to become more aggressive

The Chinese parent of TikTok has kept a safe distance from the troubles facing its short video app in the US, leaving the response to the local team and Singaporean CEO Chew Shou Zi as they face a possible legal battle against a forced sale or a ban, according to people briefed on the matter. … Read more

Ex-Trump Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin pooling investors to buy TikTok: ‘It’s a great business’

The bill is yet to pass the Senate, where it is expected to face a tougher test to become law. 03:10 Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide The White House has said President … Read more

US lawmakers want a TikTok sale or ban, but China’s ByteDance won’t give up without a fight

The bill is headed to the US Senate, where both Democratic and Republican leaders have rejected the idea of fast-tracking its passage. 03:10 Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide Protests at US Congress after House passes bill that could potentially ban TikTok nationwide While US President Joe … Read more

TikTok’s Singaporean CEO grilled by US senator about Chinese Communist Party links

WASHINGTON: TikTok’s Singaporean CEO Chew Shou Zi was on Wednesday (Jan 31) asked repeatedly about his ties with China, in his first appearance before US lawmakers since March last year. Chew was among the leaders of the biggest social media companies grilled by US senators – the latest effort by lawmakers to address the concerns of parents … Read more