Reddit buys US TikTok rival Dubsmash

Forum site Reddit has acquired Dubsmash, the US-based TikTok competitor.

Reddit, one of the top 20 visited websites in the world, said that the short-form video social platform Dubsmash will operate as a separate brand, but that it will integrate the app’s creation tools directly into reddit.

The undisclosed deal represents Reddit’s latest serious foray into video following the launch of its broadcasting tool Reddit Public Access Network in 2019. The company said that Reddit users – or Redditors – have posted “millions of videos” on the site across its countless subforums, and that video uploads have increased by two times in 2020.

Dubsmash meanwhile is second only to TikTok in regards to the US’s short-form video market, with Reddit saying that its videos viewed over a billion times per month.

Along with the obvious popularity of the platform, Reddit said that Dubsmash “provides a welcoming platform for creators and users who are under-represented in social media.” It noted that ‘about 25%’ of all Black teens in the US use Dubsmash, and that women represent 70% of its userbase.

Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit, said: “Both Reddit and Dubsmash share a deep rooted respect for how communities come together. Dubsmash elevates under-represented creators, while Reddit fosters a sense of community and belonging across thousands of different topics and passions. It’s clear that our missions closely align and that our community-focused platforms can coexist and grow as we learn from each other.”

Suchit Dash, head of Dubsmash, said: “In our years of building Dubsmash, we’ve learned how video can spark creativity, unlock interactions, and deepen connections within communities.“We want to continue our journey to bring best in class video products to our users, and now Reddit users. We believe in the idea of connecting creators around interests and topics, something Reddit has pioneered, in our growing Dubsmash community.”