With TikTok nonetheless dealing with the potential for a ban within the U.S., the recognition of short-form video content material continues to develop. The newest firm to enter this house is TED, the non-profit finest recognized for its TED Talks that includes distinguished figures like Invoice Gates, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the late Pope Francis. 

On Wednesday, the corporate introduced its new short-form video function, aptly named “TED Shorts.” The function has steadily rolled out to customers because the starting of Might. 

Out there on each iOS and Android units, TED Shorts might be discovered in the course of the navigation bar. By tapping the button, customers are taken to a swipeable vertical feed that includes quick snippets of TED Talks and different unique content material. Customers can like movies, go away feedback, and share with pals. 

TED teamed up with Genuin, a no-code platform for generative video experiences, to energy the TikTok-like function. As Genuin defined to TechCrunch, TED’s new feed will probably be personalised with AI, curating a collection of movies primarily based on components like private pursuits, trending topics, and different alerts to floor probably the most related content material for every viewer.

TED Shorts is among the extra notable additions to the app, which hasn’t seen a big replace in its 15-year historical past. Since its launch in 2010, the app has primarily served as a vacation spot for customers to entry TED Talks and different content material through their cell units, similar to instructional animations and 26 podcasts spanning numerous subjects like enterprise, local weather, and well being.

The brand new function provides a means for customers to find highlights of their favourite audio system earlier than committing to a full-length video. That is additionally the primary time customers can have interaction with each other inside the TED app, fostering a way of neighborhood which will have been beforehand missing. 

TED already has a considerable following on YouTube (26.1 million), TikTok (2.8 million), Instagram (8.1 million), and different social media channels, indicating a requirement for brief video content material. 

The launch of TED Shorts comes at a vital time because the app seeks to spice up its progress. Head of Product Tricia Maia tells TechCrunch that the app had been deprioritized “for a number of years,” which impacted its month-to-month lively customers and annual progress metrics. In keeping with Appfigures, the app was downloaded 1 million occasions in 2024, a 17% decline in comparison with 1.2 million installs in 2023.

Thus far, the corporate boasts greater than 100 million app downloads globally.

TED joins a rising variety of firms adopting short-form video content material as platforms compete for customers’ consideration. Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that it’s experimenting with a brief video feed for its cell app. 

In the meantime, TikTok faces a potential ban in mid-June, though President Trump plans to extend the deadline for a 3rd time as deal negotiations proceed. Ought to U.S. customers lose entry to TikTok, they may search alternative platforms, and TED hopes they’ll flip to what it believes is higher-quality content material in comparison with what’s discovered on different apps.

“In an period of fragmented consideration, persons are actively in search of extra considerate, much less overwhelming methods to attach with new concepts, and with one another,” Maia stated. “[TED Shorts] is our antidote to algorithm fatigue and doom-scrolling low-quality content material.”

The corporate plans to proceed evolving TED Shorts over time to satisfy person wants whereas additionally exploring new methods to reinforce neighborhood constructing.

Maia added, “We’ll discover methods so as to add new neighborhood options, and develop community-driven options to different TED platforms, like our web site … This might develop past video and cell to a cross-platform neighborhood engagement expertise the place our viewers gained’t simply watch movies, however can take part in really personalised, topic-driven digital communities on a world scale.” 

This story was up to date to appropriate complete app installs from 30 million to 100 million.