TikTok is also bidding for prime-time relevance. It unveiled its first US awards show, a full-scale live ceremony featuring winners announced live from the stage. This is a clear statement that the platform wants to be known not just as a social app but as an entertainment institution that also has red carpet moments.
The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles will host the event. A red carpet, live performances, and an audience filled with creators are promised. Production highlights designed for vertical video will be nothing short of dazzling. Expect snackable highlights and instant clips tailored for in-feed virality.
- Broadcast plans span the app, Tubi, and on-demand replay
 - Nominees and a category design rooted in platform culture
 - Key categories slated for the inaugural show
 - Nominees for top creator and breakthrough artist
 - Creator of the Year nominees
 - Breakthrough Artist nominees
 - Fan voting and editorial curation aim to balance outcomes
 - Business stakes: ad inventory, sponsors, and integrations
 - Context: creator economy growth and distribution strategy
 - What will determine the show’s long-term cultural impact
 

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, this video ad was posted.
Broadcast plans span the app, Tubi, and on-demand replay
TikTok claims the show will be broadcast live in the app and on Tubi, with on-demand playback available on Tubi afterward. Tubi is an intriguing distribution program since it focuses both on social and ad-supported streaming audiences. Winners will be announced in real time from the stage, adding the immediacy of TikTok to a time-honored award-show model.
Nominees and a category design rooted in platform culture
The slate of categories is tailored to the online platform’s culture. The category design embraces the platform’s creative language, signaling that this won’t be your standard industry show jammed into social media. It’s a show built out of TikTok’s own grammar: memes, music, LIVE, and community impact.
Key categories slated for the inaugural show
- Creator of the Year
 - Video of the Year
 - Muse of the Year
 - Breakthrough Artist of the Year
 - Storyteller of the Year
 - TikTok for Good Award
 - MVP of the Year
 - Okay Slay Award
 - TikTok LIVE Creators of the Year
 
Nominees for top creator and breakthrough artist
Creator of the Year nominees
- adamw
 - alixearle
 - brookemonk_
 - keith_lee125
 - kristy.sarah
 
Breakthrough Artist nominees
- alexwarren
 - katseyeworld
 - laufey
 - ravynlenae
 - sombr
 
Fan voting and editorial curation aim to balance outcomes
TikTok will open a new in-app portal where fans can vote for their favorites before the show. The company says it will simplify access through the main TikTok experience, which should turn inactive scrollers into more active participants and generate some engagement signals along the way.

Expect a mix of public voting and editorial curation to balance mass reach with artistry. This hybrid approach has been successful for other creator-focused awards, ensuring that your follower count isn’t the only thing that determines outcomes.
Business stakes: ad inventory, sponsors, and integrations
TikTok is going one step further with a full show, reclaiming culture territory that’s long been the domain of cable networks and the Streamys. A live broadcast also creates highly valuable ad inventory and sponsor integration opportunities. Custom segments, branded stages, and shoppable moments could all feature.
Context: creator economy growth and distribution strategy
The timing aligns with the broader creator economy’s maturation. Pew Research Center recently reported that “about a third of U.S. adults” use TikTok, with its usage “most popular among the youngest adults.” Emarketer analysts have continued to see double-digit ad growth for short-form video, and nearly all pop hits of the last two years have been sparked or sustained by a spike from TikTok memes. These trends underscore the readiness for a short-form video award show.
Distributing the show between the TikTok app and Tubi, the Fox-owned ad-supported streamer, expands the show’s viewership outside the app’s core base, which Nielsen’s tracking says now commands a third of U.S. TV time. While this is the first in the U.S., TikTok has already held awards in Germany, Mexico, and Korea. These events suggest a playbook: IMAX-focused categories, fandom-based voting, and shareable performances that live beyond the broadcast of the event. In Hollywood, the event aims to place TikTok’s social influence as an AVOD affiliate identity.
What will determine the show’s long-term cultural impact
Three qualifiers will determine how much of a swing this really is: which creators will make it a must-attend event, how advertisers will present on screen, and if TikTok will be able to turn live viewership and in-app voting into an annual event. If it can achieve consistent ABC-level credibility with a colorful yet tasteful CBS spectacle and keep the focus on the creators that have made it so popular, they’ll have an annual tentpole that far outlasts every ad-world industry gala and nudges the platform ever deeper into the entertainment mainstream.
