TikTok partners with IMDb to start linking movie and TV show titles to videos

To start 2023, TikTok is rolling out a new feature to US and UK users. Starting now, they can link movies and TV shows titles to the videos they create. The link directs people to a dedicated in-app page that showcases a collection of other videos linked to the same title and highlights essential data about the movie or TV show, all powered by IMDb.

This information includes top cast members, director, genre, release date, runtime, and user rating. According to TikTok, users can also add movies and TV shows to the favorites tab of their profiles, allowing followers to access the titles’ information from IMDb.

People can link up to five movies and/or TV show titles in a single video. Currently, this function is restricted to the US and the UK audience. It’s unclear when it’s going to expand to more countries.

“TikTok’s global community of movie and TV enthusiasts is incredibly active and passionate, with more than 25 billion combined views for the hashtags #FilmTok, #MovieTok, and #TVTok. As we continue to find new ways to enrich the TikTok experience, this new feature, developed in partnership with IMDb, gives our community more opportunities to discover, create, and share the content they love.” – Grace Li, Director of Strategic Partnerships at TikTok & ByteDance. 

According to the press release, before publishing a video on TikTok, users will see an option to “add link.” They can then search “movie and TV” and look up any of the more than 12 million titles available on IMDb. Once they have selected their desired titles, they can “add to video” to return to the posting page.

Once they “post” their video, the selected title(s) will be featured above the caption in the video. Clicking the displayed link will direct them to a page with more information about the linked title, along with other videos that have tagged the same title.