Reddit is the social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website.
Through the website, members can submit contents that include links, text posts and images, which will be then voted by other members.
This approach has long made Reddit the "the front page of the internet", but yet a bit old-school in the internet world where streaming media has become very common.
From TikTok to Instagram and Snapchat. Short-form videos are a hit and a traffic magnet for any platform that has it.
And this time, Reddit is jumping into the bandwagon, by acquiring Dubsmash, a New York-based video sharing social media service application.
The company delivered the news in a blog post, without specifying the terms of the deal.
"We are excited to announce that Reddit has acquired short-form video social platform Dubsmash."
In January, Dubsmash managed to hit 1 billion video views per month worldwide. A high number, but pale in comparison to TikTok, which managed to get 37 billion monthly video views in the U.S. alone.
Dubsmash was founded in 2015. But despite TikTok’s emergence and massive popularity, Dubsmash was still able to grow at a relatively steady pace.
And this fact attracts Reddit.
On its blog post, Reddit said that the acquisition is meant to being two key strengths to Reddit.
"First, Dubsmash’s mission is unique among social platforms, and is aligned with Reddit’s own mission of bringing community and belonging to everyone in the world. Just as Reddit is a place for content you won’t see anywhere else on the Internet, Dubsmash provides a welcoming platform for creators and users who are under-represented in social media."
"Second, we will integrate Dubsmash’s innovative video creation tools into Reddit, which will empower Reddit’s own creators to express themselves in original and authentic ways that are endemic to our communities."
The acquisition can also bolster Reddit's native video feature, which was first introduced back in 2017.
As quoted by Reddit, CEO Steve Huffman said that 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."
This is in line with what Dubsmash has in mind.
"In the long arc of Dubsmash’s journey, this is an important milestone and pivotal moment. By joining forces with Reddit, we expand our ability to serve the creators that represent the lifeblood of Dubsmash, helping them connect, share, and deepen their impact on culture. We are excited to accelerate Reddit’s focus on video, bringing our tools and technology to their passionate, rapidly-growing user base and sparking evermore forms of creation," wrote Dubsmash on its own announcement.
Following the acquisition, Reddit continues to allow Dubsmash to exist in a separate app on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
