Short video platform TikTok on Thursday said it is in talks with companies in sectors including technology, e-commerce and financial services space for partnerships including campaigns and engagement activities.
TikTok, which has about 200 million users in India, has also announced collaboration with Josh Talks and The/Nudge Foundation to educate 5,000 young individuals in the country through a mentorship programme.
"We are in discussions with companies in the sectors like technology, e-commerce, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), education, automation and FMCG," Bytedance (India) Technology Director - Monetisation India Sachin Sharma told PTI.
He added that a number of brands like Pepsi, Puma and OLX have already leveraged TikTok's platform to reach out to consumers in engaging ways.
TikTok, which allows people to create short videos and share them, has had its share of troubles in the Indian market. In April, the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to ban TikTok app, saying it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile apps. The order was later lifted and the app was back on app stores.
In July, the Indian government had issued notices to Tiktok and Helo along with a set of 24 questions regarding the alleged misuse of their platforms for "anti-national activities" in India. The company had responded to the notice.
TikTok on Thursday also announced the launch of its multi-phased integrated initiative, #EduTok.
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Over 10 million pieces of content with hastag #EduTok have already been created that have garnered over 48 billion views and have been shared 1.8 billion times on TikTok.
The #EduTok initiative is an effort to further highlight TikTok's commitment to propel India's creative economy and its contribution in the lives of digital natives, Sharma said.
"The programme is aimed at supporting first-time internet users to gain knowledge by giving them access to high-quality educational content created by TikTok creators and educational organisations for millions of TikTok's users who are willing to learn," he added.
As part of the mentorship programme, Josh Talks will organise 25 workshops where 5,000 creative individuals will be shortlisted and invited to attend a hands-on learning workshop delivered by an existing and popular #EduTok creator.
For the workshops, The/Nudge Foundation will tailor-make content for these individuals covering critical topics such as soft skills, skill development, identity building, job readiness and career planning.
The workshops will be organised over six months starting from October 2019 until March 2020. These workshops will be held across Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Jammu.
Each workshop will accommodate up to 200 users and will be conducted in the states' regional languages with popular TikTok creators.
Along with the mentorship programme, key educational technology companies such as Toppr, Made Easy and GradeUp have also joined TikTok to deliver subject-focussed content for the platform.
This collaboration will further give TikTok's users an opportunity to learn educational content in various formats, across categories and languages.