Founded in 2012, Vine was a short-form video platform. The app allowed users to post six or seven-second long looping videos for entertainment purposes. Twitter made the decision to disable Vine video uploads in 2016, despite having over 200 million active users. The app and its archive were officially discontinued by April 2019.
What is Byte?
Following the closure of Vine, one of its co-founders, Dom Hofmann, developed what was essentially Vine round two, hosting sixteen-second long video loops. Dom’s new app ‘Byte’ launched as a personally funded project in January 2020.
Throughout 2020, Byte had a small community with a small fund for creators. However, TikTok seemed to rise as the go-to short video app, as it experienced huge growth during the year.
In August 2020, ex-US president, Donald Trump, announced that he wanted to ban the use of TikTok in his country. This meant there may have been an opportunity for the small Byte community to grow. Despite the rumors and discussion, the US TikTok ban did not happen.
Another TikTok competitor
Dom Hofmann was not the only person to action a project to continue Vines legacy. Brendon McNerney was a keen Vine creator during the lifespan of the app, with his account reaching over 600,000 followers. Feeling disheartened when the app closed, McNerney initiated his new project, Clash. The app focuses on creator-first needs. Creators are able to to hold complete ownership of their content while having access to multiple streams of monetisation.
Two worlds collide
With the short video concept becoming an oversaturated market on the internet, Byte and Clash are combining their expertise to launch a super-app. Under Clash’s name, the app will host a fantastic suite of creator tools, complimenting the Clash vision of better monetisation for creators.
Both Hofmann and McNerney are able to approach the project with knowledge in different areas of the short-video app world. McNerney from the perspective of a creator, and Hofmann providing the ‘how to’ on making short video app succeed in the market. It will be interesting to watch the development and growth of the app, especially in regards to opening opportunities for more short video enthusiasts to make a living from their passion.
