TikTok and creator agency Amplify have launched “The Next Episode,” an initiative designed to move brands beyond one-off short-form posts and into funding creator-led episodic series on the platform.

The program connects brands with Amplify’s creator network to develop original, social-first series in formats including micro-dramas, interviews, game shows, docuseries and reality shows. Brands can back a Creator Content Series, integrating their presence into a creator’s episodic world, or commission a Brand Content Series built around their own IP. Eligible brands can access production support through TikTok in addition to their media spend.

“TikTok has always been a place where new formats of storytelling emerge, and audiences discover what they want to watch next. We’re now seeing that evolve into short-form, episodic storytelling, where creators can build worlds, characters and narratives that audiences want to come back to again and again,” said Amy Bradshaw, General Manager for Global Business Solutions, TikTok Australia and New Zealand, in an announcement. “‘The Next Episode’ gives brands a way to be part of that shift, moving beyond one-off moments into creator-led series that can build sustained engagement over time.”

Tom Maynard, co-founder of Amplify, said the initiative extends creators’ role from performers to storytellers. “Creators understand their audience better than anyone, and ‘The Next Episode’ gives them the opportunity to take that expertise into bigger, more ambitious storytelling,” he said. “It gives creators the opportunity to build distinctive, recurring worlds and formats, while opening up new ways to collaborate with brands, grow their audiences and create scalable opportunities from their ideas.”

TikTok and Amplify have collaborated on branded content before, including “The TikTok Road Trip” with Kia, “Gatorade Games” and “Love Songs” with Tinder. “The Next Episode” formalizes that model into a standing program rather than one-off campaigns.

The launch follows Amplify’s introduction of “Amplify Originals” in July, a separate pilot that funds creators to develop long-form pitches while retaining ownership of the resulting IP, judged by a panel including YouTube’s Sabine Zonderland and WPP Media’s Shivani Maharaj.

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