Reddit to buy TikTok rival Dubsmash


Steve Huffman, chief executive officer and co-founder of Reddit Inc., speaks during the Sooner Than You Think’ conference in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. From AI-enabled robo-investing to the implications for retail of a cashless world to the impact on monetary policy if and when governments move to digital tender, technological innovation is rapidly changing our relationship to money, creating major new opportunities but also creating poorly understood risks. Photographer: Alex Flynn/Bloomberg

(Reuters) – Social network firm Reddit said here on Sunday it would buy short-video platform Dubsmash, becoming the latest company to expand in a space dominated by Chinese-owned TikTok.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a spokeswoman for Reddit said the acquisition was based on a combination of cash and stock.

The success of ByteDance’s TikTok has prompted many social media companies to add short-video services to their platforms, with Snapchat Inc rolling out “Spotlight” in November and Facebook Inc launching “Instagram Reels” earlier this year.

Reddit said in a blog post that the deal would give its users, who can already upload and stream videos, access to Dubsmash’s editing and short-video creation tools.

The San Francisco-based company added that Dubsmash would maintain its own platform and brand.

Dubsmash’s entire team, including co-founders Suchit Dash, Jonas Drüppel and Tim Specht, will join Reddit.