India’s popular short-form video app similar to TikTok with over 35 million monthly active users, Tiki, will cease operations in India on June 27. This decision adds to the growing number of businesses that have struggled to fill the gap left by the ban on TikTok imposed by the Indian government in the South Asian market.
Launched in early 2021, Tiki has achieved over 124 million downloads across Google Play Store and iOS, where the Android download contributes nearly 99%. Tiki secured its position among the top 30 highest-grossing apps in India. Further, it also stood at the eighth position among the most popular free social apps available.
In an official post, Tiki expressed its regret and informed its users about the impending shutdown. “We regret to inform you that Tiki will be shutting down its operations. As of 11.59 PM India time, June 27, 2023, all Tiki functions and services will cease,” the announcement stated.
The demise of Tiki, which featured original and local-focused videos, comes as a surprise, as it maintained some 35 million monthly active users in India, its only operational market, according to data from Sensor Tower (shared by an industry executive).
The Singapore-headquartered Tiki launched in India immediately after New Delhi banned TikTok. It remains a mystery how the video app, which was owned by an entity called Dol Technologies, was bankrolled. Though many industry executives who commented on the issue suggested that they believed that the firm was a loose subsidiary of one of the Chinese video apps that got nuked by New Delhi in mid-2020.
A post on Tiki’s social media accounts said:
“The recent challenges faced by the tech industry have led to the closure of numerous startups. Despite being a small startup operating in Singapore and India, Tiki has always stood for being a place for real talents.”
Team Tiki
The end of Tiki comes at a time when India’s short video market is seeing rapid consolidation and exits. Times Internet sold MX Player’s short video business to ShareChat last year, whereas Xiaomi shut its short video offering Zili earlier this month in the country.
