TikTok owner ByteDance blasts Tencent over comments on ‘pig feed’ short videos as feud heats up again

  • After Tencent vice-president Sun Zhonghuai compared personalised short-video content to “pig feed”, ByteDance said Tencent was stigmatising the industry
  • Tencent is finally seeing some success in short videos with WeChat Channels after long failing to mount a significant challenge to TikTok sister app Douyin

A woman speaks on her phone near the logo for Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, in Beijing on March 31. After Tencent’s vice-president compared personalised short videos to pig feed, ByteDance fired back on Friday, calling the comments stigmatising. Photo: AP
The war of words is flaring up again between Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings and TikTok operator ByteDance after a Tencent executive compared short-video content on other platforms to “pig feed”, as competition in the sector continues to heat up.

Sun Zhonghuai, Tencent’s vice-president, criticised short video platforms for pumping out vulgar and lowbrow content to users. “Personalised distribution of content is too powerful. If you like pig food, that’s all they’ll feed you,” Sun said at the China Internet Radio & Video Convention on Thursday. Sun did not mention any competitors by name.

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