# Venmo Redesign, TikTok Ads, Microdrama Growth

**Podcast:** TechCrunch Daily Crunch
**Published:** 2026-05-12

## Transcript

This is TechCrunch.
It's Venmo's biggest makeover in years, and it comes at a very interesting time.
I'm Imran Shaikh, and your Daily Crunch for Tuesday, featuring three big tech headlines, starts right now.
TikTok's introducing an ad-free subscription plan in the UK that costs £3.99, about $5.44 per month.
The new offering's rolling out over the coming months and will be available to users 18 and over.
Users who sign up for the plan won't see ads on TikTok and their data won't be used for advertising purposes.
Now, the launch was likely driven by the UK's General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, which prohibits companies from collecting users' personal data for advertising purposes without their consent.
Choice for our community and growth for UK businesses go hand in hand on TikTok, said TikTok's UK managing director Chris Boger in a press release.
Continuing, advertising on our platform is already helping thousands of British businesses reach new customers, increase sales and create jobs, while our new ad-free option gives people greater control over their experience.
TikTok first began testing the ad-free plan in 2023.
It's unknown whether the social media giant plans to bring the offering.
To the good old U.S.
of A.
Well, it's about time that the microdrama trend has gone mainstream.
As microdrama apps like Real Short and Drama Box quietly raking billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it's launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream on its app.
Now, these are vertical video series with episodes around 60 to 90 seconds, and they're designed for a quick TikTok-like viewing experience.
According to Peacock, this marks the first time that a major U.S.
streaming platform has produced microdramas.
And it was bound to happen, folks.
First popularized in China, microdrama apps are poised to have a breakout year in the U.S.
app market.
According to the app intelligence firm AppFigures, Real Short reached roughly $1.2 billion in gross consumer spending.
in 2025, up 119% from 2024.
Another leading app, DramaBox, made $276 million in gross consumer spending last year, more than doubling its 2024 numbers.
Earlier this year, TikTok launched a standalone microdrama app called Pine Drama.
Another microdrama app run by Hollywood veterans called Gamma Time raised $14 million in funding, including angel checks from Alexis Ohanian, Kris Jenner, and Kim Kardashian.
Venmo is rolling out a significant redesign over the coming months that aims to make the app more useful, social, and easier to navigate.
This is the peer-to-peer payments app's biggest refresh since all the way back in 2021.
The timing is notable, of course, because PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit, a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale.
Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright.
In that context, a splashy redesign looks less like a routine update and more like a window dressing job ahead of a transaction.
The rollout will begin this week, followed by additional features over the next few months.
The entire redesign is expected to be available to all users by this fall.
Now, one of the first changes users will notice starting this week is the revamped feed, where it once showed a simple list of who paid who with GIFs, a heart button, and comments.
The new feed will feature a wider variety of visuals and larger images, along with more ways to respond to payments, such as reactions and quick action buttons like pay again and say thanks.
It'll also be more personalized, surfacing tailored cashback offers from brands you shop from and product suggestions based on previous purchases.
Another addition is the ability for users to endorse their favorite local businesses directly through the app.
A new Give a Shout Out button will be available under Payments in the feed.
Two new tabs, Send and Money, will also launch in the next few months.
In the Send feed, your most frequent contacts now appear as a row of profile icons front and center instead of requiring you to dig through past contacts or usernames.
The Build Splitting Groups feature is now easier to access too, letting users split expenses with up to 30 people.
The update reflects a broader trend in what younger users expect from payment apps.
Less utility tool, more social platform.
And folks, that's your Daily Crunch.
Today's stories were reported by Lauren Forrest, Alaysha Malik, Amanda Silberling and more awesome TechCrunch journalists.
We'll see you here tomorrow, same Tech Time, same Crunch Channel and until then find us at techcrunch.com.
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