Clash, which pitches itself as an outlet for creators, unveiled plans to acquire Byte to bolster its presence in the increasingly competitive short-form video segment.

In a statement, Clash said it secured funding to accelerate Byte’s product development, and introduce new revenue-generating tools and features. It pledged the move would not affect the in-app experience on the video service.

Byte co-founder Dom Hofmann is set for an advisory role at Clash. He said the combination would “put more power into the hands of creators, so they’re able to focus on what they love without spending as much time worrying about how they’re going to make a living”.

Launched in January 2020, Byte is the successor to defunct video service Vine. It offers videos of up to six seconds in length.

Sensor Tower figures showed Byte as among the most-downloaded in the short-form segment, linking a rise in popularity to indications rival TikTok could be banned in the US.