Snap became the latest social media service to pitch a short-form video service designed to rival TikTok, which built global popularity based on the approach.

The company began deploying the Spotlight service on Snapchat today (23 November), stating it offers users the option to publish content publicly rather than solely in private communications with friends.

It is offering a pot of $1 million to users who provide the most popular videos each day in a bid to boost content creation. Videos will be judged by a “proprietary formula” covering various “engagement metrics”.

Snap differentiated its offering from TikTok by omitting the ability to post comments.

The company is the latest in a string of rivals apparently seeking to cash in on TikTok’s woes in the US, where the current administration is pushing to ban the service citing security concerns.

Spotlight is available to users in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and France. Further expansion is planned.