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"Unique arrangement": More details on the US/China TikTok deal revealed

Author
Paul Stenhouse,
Publish Date
Sat, 27 Sept 2025, 11:52am
Photo / File
Photo / File

"Unique arrangement": More details on the US/China TikTok deal revealed

Author
Paul Stenhouse,
Publish Date
Sat, 27 Sept 2025, 11:52am

We're learning more about how the TikTok deal will look and just how much money will flow back to China

This isn't going to be just an ownership play, which largely explains why US Vice President JD Vance said the price tag for the sale would be about $14 billion – far below the $35-$40 billion estimate analysts had expected.

They will have an ownership stake, but that's in addition to licensing fees and profit sharing. 

This group of investors is said to include names like Rupert Murdoch and Michell Dell, as well as Oracle who currently host TikTok's US data. Between the two, it's estimated about half the profits of TikTok US will go back to ByteDance. 

Critics will say the law doesn't allow for "cooperation", while those in favour will focus on the "operation of" part of the language. 

 

Will other nations opt to take the US version?  

In Australia this is the question on the table. Liberal senator James Paterson is suggesting that if the deal went ahead, then Australia should move to the US version of the app.

 

Ad-free Facebook and Instagram is coming to the UK  

Paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK will remove advertising from both platforms. Users will be given the choice to pay £3-£4 a month to access ad-free versions of either service.

The UK's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, "welcomed" the new model, saying it moves Meta away from targeting users with ads as part of the standard terms and conditions.

Based on that price point, it means we're each worth about $65 USD a year to Meta – around $110 NZD a year.

 

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