• by Ray Schultz , April 14, 2021

Mobile news brand NowThis is partnering with TikTok to launch a live health education series. Titled "Viral," The weekly 45-minute episodes will air on Thursdays at 6 p.m. ET, starting on April 15.

The series will be hosted by Laurel Bristow, an infectious disease clinical researcher who works on COVID treatments and research.

Bristow will discuss COVID-19 issues, ranging from vaccine efficacy and transmission timelines to treatment and myth-busting. Other experts will be featured, and there will be an audience Q&A.

The goal is to “share credible insights from public-health experts and enable our community to have their questions around COVID-19 answered in real-time,” states Robbie Levin, Manager, Media Partnerships at TikTok.  

"Viral" is TikTok’s first episodic series with a publishing partner and its first health-related series. 

Launched in 2012, NowThis serves a young audience and claims over 2.6 billion views per month. It has accumulated 4.6 followers since starting on TikTok slightly more than a year ago. 

“Partnering with TikTok on this unique live series will allow audiences to get critical information that will help them navigate this challenging and ever-evolving pandemic,” states Tina Exarhos, Chief Content Officer at NowThis.