TikTok opens its 400,000-app ad network to US buyers and adds AI agents

TikTok told advertisers at Advertising Week New York on 5 October that its ad network of nearly 400,000 outside apps is now open to US buyers. The network, formerly called Pangle, sits inside TikTok Ads Manager with brand safety and placement controls, Marketing Dive and PPC Land reported.

Until now US brands could not buy it. Advertisers in other markets already could.

TikTok links its ad tools to Claude, Perplexity and Snowflake

TikTok also widened its use of the Model Context Protocol, or MCP, a standard that lets AI assistants connect to outside software. Advertisers can now reach TikTok’s ad tools from Claude, Kimi, Manus, Perplexity, Replit, Snowflake and Tencent WorkBuddy, PPC Land reported.

The company said advertiser use of these connections rose by more than 200% since the July launch of its Agentic Hub. It did not give a starting number.

Buy Direct and Agentic Leads keep users inside TikTok

Three other tools were shown. Buy Direct lets people pay for products without leaving TikTok. A Shopping Assistant answers questions about size, shipping and product details in a chat. Agentic Leads collects contact details through direct messages and advertiser websites.

TikTok gave no start dates for these three, and PPC Land noted that Agentic Leads was described only in future tense. GMV Max, TikTok’s automated tool for shop campaigns, will now weigh affiliate commissions, coupons and referral fees when it sets bids. Smart+ automation now also covers search ads.

The push follows a busy month for ads inside AI products. OpenAI will test ads in ChatGPT image generation this month. AI agents are also starting to take orders by text message.

What US advertisers should check in TikTok Ads Manager

US advertisers will see TikTok Ad Network as a placement option in Ads Manager. Before switching it on, check which app categories are excluded and whether your measurement partner covers the network. DoubleVerify extended its brand suitability data to 48 markets in August, PPC Land reported.