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TikTok permanently suspends ad account of Alex Gibney's Musk documentary
The film's distributor was told the account had been suspended over political content. X will not carry the film's ads, while Meta and YouTube reversed early rejections.
Key points
- TikTok gave the advertising account for *Musk* a permanent suspension over political content.
- Meta and YouTube first rejected the trailer ads but later allowed them.
- Musk's own platform, X, has refused to carry ads for the film.
TikTok has permanently suspended the advertising account for Musk, Alex Gibney’s four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, making it the latest platform to shut the film’s marketing out.
Bleecker Street, the film’s distributor, was told by TikTok that the account had received a “permanent suspension” because of its political content. TikTok has not commented publicly on the decision or said which part of the campaign it objected to.
Gibney, an Oscar-winning documentary maker, has had a rocky run getting the film in front of audiences. Meta and YouTube both rejected ads for the trailer at first before allowing them, with Meta blaming its refusal on “an error”. X, the social network Musk owns, has declined to run the ads at all. Gibney has also confirmed that Universal, the film’s international distributor, wavered over releasing it before deciding to go ahead.
The companies involved have ties to Musk’s political allies. TikTok’s US operations are now partly owned by Larry Ellison, who, like Musk, has backed President Donald Trump. HBO, where the documentary is due to stream next year, is now part of Paramount Skydance, led by Ellison’s son, David.
Musk opened in four cinemas last weekend and is expanding to more screens before it reaches HBO. For now its distributor has to promote it without paid ads on TikTok or X.