TikTok Overtakes YouTube, Gaining the Top Spot for Average Watch Time in U.S.
A picture taken on January 21, 2021 in Nantes, western France shows a smartphone with the logo of Chinese social network Tik Tok. LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

Video-sharing platform TikTok has gained leverage against video giant YouTube with users spending more average watch time each month viewing content on TikTok than YouTube.

A new study from App Annie provided the new data, according to a Fox Business report.

App Annie noted that the average monthly hours per TikTok user was about two hours more than YouTube. The app market and advertising analytics data also showed that TikTok had been leading YouTube for most of the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, the average monthly hours per user for TikTok is about 10 hours more than YouTube in June in the United Kingdom.

App Annie said that the landscape has changed from text and chat features to photo sharing. It has transformed into video sharing and ultimately live streaming.

App Annie said that live-streaming is the main reason behind engagement for social media apps. The company added that these trends highlight the importance of video, live streaming, and creator economy.

YouTube, on the other hand, maintained to be on the top spot in time spent overall. This was particularly due to its two billion users.

TikTok's users were around 700 million, according to The Verge report.

In addition, users spend more money on YouTube as compared to TikTok in both iOS and Android around the world.

Jamie MacEwan, from Enders Analysis, said that YouTube's mass audience means that it is getting more demographics that are "comparatively light internet users," according to a BBC News report.

MacEwan also noted that TikTok was spending big to attract users.

However, he said that TikTok was not necessarily hanging around for long compared to other social media.

TikTok Ban in The United States

Former U.S. President Donald Trump had issued executive orders against TikTok and messaging app WeChat. The said orders deemed that the two apps would be blocked from having transactions for U.S. citizens and from being downloaded in the U.S. app stores for 45 days.

Trump administration lawyers said that it is in the interest of national security to ban TikTok due to the connection between the Chinese government and ByteDance, which is the app's parent company, according to The Guardian report.

ByteDance was accused of being a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party. They were also alleged to promote the communist party's agenda.

However, TikTok has denied the said accusations. The company also said that U.S. user data is not handled in China.

In addition, the video platform company said that it does not give the Chinese government access to U.S. users' personal information.

Trump had also claimed that WeChat can be a tool for disinformation campaigns. However, the messaging app had denied the claims and said that the ban was "racist in nature."

WeChat said that filing the order "singles out people of Chinese and Chinese American ancestry."

The Chinese messaging app also said that it subjects those to disparate treatment on the basis of race, nationality, and alienage.

A judge blocked an order from the Trump administration on September 27.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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