It’s big news, but it may not come as a big surprise. TikTok overtakes YouTube for average watch time in the UK & US. Get the full details here!

The short form video-sharing giant, TikTok has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years. With YouTube generally being the number one option for getting our video content fix, all eyes have been on this wrestle for dominance.

Famous for snappy, bite-sized videos ranging from 15 seconds to 60, TikTok has made a huge impact, acting as a brightly coloured social weather vane. Emerging trends have affected what dances we do, what food we eat, and which washing detergent we eat. Er, this should never have been needed to be said but, please don’t actually eat washing detergent. TikTok did make a small step onto YouTube’s patch a few months ago, increasing its video limits to 3 minutes long.

Possibly a tit-for-tat, this came after YouTube began work on its own short-form video feature, YouTube Shorts. With a familiar interface, users can upload their own 15 second to minute-long videos. So, who will come out on top has been in question for some time.

TikTok Overtakes YouTube

According to the app analytics firm, App Annie, the average time each user spends on TikTok in the UK and US is higher than for YouTube. However, it’s important to note that these stats only take into account Android users. It also cuts out the usage in China, where TikTok, aka Douyin, originates and enjoys extreme popularity.

There has been a fluctuation in terms of who wears the crown for most content watched. TikTok first bested YouTube back in August 2020 in terms of most content watched overall in a month. Then, in June this year, it was revealed that TikTok users in the US watched over 24 hours of content, compared with YouTube’s 22 hours and 40 minutes.

Although still YouTube remains ahead for total watch time, thanks to its some 2 billion users, TikTok is putting on an impressive show with roughly 700 million users.

App Annie attributes TikTok’s success to “short-video, authentic content and live streaming”. So, if you’re a content creator, there’s never been a better time than now to get involved on TikTok. Promote your creativity or even market your small business – TikTok is seemingly the expedient for virtual success.