London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 03, 2026

TikTok is gaining on YouTube, now leads in average watch time in the US

TikTok is gaining on YouTube, now leads in average watch time in the US

TikTok eclipsed YouTube in viewership by more than 10 hours back in June

TikTok is catching up to video giant YouTube according to new data.

Users are spending more average watch time each month viewing content on TikTok than YouTube, which "could shake up the rankings in years to come," according to a new study from App Annie, which provides app market and advertising analytics.

In June of this year, the average monthly hours per user for TikTok was about two hours more than on Google’s video platform, according to App Annie.

POLAND - 2021/04/26: In this photo illustration a TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone with stock market percentages in the background.


And TikTok has been leading YouTube for most of the past 12 months, according to the per user data from App Annie.

In the U.K., it’s no contest: The average monthly hours per user for TikTok is about 10 hours more than YouTube in June.

The average monthly hours metric cited in the report only covers Android phones. Nevertheless, the data shows TikTok’s swift rise with its three-minute videos.

YouTube remains the leader in the overall streaming, social and photo and video space "due to both depth and breadth of engagement," according to the report.

"The landscape has evolved from text and chat features to photo sharing, to video sharing and ultimately, to live streaming," App Annie said, adding that "at the heart of these trends is the importance of video, live streaming and the creator economy."

Other important data cited in the report include:

Consumers are shifting to a model of paying for content creators instead of professionally produced content.

Social apps occupied 740 billion hours of consumer time in the second quarter of 2021, which is equal to 44% of all time spent on mobile.

Seventy-four billion social apps downloaded to date: 4.7 billion downloads in first half of 2021.

Total time spent in the top 5 social apps that emphasize live streaming are set to surpass half a trillion hours on Android phones in 2021 (outside of China).

$78 billion forecast to be spent on social apps through 2025, with an estimated $6.78 billion spent via social apps this year.

Viewers are purchasing in-app gifts to support their favorite streamers with two regions dominating: U.S. and Japanese consumers spent more than $1.5 billion in social apps in the first half of this year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
Eleven British Seafarers Receive Merchant Navy Medal
Which? Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Rental Listing to Expose Booking.com Vetting Weaknesses
BP Appoints New Chairman in Effort to Stabilise Leadership
Aberdeen Sells Hydrogen Bus Fleet at Heavy Loss After Green Transport Experiment
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Heat
Scotland Pledges to End Temporary Accommodation for Children and Build 111,000 Affordable Homes
DNO Agrees $396 Million Deal to Acquire Capricorn Energy
Uber and Wayve Launch UK’s First Supervised Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London
Britain Expected to Avoid New US Tariffs Targeting European Union
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Energy Costs Higher and Revives Inflation Concerns
UK Growth Forecast Cut to 1% Through 2027 as Youth Unemployment Is Projected to Rise
Andy Burnham Links Weak UK Growth to Brexit in First Full Commons Session as Prime Minister
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP, Triggering Holborn and St Pancras By-Election
UK Business Confidence Improves but Remains Deeply Negative
Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Sale Recovers Just Six Pence for Every Pound Invested
Which? Exposes Booking.com Verification Failures With Fake 10 Downing Street Listing
British Business Bank Invests Up to £46 Million in Deep-Tech Startup Fund
Scottish Government Puts Violence Against Women at Center of Legislative Program
FCA Eases UK IPO Rules to Strengthen London’s Listing Market
UK Likely to Avoid Next US Tariff Measures as Washington Targets EU
Macron Visits UK for Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition and Border Security Talks
British Chambers of Commerce Cuts UK Growth Outlook to 1% for 2026 and 2027
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP for Holborn and St Pancras, Triggering By-Election
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Unveils Devolution and Cost-of-Living Agenda
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as 30-Year Gilt Yield Reaches 5.88%
Cleveland Police Receive £2 Million to Tackle Serious Crime in Middlesbrough
Number of Young People in England Without a Close Friend Reaches Record Level
Five Arrested After Newborn Baby Dies From Stab Wounds in Sheffield
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Reported Second Parliamentary Standards Investigation
UK Retirement Funding Requirement Rises by £64,000 Compared With 2021
UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since April, Nationwide Says
FCA Chief Faces Allegations of Intimidating Consumer Group Over £9 Billion Car Loan Inquiry
Scottish Government Presses Ahead With Cap on Essential Food Prices
Burnham Government Moves to Overhaul Early Prison Release Scheme
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026, Met Office Says
UK Government Announces Major Reset of Diplomatic Policy Towards Israel
UK Pushes Back After Trump Reopens Falkland Islands Sovereignty Dispute
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP, Triggering Holborn and St Pancras By-Election
×