Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Mar 07, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Justice Department Pursues Criminal Cases Against Cuban Officials in New Legal Push
Abrupt Cancellation of U.S. Army Exercise Sparks Speculation Over Possible Middle East Deployment
Saudi Arabia Led OPEC Output Surge Ahead of Iran Strikes, Survey Finds
Cristiano Ronaldo Travels to Spain for Hamstring Treatment After Injury in Saudi Pro League Match
Saudi Aramco Reroutes Oil to Red Sea as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Hit Gulf Exports
Saudi Arabia Presses Ahead With Economic Diversification Despite Fiscal and External Deficits
Middle East Conflict Puts Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races at Risk
Iran Targets Israeli Diplomatic Site in Bahrain and US Air Base in Qatar as Regional Conflict Expands
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Ballistic Missiles Targeting Prince Sultan Air Base
Iran Launches Fresh Missile and Drone Attacks Across Middle East as Regional War Intensifies
Saudi Arabia Opens Direct Communication Channel With Iran in Bid to Prevent Wider Regional War
Saudi Arabia Maintains Strong Fiscal Position Despite Global Uncertainty, Finance Ministry Says
Saudi Arabia Considers Response After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Major Northern Oil Refinery
Saudi Carrier Flynas Plans Limited Flight Resumption to Dubai Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia and UAE Pledge Close Coordination to Secure Oil Supplies for Japan
Middle East Conflict Casts Doubt Over Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Races
Iran Rejects Claims of Attacks on Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Oman
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Strikes Targeting Türkiye and Azerbaijan
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Matches Despite Escalating Regional Conflict
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Issues Emergency Security Alert After Drone Strike and Escalating Regional Threats
Saudi Arabia Scrambles to Redirect Oil Exports as Gulf Storage Nears Capacity
Iran Expresses Gratitude to Saudi Arabia for Closing Airspace During Escalating Conflict
Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Strikes Could Target Senior Leaders as Regional War Escalates
Iran Says Its Strikes Target Only U.S. Military Assets and Denies Attacking Saudi Arabia
Drone Strike Hits U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as Middle East Conflict Escalates
Tom Brady’s Saudi Flag Football Event May Shift to U.S. as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Plans
Iran War Strikes Saudi Arabia at a Critical Moment for Its Economic Transformation
Saudi Cabinet Declares Kingdom Will Take All Necessary Measures to Defend National Security
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Fourteen Middle Eastern Countries as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery Targeted Again in Second Drone Attack Within Two Days
Saudi Pro League Orders Clubs to Continue Fixtures Despite Rising Middle East Conflict
Trump Pursues Major Civil Nuclear Agreement With Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Turmoil
Mass Drone Attacks Strike Gulf States as Iran Conflict Spreads Across Region
No Verified Confirmation of Ronaldo Departure Linked to Iran Conflict or AFC Suspension
No Verified Evidence of Israeli Intelligence Arrests in Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Drone Attack Forces Temporary Shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Largest Oil Refinery
Israel Intensifies Air Campaign in Tehran as Iran Expands Regional Retaliation
Iranian Strikes Escalate Middle East Conflict, Drawing Saudi Arabia Closer to Wider War
No Verified Confirmation of Drone Strike on King Fahd Causeway Amid Regional Tensions
No Verified Evidence Saudi Crown Prince Is Seeking to Weaken Israel Amid Regional Tensions
Reports Emerge of Drone Strike Near US Embassy in Saudi Arabia as Americans Told to Shelter
Saudi Arabia Weighs Strategic Options as Tensions With Iran Intensify
Iran Expands Strikes on Saudi and Qatari Infrastructure, Opening a New Front in Gulf Conflict
Western Navies Sound Alarm as Russian Shadow Tankers Transit NATO Waters in Defiance of Sanctions
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Imola Emerges as Standby Venue if Bahrain or Saudi Arabia Grands Prix Are Cancelled
Uncertainty Clouds $24 Billion Gulf Investment Linked to Paramount–WBD Deal
Middle East Strikes Disrupt Qatar LNG, Saudi Refining and Israeli Energy Fields
Gulf States Signal Possible Collective Action Over Iran’s Escalating Strikes
Saudi Arabia Summons Iranian Ambassador After Cross-Border Attacks
×