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Forecast: TikTok revenues to surpass Twitter/Snapchat combined

April 11, 2022

TikTok’s worldwide ad revenues will triple this year and surpass that of two competitors combined, according to Insider Intelligence’s inaugural forecast on TikTok ad revenues.

The Chinese-owned social video app will have more than $11 billion (€10bn) in ad revenues in 2022, with more than half coming from the US.

Worldwide

TikTok’s worldwide ad business grew 175 per cent in 2021 to $3.88 billion. Growth will soar to 200 per cent this year, propelling revenues to $11.64 billion. That means its ad business will be greater than Twitter’s ($5.58 billion) and Snapchat’s ($4.86 billion) combined.

TikTok is also nipping at YouTube’s heels. By 2024, the end of the forecast period, TikTok’s ad revenues will swell to $23.58 billion, essentially equivalent to that of YouTube ($23.65 billion). By then, each company’s share of the worldwide digital ad market will be 3.1 per cent.

TikTok’s user base has exploded in the past couple of years, and the amount of time users spend on the app is extraordinary,” said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson.  “It has moved well beyond its roots as a lip-syncing and dancing app; it creates trends and fosters deep connections with creators that keep users engaged, video after video. Advertisers want to reach a passionate, dedicated audience, and TikTok can deliver that. Another factor that will drive growth in ad spending is TikTok’s unique take on social commerce. It pairs marketers with creators to help content go viral, and that can drive enormous demand for products that advertisers want to promote.”

Despite explosive growth in revenues, TikTok still maintains a small position in the worldwide digital ad market. Its share will grow to 1.9 per cent this year from 0.7 per cent in 2021. For context, Google leads with 29 per cent, followed by Meta with 21.4 per cent.

US

More than half (51.2 per cent) of TikTok’s revenues will come from the US this year. It will generate $5.96 billion, up 184.4 per cent year over year (YoY). That gives the social network a 2.4 per cent share of the US digital ad market. Importantly, the Chinese app will surpass Twitter and Snapchat combined within the US market, as well.

Starting next year, growth will slow to double digits, but TikTok’s US ad revenues will exceed $11 billion by 2024, raising its share of the market to 3.5 per cent. Meanwhile, 46.7 per cent of TikTok’s global ad revenues will come from the US.

UK

TikTok is expanding internationally at a rapid pace. For the first time, Insider Intelligence is also breaking out TikTok’s UK ad revenues, which will make up 8.9 per cent of the company’s global ad revenues by the end of this year. The business is growing rapidly in the UK, despite it being a much smaller market. This year, TikTok’s UK ad revenues will jump 190.2 per cent to £753.32 million ($1.04 billion). That will give the company a 2.9 per cent share of the UK digital ad market.

As in the US and worldwide, TikTok’s UK ad business will surpass that of Twitter and Snap combined this year.

By 2024, TikTok’s UK ad revenues will nearly double to £1.44 billion ($1.98 billion), pushing its digital ad market share to 4.7 per cent.

Categories: APPS, Articles, Markets, Mobile, Research, Social Media

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