With the apparent future TikTok ban in the United States, YouTube Shorts seems to outgrow the platform if we are to follow recent data. While one reason for this is how YouTube appeals to people in the US, it might also be due to TikTok imitating YouTube Shorts features.
Although TikTok still remains the most popular platform of its kind, recent data from Luminate suggests that YouTube’s short-form video platform is catching up pretty fast. 33% music listeners reported using TikTok in Q2 2023 which has fairly remained the same in Q2 2024. Whereas 28% music listeners had reported using YouTube shorts in Q2 2023. Furthermore in Q2 2024 this rose to 31%.
While YouTube shorts and TikTok both continue to be popular among music listeners, Facebook and Instagram reels seem to not be relevant anymore. As YouTube adopts TikTok’s features we might soon see YouTube Shorts outrun its competing platform.
Also check out: YouTube in Active AI Discussions with Major Music Labels – UMG, WMG and Sony to Protect Artists’ Rights
While some Luminate poll respondents, around 8%, reported spending time engaging in short-form video formats of some kind, it is still behind the percentage of the ones listening to music which came at 13%. Surprisingly, only 6% reported to be using the platforms for sports watching and only 5% for reading books. Around 3% reported listening to podcasts, thus indicating that the short-form video platforms might not be the best for podcasts.
Does TikTok have a chance if US government doesn’t ban it?
Even if TikTok is not banned, what has to be kept in mind is that YouTube shorts might outpace TikTok in the next year. Something that viewers should consider is YouTube’s massive network of users. It is the second largest website on the internet, only after Google. That too, with a staggering 113 billion monthly visits. Also with an average of 2.5 billion monthly active users, it is the second most popular social network after Facebook. Daily YouTube shorts views reached a massive 70 billion last year, with 750,000 creators making money on the platform.
In the United states the estimated number of YouTube shorts users is expected to rise from current 153 million to 164.5 million by 2024 end. Whereas TikTok stands at 170 million at this point. Will YouTube shorts eventually become the most popular short-form video platform? We have to wait for a while to get that answer, maybe till next year depending on TikTok’s situation with the US government.
