fbpx

Following the US TikTok ban on 19th January, leading global creator agency, Billion Dollar Boy, tracked the output of more than 10,000 content creators and audience engagement rates across TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Our research found variances in the US and UK in the week before and after the ban:

US market

The data shows a (limited) impact of the ban on content creation on TikTok, alongside a significant increase on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts – with engagement remaining the most robust across Instagram.

UK market

Meanwhile, UK creators looked to capitalise on the disruption in the US by increasing their presence on TikTok, while also growing production on Instagram and YouTube. Again, Instagram engagement rates returned with the most promising results.

Thomas Walters

Thomas Walters

See a full breakdown of the data here, including a more detailed analysis of the data and comments for each market from Thomas Walters, Europe CEO and co-founder of Billion Dollar Boy.

“Early signs suggest that UK creators are looking to grow their presence on TikTok to capitalise on the decrease in competition from their US peers. Beyond TikTok, UK creators are also expanding their presence on alternative platforms – most notably Instagram Reels. While Instagram engagement has remained largely stable, UK creators have seen a sharper decline in viewership on YouTube Shorts. This raises questions about whether YouTube’s algorithm is prioritising US creator content, potentially in a bid to leverage the current uncertainty surrounding TikTok.

“Encouragingly, platforms, creators, and brands are demonstrating agility in responding to this evolving situation. This adaptability will be key to ensuring the creator economy remains resilient and well-positioned to navigate ongoing disruption.”

Methodology:

On Friday, January 31st, Billion Dollar Boy analysed the activity of over 10,578 creators across the US and UK, analysing more than 78,000 posts and 19 billion impressions. The data compared key performance metrics and output from the week prior to and following the implementation of the Supreme Court’s TikTok ban in the US on January 19th.