ArticlesPricing

Products

See All Solutions →
By ProductEMARKETER PRO+Analyst Access Program
By Use CaseDetermine Market SizingDevelop StrategiesAllocate BudgetBenchmark PerformanceWin New BusinessDevelop Go-to-Market StrategyStay InformedThought LeadershipSee All Use Cases →
Advertising & Sponsorship
Boost your brand and generate demand with media programs.
Learn More →

Events & Resources

Learning Center
Read through guides, explore resource hubs, and sample our coverage.
Learn More →
Events
Register for an upcoming webinar and track which industry events our analysts attend.
Learn More →
Podcasts
Listen to our podcast, Behind the Numbers for the latest news and insights.
Learn More →

Topics

See All Topics →
Advertising & MarketingSocial MediaContent MarketingEmail MarketingVideoBrowse All →
Ecommerce & RetailEcommerce SalesMcommerceRetail SalesSocial CommerceBrowse All →
Financial ServicesBankingPaymentsFintechWealth ManagementBrowse All →
GeographiesAsia-PacificCentral & Eastern EuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaNorth AmericaWestern Europe
HealthValue-Based CareDigital TherapeuticsTelehealthOnline PharmacyBrowse All →
TechnologyConnected Devices5GArtificial Intelligence (AI)Browse All →
More IndustriesReal EstateCustomer ExperienceB2BTravelSmall Business (SMB)Browse All →

Latest Articles

Explore our Research →

Luxury consumers lose faith in the economy

Article |
 Jul 17, 2025

Amazon Prime dominates, but Walmart+ finds foothold among lower-income shoppers

Article |
 Jul 16, 2025

Why is MMM making a comeback?

Article |
 Jul 16, 2025

Jewelry emerges as luxury’s bright spot

Article |
 Jul 16, 2025

Marketers risk missing AI traffic by ignoring desktop

Article |
 Jul 16, 2025

Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta: We’re losing visibility into AI

Article |
 Jul 16, 2025

Nonessential spending slumps amid tariff price hikes

Article |
 Jul 15, 2025

JIC’s measurement audit shows a sector diversifying beyond Nielsen

Article |
 Jul 15, 2025

Marketers rush to unify social, CTV strategies

Article |
 Jul 15, 2025

AI summaries in Google’s news feed could undercut publisher traffic—again

Article |
 Jul 15, 2025
Browse All →

About

Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More →
Our Clients
Key decision-makers share why they find EMARKETER so critical.
Learn More →
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team →
Our Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More →
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More →
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us →
EMARKETER

Social Video Usage and Ad Engagement

How Reels and YouTube Shorts Stack Up Against TikTok’s Explosive Growth

Report by Debra Aho Williamson  |  Apr 28, 2023
Download
Report
Deck
The One-Pager
Share
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Reels and Shorts are gaining users—but they don’t yet rival TikTok in time spent.
TikTok’s audience is loyal, but a ban could send some users to competing platforms.
It’s still hard to reach young people on Reels and Shorts.
Video advertisers have been slow to shift budget to Reels or Shorts.
Shorts and Reels must increase their ad options.
On a brighter note, Shorts and Reels ads may outperform TikTok in some metrics.
As Reels’ ad features improve, advertisers will benefit from Meta’s deep bench of tools.
With Shorts, advertisers can tap new ways of working with creators.
TikTok is tops for time spent and ad offerings, but Reels and Shorts deserve another look.
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Reels and Shorts are gaining users and adding ad options. They still lag TikTok in several key areas, but now is the time for video advertisers to give them another look.
Topics
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Usage
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Reels and Shorts are gaining users—but they don’t yet rival TikTok in time spent.
TikTok’s audience is loyal, but a ban could send some users to competing platforms.
It’s still hard to reach young people on Reels and Shorts.
Video advertisers have been slow to shift budget to Reels or Shorts.
Shorts and Reels must increase their ad options.
On a brighter note, Shorts and Reels ads may outperform TikTok in some metrics.
As Reels’ ad features improve, advertisers will benefit from Meta’s deep bench of tools.
With Shorts, advertisers can tap new ways of working with creators.
TikTok is tops for time spent and ad offerings, but Reels and Shorts deserve another look.
Sources
Media Gallery

Executive Summary

Short-video platforms will take center stage at this year’s Interactive Advertising Bureau NewFronts. Meta and YouTube will try to convince video advertisers to shift budget away from TikTok, and TikTok will try to defend its business in the face of a potential ban in the US. Here’s what video advertisers need to know.

Key Question: How close are Reels and Shorts to truly rivaling TikTok in usage and ad offerings?

Meta, YouTube, and TikTok Share of US Video Ad Spending, 2020-2025 (% of total video ad spending)
E-Mail ChartDownload

KEY STAT: In 2023, TikTok’s share of US video ad spending will be more than double what it was in 2021—and it will encroach on YouTube’s share.

Here’s what’s in the full report

3files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

5charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Reels and Shorts are gaining users—but they don’t yet rival TikTok in time spent.
  3. TikTok’s audience is loyal, but a ban could send some users to competing platforms.
  4. It’s still hard to reach young people on Reels and Shorts.
  1. Video advertisers have been slow to shift budget to Reels or Shorts.
  2. Shorts and Reels must increase their ad options.
  3. On a brighter note, Shorts and Reels ads may outperform TikTok in some metrics.
  4. As Reels’ ad features improve, advertisers will benefit from Meta’s deep bench of tools.
  1. With Shorts, advertisers can tap new ways of working with creators.
  2. TikTok is tops for time spent and ad offerings, but Reels and Shorts deserve another look.
  3. Sources
  4. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Meta, YouTube, and TikTok Share of US Video Ad Spending, 2020-2025 (% of total video ad spending)Short-Form Video Platforms US Ad Buyers Say Their Largest Clients Are Advertising on, Dec 2022 (% of respondents)
Preferred Site/App for Viewing Short-Form Video According to US Internet Users, March 2023 (% of respondents)Social Media Platforms Used by US TV Viewers, by Age, Dec 2022 (% of respondents)
Short-Form Video Ad Performance Metrics in North America, by Platform, Aug 2022
Download
Report
Deck
The One-Pager
Share
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Reels and Shorts are gaining users—but they don’t yet rival TikTok in time spent.
TikTok’s audience is loyal, but a ban could send some users to competing platforms.
It’s still hard to reach young people on Reels and Shorts.
Video advertisers have been slow to shift budget to Reels or Shorts.
Shorts and Reels must increase their ad options.
On a brighter note, Shorts and Reels ads may outperform TikTok in some metrics.
As Reels’ ad features improve, advertisers will benefit from Meta’s deep bench of tools.
With Shorts, advertisers can tap new ways of working with creators.
TikTok is tops for time spent and ad offerings, but Reels and Shorts deserve another look.
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Reels and Shorts are gaining users and adding ad options. They still lag TikTok in several key areas, but now is the time for video advertisers to give them another look.
Topics
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Usage
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Reels and Shorts are gaining users—but they don’t yet rival TikTok in time spent.
TikTok’s audience is loyal, but a ban could send some users to competing platforms.
It’s still hard to reach young people on Reels and Shorts.
Video advertisers have been slow to shift budget to Reels or Shorts.
Shorts and Reels must increase their ad options.
On a brighter note, Shorts and Reels ads may outperform TikTok in some metrics.
As Reels’ ad features improve, advertisers will benefit from Meta’s deep bench of tools.
With Shorts, advertisers can tap new ways of working with creators.
TikTok is tops for time spent and ad offerings, but Reels and Shorts deserve another look.
Sources
Media Gallery

authors

Debra Aho Williamson

Contributors

Jasmine Enberg
Principal Analyst
Zach Goldner
Forecasting Analyst
Natalie McGranahan
Senior Researcher and Taxonomy Manager
Jennifer Merritt
Vice President, Content
Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf
Senior Analyst, Digital Advertising & Media
Already have a subscription?Sign In

Access All Charts and Data

Gain access to reliable data presented in clear and intelligible displays for quick understanding and decision making on the most important topics related to your industry

Become a Client
Unlock Unlimited Insights with PRO+
Schedule a Demo