Iran war drives TikTok surge for news brands
Two months into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, something notable is happening on TikTok: major news brands are growing faster than they have in years, and in some cases, faster than they ever have.
According to data I compiled using Social Blade, five of the largest legacy news brands on TikTok collectively added millions of new followers between February and April. The Associated Press nearly doubled its following on the platform, jumping from 1.6 million to 3.1 million followers in just three months. Al Jazeera English added 5.4 million new followers over the same stretch, surging from 9.8 million to 15.2 million, a 55 percent increase. BBC News grew from 11.2 million to 15.4 million. And CNN, which sat at 12.5 million in February, climbed to 14.7 million by April. For CNN, March was its largest month for follower growth on TikTok, even larger than anything the network saw during the 2024 presidential election cycle.
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