TikTok most downloaded mobile entertainment app in Australia, reaches 7.38m users [report]

TikTok’s rapid take-up in Australia has been signposted in a new report by creative agency We Are Social and social media management Hootsuite.

Digital 2022 Australia says TikTok is the most downloaded mobile entertainment app or third across the board behind Service Victoria and Service NSW.

According to the annual report, TikTok now has 7.38 million Australian users over the age of 18, with a reach of 37%.

55.3% were female and 44.7% male. These definitions were the only gender data available.

TikTok’s emergence comes weeks after Viberate’s State Of Music report stated that the app “is the new SoundCloud when it comes to launching new acts”.

Facebook remains the biggest social media platform in Australia with 15 million users (or 57.9% of the total population), followed by Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

Instagram now has 12.8 million monthly users after 16% (or an extra 1.8 million users) local growth in the past 12 months.

Snapchat had 7.25 million users.

But TikTok users spend more time on the app than any other platform: up 40% to an average of 23.4 hours per person, per month.

In comparison, Facebook is down 3% to 17.6 hours while Instagram had a 2% jump to 8.3 hours monthly.

According to Digital 2022 Australia, the number of Australians adopting social media is up 4.6%, to a total of 21 million users, or 83% of the population (25.9 million as of January 2022).

That’s almost one million additions in the last 12 months.

Time spent on social media per day by those aged 16—64 is up 10% to 1 hour and 57 minutes.

The greatest leap was for podcasts, up 35% to 54 minutes, with playing games up 24% to 1 hour and 7 minutes, and television watching (including streaming) increasing by 7% to 3 hours and 44 minutes.

With a need for interactivity in isolation, three in four internet users aged 16-64 (23.6 million) played games, using a gaming console for an average of 1 hour 7 minutes per day, a 24.3% increase.

As a result, Australian digital media spend on video games rose by 25% to $1 billion.

The spend on mobile apps and in-app purchases in 2021 reached $2.8 billion.

With 24% of Australians aged 16-64 saying that they discover new brands, products, and services via social media ads, Hootsuite head of Australia and New Zealand, Letrecia Tippett, encouraged advertisers to take note of the increased branding opportunities in this space.

“As social media usage in Australia steadily increases, it is more important than ever before for companies to embrace social media to strengthen their connection with their customers,” Tippett, said.

“As Australians navigate through yet another challenging year of the pandemic, we encourage businesses to make use of the data from our Digital 2022 report to help them navigate which social media platforms will be most efficient in connecting them with their audiences.”