Amid all the uncertainty and turmoil surrounding TikTok's future in America, the company quietly released new details on the impressive growth of TikTok Live. A release shared to the TikTok newsroom shows the platform eclipsed 100 million livestreamers in 2024, including 46 million users going live on the platform for the first time.
Key Takeaways From TikTok Live's 2024
According to TikTok, in addition to 100 million total and 46 million new live users, the platform saw billions of viewers and more than 269 billion unique "chats" in 2024 (for those who enjoy easy math, that's an average of 269 chats per user). With TikTok having just over 1 billion monthly active users globally, its safe to assume that basically everybody clicked in to view a livestream at least once. (Of course, the app also pushed this feature HARD, so it's unclear how many of those viewers stuck around for longer than a few seconds).
While the platform didn't disclose how much money Live generated overall, the release did say 250,000 users doubled their income year-over-year in 2024. And that's certainly nothing to sneeze at, given how difficult monetization can be on most livestreaming platforms.
From a top-level view, TikTok's streaming stats for 2024 are pretty bonkers, even for a platform as popular as it is. Twitch is a platform dedicated entirely to streaming and is seen as far and away the predominant name among serious livestreamers. But that platform only sees an average of 7.3 million streamers per month.
And yes, it's a little unfair to compare the two experiences since going Live in TikTok is an ancillary feature while going live on Twitch feels more like a momentous occasion, but there's also a significant overlap in streamers who stream on both platforms. And with TikTok being an important part of Twitch growth overall, it's no wonder TikTok Live is seeing a fair number of professional streamers at least give more time to the platform.
Should You Incorporate TikTok Live Into Your Content Strategy?
Livestreaming is a really powerful tool for connecting with fans and building community. It can also be really daunting for some, and can be an endless rabbit hole of technical issues and second-guessing yourself. (But hey, that's kind of being a creator in general, so...).
We've talked a lot about livestreaming and some of the different platforms out there. There are different options for all types of creators, including those who may just want to dip their toe in the water and see if it's for them.
The big question, of course, is if you should try to incorporate TikTok Live into your content strategy, even as the fate of the platform in the U.S. is still very much up in the air.
Reasons To Still Try Out TikTok Live
There are a few things that make TikTok Live attractive, even if it ultimately ends up changing significantly or going away in the next month or two. The first is that it's just so easy to go live. In a few taps, you can immediately start streaming. And your audience gets notified about it.
TikTok also pushes out livestreams more than other alternatives, which increases the likelihood that you'll end up in front of your audience and new people. But the point is less about actually using the platform as a way to gain followers and engage with your audience (for now). It's more about being a very easy way to dip your toes into livestreaming. This is probably the first place you'd want to start.
Additionally, if you already have a bit of a following, you can apply to join a "live agency" for free. Essentially, this will help you get boosted out to people at the beginning of your streams, increasing the likelihood you'll get a chance to interact with people. The agency doesn't take a cut from what you make, but they do receive some compensation when you get money (TikTok really wants people to use Live).
Worst-Case Scenario
The worst that can happen is you enjoy TikTok Live and it goes away. This is a real scenario that impacts a lot of small businesses and creators on the app right now. A significant portion of the revenue TikTok drives comes from shop sales, which heavily rely on livestreams as a sort of social media QVC.
And yeah, it would be a bummer if you started going live, got a lot of joy out of it, saw a big boost in your profile, and then lost it. But the skills you hone on TikTok Live are applicable to all forms of livestreaming, whether it's longer, more professional streams on Twitch, or just replicating your TikTok Live presence on Instagram or YouTube etc.
There's also a chance you find out livestreaming really isn't for you. And that's ok, too. But we do encourage most creators to at least give it a shot. Going live once or twice a week for a month or two is usually enough to tell if it sparks something in you or not. And wouldn't you know it, that's about all we're guaranteed with TikTok — for now.