Leading Brands in ES: Social Media Giants in Q1 2025

Introduction

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, social media platforms maintain their stronghold, drawing in vast audiences across their websites and apps. In this article, we examine the performance of YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok in the Social Media category during Q1 2025, based on Sensor Tower’s comprehensive data. Our analysis covers user trends, platform engagement, and advertising efforts, highlighting the unique insights Sensor Tower provides through its Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics.

YouTube

YouTube, a global leader in video content, continues to dominate with its expansive digital ecosystem, featuring both youtube.com and the YouTube app.

• Audience Trends: From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, youtube.com maintained a steady flow of monthly visits, peaking in March with over 6.9 billion visits. Unique visits saw a slight increase, reaching approximately 27M by March. The monthly deduplicated audience remained stable, hovering around 48M throughout the quarter.

• App Engagement: The YouTube app demonstrated consistent user engagement, with monthly active users fluctuating slightly around 37M.

• Ad Spend & Channels: YouTube’s monthly advertising expenditure in the Social Media category was modest, with notable spends on Instagram in February, reaching close to $55 and generating nearly 25K impressions.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp, known for its instant messaging services, continues to be a dominant player with its website whatsapp.com and the WhatsApp Messenger app.

• Audience Trends: The website experienced fluctuations, with monthly visits peaking in March at over 2.5 billion. Unique visits remained stable, averaging around 10M. The monthly deduplicated audience was consistent, staying close to 44M.

• App Engagement: The app saw stable engagement with monthly active users slightly increasing to approximately 33M by March.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Minimal advertising activity was noted, with a brief campaign on TikTok in November spending about $4 and generating over 2K impressions.

TikTok

TikTok, renowned for its short-form video content, maintains a vibrant presence with tiktok.com and the TikTok app.

• Audience Trends: The website saw a significant rise in monthly visits, peaking at over 147M in January. Unique visits showed a slight increase, with approximately 8M by March. The monthly deduplicated audience remained robust, reaching around 21M.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a healthy user base, with monthly active users climbing slightly to about 18M in March.

• Ad Spend & Channels: TikTok’s monthly ad spend saw a decrease over the months, with a peak in October spending about $1.7K and generating over 840K impressions, primarily on Facebook.

Conclusion

The first quarter of 2025 showcased the resilience and growth of major social media platforms. YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok each exhibited unique trends across their websites and apps, reflecting their strategic priorities and user engagement. Sensor Tower’s unparalleled data offerings provide critical insights into these dynamics, enabling a comprehensive understanding of cross-platform behaviors in the digital age. By leveraging Sensor Tower's insights, decision-makers are equipped to make informed strategic decisions that align with evolving market dynamics. Explore our products and services to gain a competitive edge.