React to Roast: Is TikTok vs YouTube shaping up to become 'the' brand rivalry of our times?

With brands loving both platforms and creators from both sides taking shots at each other, here's how it all unfolded.

Coke vs Pepsi

Nike vs Adidas

YouTube vs TikTok

And by the looks of it, this ongoing rivalry between the video-sharing platforms may eclipse all other brand rivalries for the near future. But, a point to note here is that the platforms aren't responsible for the most recent escalation but the content creators using them.

The present feud took birth when YouTubers uploaded 'TikTok react' videos on their channels. In these videos, they watched videos uploaded on the short video app and reacted negatively to them and labelled the video content as 'cringe' while some resorted to body-shaming certain TikTokers.

In response, Amir Siddiqui, a popular Indian TikToker with 3.7 million followers and over 132 million likes on the platform uploaded an IGTV video tagging several popular YouTubers (it's a standalone application which allows users to upload longer videos compared to the ones allowed on Instagram.)

Siddiqui touched a lot of points in the now-deleted IGTV video; we've uploaded a copy found on YouTube. He accuses YouTubers of profiting from ideas they've lifted from TikTokers, asserted superiority of the TikTok community as more united and supportive unlike YouTube, and also claimed there are more brands on TikTok so YouTubers are feeling the heat and as a result, they're resorting to roasts of content creators on TikTok.

This didn't sit well with YouTube's CarryMinati (Ajey Nagar). Known for his roasts and takedowns, he uploaded a video titled 'YOUTUBE VS TIK TOK: THE END' on May 8, 2020. The video spread like wildfire and in two days, it amassed over 45 million views and 8.30 million likes.

According to infotonline.com, the video has broken the following records:

• Fastest Indian Video to 1M likes (2Hrs)

• Fastest Indian Video to 2M likes (5Hrs)

• Fastest Indian Video to 3M likes (9 Hrs)

• Fastest Indian Video to 4M likes (17 Hrs)

• Fastest Indian Video to 5M likes (22 Hrs)

• Most Liked Indian Video in first 24 Hours (5.2M)

• 2nd Most Liked Video in the World in first 24 Hours (5.2M)

• 4th Most Liked Indian Video on YouTube

• 2nd Most Commented Indian Video on YouTube (451K)

• Most Comments on a Video in first 24 Hours (451K)

• Most Subscribers Gain in 24 Hours (1.3M)

• 8th Most Viewed Indian Video in first 24 Hours (19.96M)

It's interesting to note the point of more brands being on TikTok compared to YouTube. In the past two to three years, the Chinese short video sharing app has seen a gigantic rise in popularity and downloads.

According to businessofapps.com, TikTok saw 738 million downloads in 2019 with India's as its top market with 323 million downloads. CNET says, in a report on December 16, 2020, that TikTok was the fourth most downloaded app in 2019.

With brands such as Pepsi, Dettol, Ariel, Flipkart, Lifebuoy, and even celebrities like Shilpa Shetty, Deepika Padukone among others, the app is surely luring influencers, brands, and consumers towards itself.

YouTube, on the other hand, is the market leader when it comes to video sharing sites and apps. According to an Economic Times report on December 10, 2019, YouTube India sees more than 265mn monthly active users. It is then no wonder that displaying an ad on the YouTube masthead costs a near Rs 1.50 crore per day. Content creators earn revenue through the site's monetisation programme and collaborations with brands which are aplenty.

Recently, we did a report on YouTube working on a short-form video app called 'Shorts' as a direct competitor to TikTok. It just goes to show that this rivalry is just heating up.