About 73 percent of people aged 16 to 25 reported having used TikTok last year, up from 24 percent in 2019, according to a survey by the National Communications Commission.
The annual report, published last month, focused on streaming platforms, social media and instant messaging apps frequently used by Taiwanese, as well as use of telecom services and broadcast media.
Of Taiwanese aged 16 or above, 83 percent watched content on online video-sharing services last year, the commission said, adding that the percentage is growing.
Photo: Reuters
While last year’s survey showed that more than 95 percent of respondents reported having watched content on YouTube, the same as in previous years, it showed that 47.5 percent of respondents reported having viewed content on TikTok as well, up from 18.7 percent in 2019. About 21 percent of the respondents accessed the content on Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as
RedNote), up from 17 percent in 2024.
The survey last year showed more than 70 percent of respondents aged 16 to 25 accessed content on TikTok, while more than 60 percent of those aged 26 to 35 did so.
The increase in the number of TikTok viewers was most significant in the age group of 16 to 25, as it surged from 24 percent in 2019 to 72.5 percent last year, the report showed.
Among the age group, 93.9 percent reported having Facebook accounts, 85.9 percent said they used Instagram, 45.1 percent reported having TikTok accounts and 35.1 percent said they have accounts on Xiaohongshu.
Of the top 10 social media or instant messaging apps used by Taiwanese last year, Line had the largest user base (98.2 percent), followed by Facebook (82.4 percent), YouTube (68.6 percent), Instagram (47.8 percent), TikTok (23.8 percent), Xiaohongshu (17.5 percent), WeChat (14.2 percent), Threads (14 percent), Twitter (8.7 percent) and WhatsApp (7.2 percent).
The survey reported that 12.3 percent of respondents said that they mainly watched content on streaming media, down from 16 percent in 2024, while 45.4 percent said they were paid subscribers of streaming media, down from 58.6 percent in 2024.
About 60 percent of the respondents cited cable television as the main source of audiovisual content in their home last year, up from 58.3 percent in 2024, the report showed.
Following that, 17.7 percent said that Chunghwa Telecom’s Multimedia-On-Demand was the primary source, a small hike from 17.4 percent in 2024, while 12.3 percent said streaming services, down from 16 percent in 2024, it showed.
About 10 percent said over-the-air television service was the primary source, up from 7.5 percent in 2024.
The slight reversal of the cord-cutting trend might have to do with pricing adjustments imposed by streaming media, causing some to leave and return to cable or other services, the report showed.
Competition from other online video-sharing platforms might have contributed to the decline in
streaming viewership, it said.
Past surveys showed that 45.1 percent of viewers aged 16 or above watched streaming content in 2019, a 14.3 percent jump from 2017. The percentage declined to 31.8 percent last year, the report said.
Streaming viewership in the age group of 16 to 25 fell to 16.5 percent last year due to the rise of short videos, the report added. People in the age groups 26 to 35 and 36 to 45 remained primary viewers of streaming services, accounting for 25.6 percent and 23.6 percent of the respondents respectively, it said.
Survey results indicated that overseas platforms remain consumers’ top choice, the report said.
Netflix dominated paid subscriptions, accounting for as much as 83.4 percent, followed by Disney+ at 14.5 percent and iQiyi at 10.9 percent, it said.
Survey respondents said that the main appeal of streaming content lies in the freedom and flexibility it offers in terms of viewing time and location, as well as its on-demand content and lack of advertising interruptions, the report said, adding that streaming content is considered more attractive than that of traditional television channels.
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