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Time’s Up?

    • This article was first published in the FOS Daily Newsletter. Subscribe here.
    • Sports content creators were wary to invest in TikTok based on a shaky future.
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Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

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TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains up in the air after several news-filled days for the video-sharing social network. On Friday, President Donald Trump said he planned on banning TikTok after weeks of criticising the app and its parent company ByteDance over security issues and its ties to China.

Microsoft has emerged as a buyer for the platform’s U.S. operations, with the company announcing yesterday that it would continue its pursuit after consulting with Trump. Discussions between ByteDance and Microsoft are expected to conclude by September 15, but Microsoft warned that “there can be no assurance that a transaction which involves Microsoft will proceed.”

Any significant change or true ban to TikTok would be a hit to the sports industry, which has flocked to the platform to reach the coveted Gen Z audience. TikTok was downloaded more than 315 million times globally in the first quarter of 2020, a record for any app during a single quarter.

The unsteadiness around TikTok in recent weeks has caused teams to shy away from further investment in the platform, an MLS team social media executive told FOS. Other team content creators said they’ll continue to use TikTok until it’s banned, and that if it is, it won’t be the first platform to come and go.

Notable Sports TikTok Followings: 

Overtime: 11.9M followers

NBA: 11.5M

ESPN: 10.5M

WWE: 6.6M

House of Highlights: 6.1M

NFL: 4.4M

Benny The Bull: 2.7M

Golden State Warriors: 1.9M

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