As audiences and algorithms shift, how do you know if your media company’s social video strategy is keeping up? Our latest report, Social Video Benchmarks: What’s Actually Working for Media Companies in 2026, is the first installment of recurring social video benchmark reports covering the key industry performance indicators media companies should be paying attention to. It compares global data from the first half of 2026 (1H26) to the previous two years to identify the social video trends that can make or break your strategy.
In this report preview, we’re diving into some of the most compelling findings from our research, plus the different ways media companies can incorporate these insights into their content and ad revenue strategy. Enjoy a preview of the full report below.
How UK publishers are driving TikTok News & Politics views and engagement
Although the UK ranks fourth in total video views in the News & Politics category on TikTok with 26.5B — behind the U.S. (80.7B), Pakistan (36.8B), and Brazil (28.3B) — it comes out on top in terms of per-video efficiency. In 1H26, UK publishers drove an average of 375K views and 20.8K engagements per upload.
What were the main drivers behind this efficiency? To start, 73% of UK News & Politics uploads on TikTok were one minute or less, and 43% were under 30 seconds — an indicator that video duration plays a role in content performance.
UK publishers are also leaning into the content that’s actually gaining traction with their audiences, rather than relying on expected headline events to drive views and engagement. Tubular data shows that 14 of the 50 most-viewed TikTok News & Politics uploads covered the Iran conflict — while none covered the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Takeaways:
- Focus on per-upload metrics for views and engagement rather than total video views. Before scaling a content type based on view volume, check its per-video numbers against the category benchmark, as this will indicate what’s actually working with your audience.
- Lean into the topics gaining traction with your audience right now. Publishers should prioritize raw, breaking-news-style footage in their content rather than relying on scheduled headline events with much larger built-in audiences.
For a broader view of News & Politics trends on social video, read our Global News Insights from Q2 2026.
What are the fastest-growing Instagram video categories in 2026?
Instagram views remained broadly flat year-over-year, with the platform holding steady at 30.4T views in the first half of 2026, compared to 30.5T over the same period the year before. But that flat topline number is hiding a lot of momentum beneath it, particularly when we zoom in on Instagram video category view growth:
When we look at the Sports category specifically, Tubular data shows that tentpole events like the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics nearly doubled the category’s total views on their own. This finding illuminates a pattern worth planning around: publishers who can point to a direct view spike tied to a major event have a ready-made, data-backed way to prove audience scale in ad sales conversations.
Takeaways:
- Flat numbers can mask meaningful category momentum. Break your own Instagram views down by category at least quarterly to spot the verticals gaining momentum and the ones losing steam.
- Use the last tentpole event as the foundation for your next ad sales pitch. Pull Video Intelligence and Leaderboard data from your most recent headline event, and use it as proof of audience scale before the next comparable event.
Curious how you can put your social video data to work? Here’s how ad sales teams are using it to win more deals.
What else you’ll find inside the full report
- The optimal YouTube video length in 2026, and the biggest opportunity for your video duration strategy
- Regional deep dives into what’s driving views and engagement on YouTube and TikTok, and which regions are bucking global trends
- A breakdown of the strategies top publishers like Fox News, The BBC, and Brazil’s G1 are using to increase Instagram views
- Best practices for allocating content production resources
- Plus, key takeaways for turning these social video insights into ad revenue
Download the full report to see what’s really driving growth for media companies on social video in 2026.