Fast-Growing Chinese TikTok Rival Sets Sights on the U.S.
- Likee was a breakout hit in 2019 and is keeping momentum up
- Operating out of Singapore may ease U.S. regulator concerns
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TikTok operator ByteDance Inc. is unusual among China’s internet giants for the popularity it has enjoyed in the U.S., but others are already following in its footsteps, led by a short-video-sharing app called Likee.
Owned by Chinese social media company Joyy Inc., Likee is making its biggest global push since launching in 2017, with a particular focus on the U.S. market and the voracious media appetites of its millions of teens and millennials. The short-video platform is operated by a Singapore entity, has already caught on in places like India and Russia and was ranked seventh in global downloads for non-gaming apps in 2019 by App Annie.