TikTok operator ByteDance Inc is unusual among China’s Internet giants for the popularity it has enjoyed in the US, 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 US 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.