As TikTok competitors swoop in amid global pushback, is the short video app losing its ‘first mover advantage’?

In the week after India banned TikTok, Indian alternatives are gaining traction and Western apps are also launching short video features. — SCMP

In the week or so after India banned 59 Chinese apps, several home-grown video-sharing platforms that had previously been dwarfed by wildly popular short video app TikTok have seen their user numbers jump.

Roposo, a TikTok-like app that has been around since 2014, drew in 22 million new users in two days after India banned Chinese apps including TikTok, the company’s founder Mayank Bhangadia told Reuters. The app now ranks first in the entertainment category of the Apple App Store in India, according to data provider Sensor Tower.