As TikTok continues to shape how the public consumes news, publishers are finding new ways to engage their audiences on the platform. From cable news networks to entertainment and mainstream outlets, there’s now a diverse range of publishers that embrace a TikTok strategy.
In this analysis, we’re using a benchmark of 50 publishers (the same 50 we used for our recent report) to understand who’s leading on TikTok for the month of February, and what type of content is driving their success.
As this will be a monthly series, we should get a sense of how these trends change over time, whether any of them are seasonal or whether there is consistent overperformance in certain corners of this subset of publishers.
What publishers performed best on TikTok in February 2025?
Our 2024 publishing report found that sports content thrived on video platforms, with some publishers surpassing one billion engagements with their posts across all channels. It’s clear how achievable reaching a number like that actually is when looking at the chart below, which only encompasses a single month of posts.
Based on our analysis of the top 1,000 posts from the month from this sample of 50 publishers, ESPN led the rankings, having 413 posts that earned over 336 million engagements, easily outperforming any other publisher.
However, the competition within the top 10 is not something to ignore. The Daily Mail and Bleacher Report both accumulated over 90 million engagements in just 30 days, and even cable networks found themselves in the middle of the pack, reaching over 20 to 30 million. All together, the 50 publishers we tracked generated over 798 million engagements in February.
ESPN takes a more lighthearted, humorous approach to TikTok than it does on other platforms. While its Instagram content is full of breaking news around sports or athletes, its TikTok presence features more real people and viral moments, and leans into meme culture more openly. This approach strongly resonates with the public, and that can be seen in the top posts overall as well, which we’ll dive into more later.
Other publishers landed in the top 10 for different reasons. The Daily Mail and LADbible have long been a dominant force on the platform, earning enormous amounts of engagements by covering a variety of news. And cable news outlets continue to reach audiences by repurposing clips for TikTok, often with more of a focus on national stories or events.
What content performed best on TikTok in February 2025?
Naturally, most of February’s top publishers also had the highest performing posts, with entertainment content leading the rankings.
E! News took the top spot, earning more than 20 million engagements with its playful clip of celebrities signing a camera lens at the GRAMMYs. Major events that showcase celebrity culture tend to do well on TikTok, and while E! News’ only had one post in the top ten, several of its other posts about the GRAMMYs saw over one million engagements.
@enews Having celebs sign a camera lens at the #GRAMMYs isn’t a bad idea, right? #AwardSeason ♬ original sound - E! News
Sports publishers such as ESPN and Bleacher Report found success with humor on the platform. Their successful content isn’t always directly tied to a sport itself, and that much is true from both publishers’ top posts in this ranking.
For ESPN, it was a video of a young boy riding a bike through puddles while purposely trying to splash his parent that earned nearly 14 million engagements. And Bleacher Report created a meme of Drake “reacting” to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl half-time show, which received a more than respectable 5.3 million engagements.
@espn Got ‘em 🤣 (via honeycuttelliot/IG) #bike #rain ♬ original sound - ESPN
Traditional news publishers also made a significant impact, using their video libraries to their advantage. ABC News captured attention with a dramatic video of a kayaker being swallowed and released by a humpback whale, while CBS and MSNBC both earned millions of engagements with political coverage. Though their numbers might not rival the top entertainment or sport publishers, they are proving that hard news can now command attention in similar ways on the platform to the tune of millions of engagements.
The mix of entertainment, viral moments, and hard news coverage reinforces TikTok’s role as one of the go-to news sources for a diverse mix of audiences.
That’s a wrap on February. Stay tuned to see how TikTok’s news landscape continues to evolve in the months ahead, and watch out for rankings on other platforms soon.
If you’d like to learn more about our publisher use cases, reach out to chat with a member of our team here.
