Latin American media publishers have a great opportunity to multiply their audiences through social media video, but first they need to understand the medium better and design better data-driven strategies.
A roadmap for publishers willing to take advantage of the appetite for audiovisual content is presented
Latin American media publishers have a great opportunity to multiply their audiences through social media video, but first they need to understand the medium better and design better data-driven strategies.
In a recent IAPA Press Institute webinar, Vanessa Cañarte, Chartbeat's Account Executive for Latin America, pointed out that “it is a good time to be able to invest in video, but in a strategic way”. The question is, she stressed, how and where is it most profitable?
Globally, Chartbeat's platforms and its sister company Tubular Labs permanently track some 15 billion pieces of video on a million topics and review the production of 40 thousand content creators from media companies, influencers and brands.
One trend they have found is that, on TikTok, Latin American publishers (excluding Brazil) post fewer videos than on other social networks, although this platform surprises by the interaction that each video receives. In the third quarter of 2024, for example, TikTok in Latin America only registered just over 20,000 videos uploaded, but led all networks in views with 6.2 billion in total, according to Tubular Labs.
The second half of the year saw a 48 percent increase in views of Latin American videos on TikTok compared to the first half. User engagement with videos on this platform also grew by 52 percent.
The region's news media mostly upload one- to two-minute videos, explained Vanessa Cañarte, although they generate the fewest views. In the last quarter of 2024, for example, the pieces that generated the most views were those of no more than 30 seconds, with an average of 680,000 views per video.
The second category, from 30 seconds to one minute in length, generated about 40 percent fewer views, and the one- to two-minute videos generated even slightly fewer.
En YouTube la historia es similar, pero con un sesgo de distinción. Durante el último semestre de 2024, los creadores latinoamericanos subieron solo alrededor de 5.000 videos de menos de 30 segundos, pero estos obtuvieron un promedio de 50.000 vistas cada uno. Los videos de 30 segundos a un minuto, por YouTube, tuvieron un promedio de solo 25.000 vistas, o sea, apenas la mitad.
What is different is that the third most viewed category per video on YouTube is 15 to 20 minutes in length and, the fourth category is 10 to 15 minutes. This may suggest that the short documentary format, which has become fashionable in newsrooms, is better served on YouTube than on TikTok.
Something similar is true on Facebook, a platform where the main opportunities for audience growth appear in the under 30-second or, at the other extreme, 10- to 15-minute categories. One- to two-minute videos on Facebook barely get an average of less than 15,000 views per piece.
As for the topics, it all depends on what is happening in each country. Mexico, Argentina, Peru (in third place), Colombia and Chile are the countries where creators produce and upload more videos on social networks. A special case is Honduras which, during the third and fourth quarters of 2024, appeared in 6th and 7th places respectively, while Ecuador occupied 7th and 8th places and Panama 9th and 10th.
But in terms of the videos with the best average number of views, the winner in the third quarter was Nicaragua, which also came in second place in the fourth half of the year. The reason for this unforeseen upturn was due to the fact that videos related to the election of a Nicaraguan as Miss Universe and the footage of an airplane crash generated unusual attention in the networks.
In Mexico, on the other hand, one media outlet in particular seems to have successfully managed to spread the word by using its own name to create a popular hashtag that facilitates access to its videos. With the hashtag #aztecanoticias, TV Azteca uploaded 1,518 videos on social networks during the last quarter of 2024, ranking number three among the main Mexican media. However, in terms of views it ranked first with an average of 1.2 million views per piece.
As for the best time to upload videos, the Chartbeat executive stated that “mornings are very favorable for posting on TikTok and YouTube. Between seven and eight in the morning (EST) TikTok gets the most views per video, while in the case of YouTube it is between four and five”.
However, Cañarte warned that these trends vary from quarter to quarter, so it is essential to monitor metrics on a regular basis. A primary recommendation is not to limit publications to a single platform but to publish on several at the same time.
“You may find, for example, that a piece of content generates more attention on TikTok, but encourages more conversation on Facebook,” said Cañarte. Similarly, he added, “the life cycle of a topic may be longer on one platform than on another.”
The speaker indicated that Tubular Viewpoint's tools offer three keys to outline a video strategy. Firstly, the media's own performance is monitored and, based on the results, a plan to grow the audience is outlined. In a second step, the media's performance is compared with that of its competitors and, finally, the tools allow to better understand an audience and discover new ideas to create content that interests them.
On the other hand, the impact of artificial intelligence on search engines, while a serious concern for the media, hasn't actually waned for traditional search engines, according to Chartbeat's measurements.
Traffic through Google was flat in the last year (2023-2024) and Google Discover traffic grew by 12 percent. “If this were to change at any time, we would immediately disclose it because we monitor traffic sources all the time,” said the Chartbeat and Tubular Labs representative.
Finally, Vanessa Cañarte pointed out that social networks, being subject to government regulations, are vulnerable to unforeseen changes. As happened to TikTok when it disappeared for a day in the United States, costing it a 33 percent drop in its audience. Something similar happened to X (formerly Twitter) last year in Brazil and, before that, to Facebook in Australia.
This volatility in relations with governments reinforces the need in the media for a more effective and efficient