(Yicai Global) June 13 -- A short-video platform that was the most downloaded iOS app worldwide in the first quarter has disclosed its user numbers in the Chinese mainland for the first time. Tik Tok has more than 150 million daily active viewers, equivalent to around one-fifth of China's total internet users.

Known as Douyin in China, the app has some 300 million monthly active users, state news agency China News Service reported, citing figures from parent company Bytedance Technology. The Beijing-based company also owns leading news aggregator Toutiao and music syncing app Musical.ly.

Originally a popular music video platform aimed at the 18 to 24-year-old Generation X, Douyin has successfully transformed itself in the space of a year into a portal for short clips covering current affairs, food, culture, family life and travel. Millennials aged 24 to 30 now account for more than 40 percent of current users, the firm said. Douyin's strong figures cement its position as a leading player in the sector.

Short-video mobile platforms have skyrocketed in popularity in China with total their market value nearly tripling last year to CNY5.7 billion (USD900 million), according to digital media data firm iResearch. Competition has intensified in the sector with the presence of multiple apps backed by some of the country's biggest tech firms, including Tencent Holdings' Kuaishou and Weishi.

Holding Its Own

Douyin's user figures suggest the company is more than holding its own in a crowded market. The four-leading platforms in the sector had a combined user base of 417 million at the end of last year, rising to 582 million at the end of the first quarter, the Financial Times reported, citing data from research firm QuestMobile. 

Bytedance also disclosed that there are 150 million overseas users on its Tik Tok and Musica.ly platforms spanning more than 40 countries. Bytedance aims for users abroad to make up half of all those across its portfolio of apps within three years, Chief Executive Zhang Yiming said in March.

Douyin has also proved popular with government agencies and state-owned media groups. More than 500 official bodies including the People's Daily, CCTV News and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission have signed up, according to Douyin. Total viewing figures for government videos has exceeded 1.6 billion.

China's Communist Youth League and the Communist Party's Political and Judiciary Commission were among the first official bodies to join the platform. They have accumulated over one million followers with several clips garnering more than 100 million views. Beijing Police uploaded a video showing how it deals with offenders, which was viewed more than 12 million times.

Editor: William Clegg