Exclusive data shows the 10 brands that gained the most TikTok followers in the last year, including Netflix, Overtime, and Barstool Sports

Netflix and ESPN added the most followers among brands on TikTok last year, found a new study of 900 accounts by the video-analytics firm Conviva. 

The two companies attracted around 10 million new fans on their main accounts between February 2020 and February 2021. (Netflix added an additional 6.4 million followers on its Spanish-language account, Netflix Español, during the same period.) Other fast-growing brand accounts included the sports and entertainment company Overtime (which added 8.9 million followers), Barstool Sports (8.8 million followers), and WWE (7.7 million followers).

Netflix and its streaming competitors have been flooding TikTok with content in recent months. Companies such as HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video are buying in-feed video ads and paying influencers to drum up attention on TikTok for their shows and movies. One successful endeavor was Netflix’s TikTok campaign for its original series “Bridgerton,” which went viral and contributed to the show’s record-breaking debut. 

In addition to its marketing efforts with influencers, Netflix has also leaned into its own TikTok account as an avenue for promotion, posting 536 videos between February 2020 and February 2021, Conviva reported. And it seems Netflix has taken inspiration from TikTok for its own app. Earlier this month, the company introduced its own TikTok-like feature called Fast Laughs to promote comedy shows in its app. 

TikTok has become a focus area for media and entertainment brands more broadly. The music industry has found success using the app to promote new artists and album releases. And entertainment brands are one of the fastest-growing advertiser categories on the app, a company spokesperson said.

Among the top growing brand accounts on TikTok was Barstool Sports, which has accumulated around 13 million fans since joining the app. The company told Insider that it has dedicated employees who “spend all day thinking about TikTok.” 

“Forty-five percent of our new audience growth in 2020 was from TikTok,” Erika Nardini, Barstool’s CEO, said.

While media brands topped the list in terms of total number of new followers in Conviva’s study, beverage company Red Bull added around 10 million new fans across its six TikTok accounts during the same period. It didn’t crack Conviva’s top 10 because the firm separated each account when creating its ranking.

Here are the ten brand accounts, Conviva reported, that added the most TikTok followers between February 2020 and February 2021, and how often they posted:

1. Netflix: added 10.6 million TikTok followers, 536 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

2. ESPN: added 10 million TikTok followers, 2,070 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

3. Overtime: added 8.9 million TikTok followers, 1,174 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

4. Barstool Sports: added 8.8 million TikTok followers, 1,997 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

5. WWE: added 7.7 million TikTok followers, 905 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

6. Netflix Español: added 6.4 million TikTok followers, 542 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

7. House of Highlights: added 5.7 million TikTok followers, 2,479 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

8. Flighthouse: added 5.6 million TikTok followers, 411 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

9. Guinness World Records: added 5.2 million TikTok followers, 318 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

10. The Late Late Show With James Cordon: added 5.1 million TikTok followers, 72 videos posted between February 2020 and February 2021. 

Read the full report, here.