The 2026 Reuters Institute report reveals that 54% of people worldwide use social networks as a news source, surpassing news websites and television. The specialized magazine Press Gazette analyzed the numbers from August 2024 and 2026 of the largest news brands from the United States and the United Kingdom to identify which are growing the most on Instagram and TikTok.
On Instagram, five publishers have more than ten million followers, with BBC News leading with 30.6 million, followed by CNN with 23.4 million and the New York Times with 20.3 million. In terms of percentage growth, the British channel GB News recorded the largest increase, with 317%, going from 312 thousand to 1.3 million followers. The Daily Mail grew 129% to 4.8 million and the New York Post 117% to 2.6 million. Only three brands maintained stable numbers, while BuzzFeed was the only one to register a decline of 4%. In absolute terms, CNN had the largest growth, with 3.4 million additional followers.
On TikTok, the Daily Mail is the only publisher to surpass 20 million followers, with 26.5 million. Seven brands are in the ten million range: BBC News, ABC News, CNN, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News and Sky News. Fox News was the one that grew the most in percentage terms, with an impressive 12,537%, going from 91 thousand to 11.5 million followers. Reuters grew 2,506% and the Financial Times 1,194%. Of the 84 brands analyzed, 35 have one million or more followers, while 19 have fewer than 100,000.
