President Donald Trump is granting TikTok another 90 days to secure a buyer for its U.S. operations. The move pushes back the latest ban deadline, which had been set to expire on June 19.
Third Delay, But Brands Remain Calm
This is the third delay in what’s become a long and uncertain process. Yet while the political back-and-forth continues, advertisers have stopped panicking. Spending on TikTok has remained steady, a stark contrast to earlier in the year when threats of a ban had brands pulling out fast.
Advertiser Confidence Holds
At independent digital agency PMG, client spending has held firm. Danielle Schultz, Head of Paid Social at PMG, said the mood now is far calmer:
“Compared to the earlier January deadline, which triggered more proactive pausing and real-time reallocations, the current climate reflects a more tempered and prepared approach, mirroring the sentiment and response patterns observed around the April deadline.”
Data Backs the Shift in Strategy
That sentiment is supported by figures from MikMak, a commerce analytics platform tracking $3 billion in U.S. ad spend. Advertisers cut back heavily ahead of January 19, with a 22.2% dip in the first week of that month. But when the ban didn’t happen, spending bounced back by 16.1% the following week.
In contrast, the run-up to the April 5 deadline saw only a 6.3% drop.
Tony Sloan, Brand Marketing Lead at MikMak, explained:
“April and May showed more consistent spending leading up to the decision dates, alluding that brands are treating TikTok as if it is here to stay, and will continue to spend on the platform until a decision is made that they can no longer do that.”
Market Share Holds Steady
TikTok’s ad traffic share has hovered around 14% in recent months. MikMak recorded surges on March 6 (17.2%), April 8 (16.5%), and May 7 (17.1%).
That said, compared to the first quarter of 2025, TikTok’s share dipped slightly by 1.3%. Meta, meanwhile, gained 2.9%, suggesting some brands are hedging their bets by reallocating budget.
Rising Ad Spend Despite Regulatory Pressure
According to MediaRadar, TikTok brought in nearly $2.5 billion in ad revenue from January to May 2025. That’s a 59% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Monthly totals included:
- $439 million in January
- $542 million in April
- $588 million in May
The only dip came in March, when spend dropped from $495 million in February to $396 million, just before the April deadline.
White House Confirms 90-Day Deal Push
The extension was confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said:
“As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the administration will spend working to ensure that this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
In May, Trump also shared a personal remark in an interview with Kristen Welker on Meet the Press:
“Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Security Concerns Behind the Deadline
The legal case stems from TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company. Lawmakers argue that the app poses a national security threat due to the possibility of user data being accessed by the Chinese government.
Congress passed a bill enforcing the ban, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. TikTok and ByteDance challenged the legislation, but so far, no resolution has satisfied the legal requirement of full separation from ByteDance and a U.S.-based buyer.
The app briefly went offline on January 18, before returning the next day after then-president-elect Trump signalled a solution was coming. Once back in office, he granted a 75-day extension. With the process still ongoing, this latest 90-day delay gives negotiators more time.
TikTok Keeps Innovating
Despite the uncertainty, TikTok has shown no signs of slowing down. At Cannes Lions, the company unveiled new artificial intelligence video tools aimed at keeping advertisers engaged and confident.
Kelsey Chickering, Principal Analyst at Forrester, pointed to TikTok’s confidence:
“Smaller players, like Snap, will try to steal share during this ‘uncertain time,’ but they will not succeed because this next round for TikTok isn’t uncertain at all.”
Will This Be the Final Deadline?
The central question now is whether this 90-day period will bring closure or simply become another pause in a saga that shows no signs of wrapping up quickly. For brands, the platform remains valuable. For regulators, the pressure to secure a deal remains high.
