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TikTok opens third-party ad network to U.S. advertisers

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mkeys@thedesk.net

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TikTok is opening its advertising network of nearly 400,000 third-party apps to U.S. advertisers, expanding its reach beyond its own platform as the company competes for a larger share of global digital advertising spending.

The third-party network, previously known as Pangle, is now available to U.S. advertisers through TikTok Ads Manager as the TikTok Ad Network. Advertisers outside the United States already had access to the network.

TikTok is offering brand safety and placement controls for campaigns running across participating third-party apps.

The expansion comes as TikTok gains ground on YouTube for advertising spending. WARC Media projected in July that TikTok could surpass YouTube in global advertising revenue by 2030, driven partly by its strength in social commerce and performance advertising.

WARC estimated YouTube generated $40.4 billion in advertising revenue during 2025, up 11.7 percent from the prior year. It expects YouTube advertising revenue to increase 7 percent to $43.2 billion this year and another 7.9 percent to $46.6 billion in 2027.

WARC said TikTok has been more successful at attracting advertising budgets tied to purchases and other lower-funnel outcomes. TikTok is seeking to build on that advantage with new commerce, automation and artificial intelligence products.

The company has expanded connections between its advertising tools and AI platforms through the Model Context Protocol, which allows AI assistants to interact with outside software.

Advertisers can now access TikTok advertising tools through Claude, Kimi, Manus, Perplexity, Replit, Snowflake and Tencent WorkBuddy. TikTok said advertiser use of those connections has increased more than 200 percent since its Agentic Hub launched in July, though it did not disclose a starting figure.

TikTok introduced several commerce products as part of the expansion. Buy Direct will allow consumers to purchase products without leaving TikTok, while a Shopping Assistant can answer questions about sizing, shipping and other product information.

Agentic Leads is designed to collect prospective customer information through direct messages and advertiser websites. TikTok did not announce launch dates for those products.

The company is expanding automation within its existing advertising products as well. GMV Max, its automated system for shopping campaigns, will begin factoring affiliate commissions, coupons and referral fees into bidding decisions. Smart+ automation is being extended to search advertising.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.