NEW YORK — TikTok bookended its presentation at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s NewFronts Tuesday with a pledge that its app will stick around, addressing a potential ban that threatens its business in the key U.S. market. The NewFronts, an annual showcase where publishers pitch marketers on their latest content and ad innovations, again arrive at a challenging moment for the social media platform, which has faced mounting data-privacy scrutiny over its ties to China while remaining immensely popular, with 170 million U.S. monthly active users.

“I want to say this very clearly, and I want to say this from my heart: TikTok is here. We are here,” said Vice President of Global Business Solutions Khartoon Weiss at the top of a packed show emceed by comedian Hasan Minhaj. 

“If there’s one thing I want you to take away, it is that we are absolutely confident in our platform and confident in the future of this platform, so we’re going to continue to invest in it,” added Weiss, who was recently promoted to lead ad sales in North America and used the moment to tout TikTok’s bigger ambitions in areas like search. 

The Trump administration has already twice delayed a deadline for finding a U.S. backer for TikTok, and has indicated it may do so again soon. As a regulatory crackdown remains up in the air, the NewFronts were a moment for TikTok to allay the concerns of advertisers that make its revenue engine hum, though analysis shows the divestiture conundrum has yet to produce an industry retreat. Forecasts say TikTok’s ad revenue will rise 24.5% year over year to $32.4 billion in 2025, assuming the service doesn’t go dark in the U.S.

Underpinning its focus on reassurance, the ByteDance-owned company’s NewFronts led not with the usual parade of advertising products and programming, but a talk by Head of Trust and Safety Suzy Loftus. Loftus championed TikTok’s brand suitability and content moderation initiatives amid a war on “bad actors,” including $2 billion worth of investments and tens of thousands of employees around the world.

“We are held to a higher standard because of the impact we have on culture and the strength of the community that we have built,” said Loftus, later calling out "rigorous oversight” for TikTok’s U.S. data from Oracle and third-party inspectors. Oracle was previously considered a front-runner for taking over the business. 

Broadening scope with search

Advertising eventually did take center stage, with TikTok emphasizing strengths in capturing cultural moments like the Super Bowl through its Pulse suite of solutions that situate brands near trending, premium content. The company also detailed its agenda around search, a category where it has taken market share from players like Google, particularly among Gen Z consumers, but is relatively nascent in regards to advertising. 

“We are so excited to shape that new arena together, because this is a new model. We’re going to have to invent social search together,” said Weiss. “People haven’t redone [search] in decades.” 

Executives positioned the expansion as part of TikTok’s bid to mature its business and increase sophistication for marketers. TikTok at the NewFronts unveiled a Sponsorship Solutions product that allows brands to curate experiences, storytelling and interactive content around specific search keywords. Sponsorship Solutions will factor into a new partnership with Live Nation around a channel called The Submix, with a focus on promoting concert tickets and merchandise to fans exploring artists on the app known for boosting songs to viral heights.

“With these tools, brands aren’t just becoming part of the conversation, they’re leading it, especially during those tentpole moments and cultural conversations,” said Emily Freed, general manager of U.S. agency at TikTok. Freed added that Sponsored Solutions in early tests saw higher engagement and recall than other ad formats, without divulging specific figures.

‘Out of phone’ content and generative AI

TikTok also detailed plans to move further beyond the in-app experience to establish a better foothold in categories like live sports that are a reliable draw for ad budgets and fostering fan connections. 

“We’re building a robust sponsorship package series that goes beyond the screen,” said Freed. 

For instance, TikTok is evolving its Beauty Month program this year to feature “out of phone” content and in-person creator gatherings themed around women in sports. It is also taking over the Las Vegas Strip for the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix through onsite activations that will complement those running online through Pulse Premiere, which gives brands choice placement around videos from top publishers. Pulse Premiere is adding Formula 1, Red Bull Media and Warner Bros. Discovery to a roster that already includes names like Disney, NBCUniversal and Paramount.

In addition, TikTok is integrating generative artificial intelligence into its Pulse Core offering tailored toward user-generated fare with a Custom Lineups tool that helps surface relevant videos by category, occasion or holiday. Closing out the roadshow, Weiss returned to sentiments she shared at the start, emphasizing stability even as TikTok faces down potentially massive disruption.      

“Our advertising business will not change,” said Weiss. “We remain open for business and we [will] stay streaming.”