Meltwater vs Muck Rack

Meltwater vs Talkwalker: Data Coverage and Workflow Compared

Get broader coverage into the workflow your team already runs. Meltwater gives you data you can trust and insights your marketing and insights teams can act on.

70% of World Population Now Use Social Media

According to the 'Digital 2027' report by We Are Social and Meltwater, approximately 5.81 billion people, or 69.9% of the global population, actively use social media. This represents an annual increase of 151 million users (2.7%). Internet users spend an average of 19 hours and 18 minutes weekly on social media and online video platforms, up 3.8% year-on-year. YouTube leads in total time spent, while TikTok tops average daily usage at 1 hour 55 minutes per account. The report also highlights the growing influence of generative AI, with 3.24 billion monthly users (38.9% of global population), a 57% annual surge. ChatGPT remains the market leader, with Google's Gemini app quadrupling its active users. For 47% of internet users aged 16-24, social networks are the primary source for brand and purchase research, underscoring their importance for marketers.

• 5.81 billion people use social media, 69.9% of the world population.
• Internet users spend 19 hours 18 minutes weekly on social media and video platforms.
• YouTube leads in total time spent; TikTok has highest daily usage at 1h55m.

LLMs Increasingly Cite YouTube in AI Search Results

YouTube has emerged as a leading citation source across major AI platforms, surpassing Reddit. Meltwater data shows YouTube was the most-cited platform by eight AI systems in August 2026. Tinuiti's Q2 2026 report indicates YouTube's citation share in Google AI Mode quadrupled and more than doubled in AI Overviews from January to April 2026. Long-form videos, particularly those lasting 10–20 minutes, dominate citations, while Shorts lag. However, Scrunch found that citations fade by 43% within a month, indicating short-lived visibility. This trend underscores YouTube's growing role in AI-driven discovery, prompting brands to structure content with clear markers for AI visibility.

• YouTube was the most-cited platform by eight AI platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok) in August 2026.
• YouTube's share of citations in Google AI Mode quadrupled between January and April 2026, and more than doubled in AI Overviews.
• 94% of YouTube citations go to long-form videos, with 10–20 minute videos accounting for 32.1%.

PR Emerges as New SEO for AI Search Visibility

Fashion brands are increasingly turning to public relations (PR) as a key driver of visibility in AI-powered search engines, as generative engine optimization (GEO) gains prominence. Data analytics provider Launchmetrics, in collaboration with PR agency KCD, has introduced a new metric, AI Visibility (AIV), to measure a brand's presence in LLM responses on platforms like Google Gemini and ChatGPT. This metric complements the existing Media Impact Value (MIV) rankings, providing brands with a dual score to compare traditional media impact with AI-driven discoverability. The initiative highlights that earned media, such as press coverage and influencer mentions, significantly influences AI citations, with research indicating that over 80% of AI-cited links come from earned media. As consumer research increasingly starts with AI assistants, brands are expected to reallocate budgets from SEO towards PR and GEO strategies to enhance their AI visibility and overall brand awareness.

• Launchmetrics and KCD launched a new 'AI Visibility (AIV)' metric to measure brand impact in LLM responses.
• Muck Rack research found that 82% of links cited by AI come from earned media.
• Launchmetrics predicts PR budgets could double as brands seek to influence AI-generated answers.