With the Chinese government offering little indication it will sign off on TikTok’s proposed framework deal with Washington, ad execs are left addressing marketers’ concerns that the agreement could still unravel. They’ve spent recent weeks telling marketers that nothing will change in the fourth quarter and that the uncertainty hanging over the platform’s future should be clear by early next year. It’s a reassuring line for advertisers, though one that also tries to shore up a lucrative period for the app.
“In a recent meeting with TikTok, they were adamant that nothing would change in Q4,” said Jellyfish’s global evp paid social, Shamsul Chowdhury. “All changes, if any, would come into effect in 2026.”
It’s not much, but it’s more than marketers have been able to get out of TikTok so far — and, for now, that will have to do. Until recently, any mention of the app’s future in the U.S. was met with silence or vague assurances from TikTok’s U.S. agency team. At least marketers have a loose timeline that, for now, lines up with the latest January 2026 deadline to ratify the deal. In a saga defined by guesswork and political theater, some news is better than none.
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