I’ll add one element of this story...that the highest account level for TikTok in Europe...is Romania...roughly 50-percent of society is a user.
Adding to this...over a decade, TVR-1/TVR-2 (the two public TV channels) have lost viewership/trust.
Simply a lot of people who don’t have trust with public news or newspapers...so commentary by TikTok carries more weight than normal.
Perhaps the Tik-Tok account is just like a Politico subscription - just a way of funneling money.