Snapchat claims that the number of videos watched every day on its self-destructing photo messaging app has grown to 6bn, accelerating towards Facebooks current figure of 8bn video views a day.

According to the Financial Times, this figure, which has been confirmed by Snapchat, means that video views using the platform have tripled since May, indicating the growing popularity of both Snapchat and its video messaging and viewing features.

As well as video content sent from user to user, the app enables users to access Discover channels curated by publishers including BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan and Sky Sports, as well Stories centred around specific events or themes, both of which have been used to deliver video advertising.

Snapchats focus on video and its young, content-hungry audience has helped it grow its video views at astonishing speed. Facebook has also seen video explode, with video views per day growing from 4bn in April to 8bn this month, according to its most recent earnings call.

“Over the next few years, video is going to be some of the most engaging content online,” said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, during the call. “The more interesting question is not in the near term what were going to do to develop ways to consume long-form content, but what traditional media and content producers who have traditionally produced long-form content are going to do to chunk their stuff up better, so that way it can be more easily consumed by this big community online.”