The Latest YouTube Stats on When, Where, and What People Watch

Over the past few years savvy marketers have been turning to YouTube as a powerful way of promoting their brands – after all, YouTube has more than a billion users (that’s nearly a third of people who access the internet globally) and it’s now more popular than Google.com on desktop computers.  YouTube has become an essential marketing tool for companies in a wide range of industries – uploading video content is easy and using video should be seamlessly integrated into any marketing plan.

Both YouTube and Periscope are proving to be powerful ways of communicating your message and provide marketers with the opportunity of creating dynamic ads that people can enjoy.  Watching a video is effortless for the viewer and is often entertaining.  A video is a great way to connecting with your audience and providing them with a more personal, hands-on approach than traditional marketing formats.

Let’s take a quick look at the latest YouTube statistics on when, where and what people are watching so that you can see for yourself what a potent marketing opportunity this is and dispel the two main myths and misconceptions some business owners may have.

People watch YouTube on mobile devices mainly during the day and when they’re on the go:

  • In reality, in an average week, YouTube reaches more adults on mobile alone during prime time than any cable network.
  • 3 out of 4 adults watch YouTube at home on their mobile devices.
  • Most home mobile YouTube viewing takes place during prime time.
  • 7 out of 10 people default to horizontal viewing when watching videos on their phones.
  • While watching YouTube, mobile viewers are twice as likely to pay close attention than TV viewers watching a TV.

People mostly use YouTube to watch viral videos:

  • The top four content categories that are watched on YouTube are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture and how-to videos.
  • Almost four times as many people watch video directly on YouTube rather than on the less video-centric social media platforms.
  • The top two reasons viewers watch YouTube are “to relax” and “to feel entertained”.
  • A massive 68% of YouTube viewers watch YouTube to make a purchasing decision.

As you can see, YouTube is so popular that harnessing its power and integrating it into your marketing strategy is essential nowadays in order to reach a wider audience of potential customers.  Why not get in touch now and let one of our experts help you to make a start on planning your company’s YouTube campaign?

Richard Coen

With over 21 years of experience in Digital Marketing, 31 years in sales and 25 years in business development, Richard assists companies to develop key growth strategies on a local or international basis. He can assist marketers to achieve balance in their approach to key areas affected by the growth in digital marketing.