Did you know Long-Form Wins: YouTube Users Ditch Shorts for Videos Over 30 Minutes

 

Digital i, a software company, analyzed data of American YouTube users and found that most of theme prefer long-form over short-form videos. YouTube has invested a lot on its vertical short-form videos that resemble TikTok videos but most of the YouTube are more interested in long-form videos on the platform. The analysis also found that there was an 8% increase in time consumed watching long form videos on YouTube by American users as compared to October 2024.

The respondents of the survey also said that they spend 73% of their YouTube watch time while watching videos that are more than 30 minutes long. Only 27% of the respondents said that they spend their YouTube watch time by watching short-form videos or videos that are shorter than 30 minutes. YouTube invited a lot of creators to its Shorts monetisation program and a lot of people thought that it would bring more traffic to Shorts and decrease traffic on long-form videos.

YouTube has also improved its streaming operation by focusing on mobile-oriented broadcasts which are well liked by Gen-Z. There was a 21% YoY increase in 18-24 year olds who increased their YouTube time by watching long-form videos on their mobile phones. But even with users’ interest in long-form videos, it doesn't mean that short-form videos on YouTube are not getting any response. Shorts are also growing on YouTube, but a little slower than long-form content.

Additionally, Digital i’s research revealed that long-form content consumption in the U.S. grew from 65% in October 2023 to 73% in October 2024, marking an 8-percentage-point increase. Among 18–24-year-olds, long-form viewing on mobile devices surged from 58% to 79% during the same period, reflecting a 21-percentage-point rise. This demographic also spent an average of 2.7 hours per day on YouTube between July and October 2024, watching around 25 videos daily. The data further indicated that YouTube viewing time decreases with age, with younger users showing the highest engagement levels.

 H/T: Digital i