In just three years, YouTube’s short-form video platform, Shorts, hit over two billion monthly active users and became one of the top choices for advertisers searching for a way to reach young audiences.
According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, YouTube Shorts is the third most popular platform for advertising in the United States, with a 43% share among marketers.
YouTube Shorts is the Third Top Choice for Social Media Ads Behind TikTok and Instagram Reels
The social media giants have been battling to win the short video war in recent years as the global demand for this type of content surged to never-seen highs. Although still far behind Facebook and Instagram, the top two names in the short video market, YouTube Shorts has also seen impressive user growth.
According to YouTube and TechCrunch data, YouTube`s short-form video platform has grown its viewership by 33% year-over-year to more than two billion users. Such impressive user growth comes as no surprise when knowing that the feature became an essential part of the YouTube experience for most of its users. In 2023, the app hit over 2.5 billion users, and 80% of them regularly watch Shorts.
Because of its surging popularity, advertisers have started looking at Shorts as a TikTok alternative offering major opportunities for businesses to reach young audiences. According to the Insider Intelligence survey conducted among ad buyers in the United States, 43% choose YouTube Shorts for social media advertising. TikTok remained the most popular choice, with three-quarters of respondents saying their largest clients advertise on it. Meta’s Instagram Reels ranked as the second most popular choice, with a 67% share among respondents.
People Spend more than 27 Hours Per Month Watching YouTube, Four Hours More than Last Year
Besides its surging popularity in the social media space and among marketers, YouTube has also seen a massive increase in the average time spent using its app. According to The Digital Global Overview Report, Android users worldwide spent an average of 27 hours and 26 minutes watching YouTube each month, or four hours more than last year.
The survey also showed that YouTube is the only platform close to TikTok, which had an average usage time of 33 hours and 28 minutes, or ten hours more than last year. Facebook and Instagram followed, with 18 hours and 50 minutes and 14 hours and 50 minutes, respectively.
