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

Myth: When people watch YouTube on their mobile devices, it's during the day and "on the go"

Reality: The majority of watch time on YouTube is mobile, yet many marketers still believe mobile viewing translates to short, daytime, on-the-go sessions. In fact, when it comes to YouTube viewing behavior, mobile is a lot like TV: The world watches at home, during prime time, and on horizontally oriented screens.

Mobile Video

On mobile alone, in an average week, YouTube reaches more adults 18+ during prime time than any cable network does.

Mobile Video

3 in 4

adults report watching YouTube at home on their mobile devices.

Mobile Video

Home mobile YouTube viewing occurs primarily during prime time.

Mobile Video

7 in 10

people default to horizontal viewing when watching videos on their phones.

Mobile Video

2 X

YouTube mobile users are 2X as likely to pay close attention while watching YouTube compared to TV users while watching TV.

Myth: YouTube is only for watching viral videos

Reality: People get lost spending time on YouTube for a lot of reasons. Whether they want to learn, laugh, catch up on pop culture, jam out to their favorite music, or lean back for a show, people can find whatever they're looking for on YouTube.

Mobile Video

Almost 4X as many people prefer watching video on YouTube as on social platforms that are less video-centric.

Mobile Video

The top two reasons viewers watch YouTube are "to relax" and "to feel entertained."

Mobile Video

The top four content categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and "how to."

Mobile Video Retail

68%

of YouTube users watched YouTube to help make a purchase decision.