Observed Signal · Jul 30, 2026 · Study Release · Source: Meedia · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Social Platform Market: YouTube success: Longform, Regular Posting, Thematic Focus
A Metricool study analyzing 799,718 videos from 71,177 YouTube channels (comparison February 2025 vs February 2026) finds that longform videos significantly increased average views (+76% from 3,404 to 5,985 per video) and estimated watch time (+11%), while average watch duration per video fell from 3.98 to 2.51 minutes (-37%) and engagement rate declined (-45%). Shorts grew faster in raw views (+127%) and now account for 61% of all YouTube video views, though average watch time for Shorts is around one-third that of classic videos. About 10.08% of channels moved up a size tier (2,000–10,000 subscribers saw the highest uplift at 16%). The study recommends combining Shorts for reach with longform for education and trust, plus thematic specialization and regular posting for sustained discoverability.
A large-scale Metricool study provides actionable audience and content-format signals for advertisers and creators about YouTube content strategy (Shorts vs longform) and channel growth prospects, but it is observational market research rather than a platform policy or technical change.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Metricool analyzed 799,718 videos from 71,177 YouTube channels, comparing February 2025 to February 2026.
- Average views for classic YouTube videos rose 76% year-over-year, from 3,404 to 5,985 views per video.
- YouTube Shorts views increased 127% year-over-year and now represent 61% of all YouTube video views.
- Average watch duration per classic video fell from 3.98 to 2.51 minutes (-37%); engagement rate dropped from 2.38% to 1.30% (-45%).
- On average 10.08% of channels advanced to the next size tier; channels with 2,000–10,000 subscribers had a 16% chance to move up.
Connected Companies & Entities
14 Entities mappedMeta
Consumer internet platforms monetised through advertising, apps, subscriptions and VR.
X
Operator of X, a social platform monetised through ads, subscriptions and API access.
“The article lists X among platforms with a reported 1% channel growth in the comparative ranking....”
Professional social platform for hiring, advertising, sales and learning.
“LinkedIn cookies (bcookie, li_gc, lidc) are listed under marketing cookies in the site's cookie table....”
Visual discovery platform with a self-serve advertising business.
“Pinterest is mentioned in the platform comparison as having a 1% channel growth rate in the study....”
Metricool
Social media management and analytics SaaS for marketers and agencies.
“The current YouTube study by Metricool analyzed 799,718 videos from 71,177 channels and compared performance between February 2025 and Febru...”
MEEDIA
Marketplace for licensing creator-owned images and video content.
“This article reporting the Metricool YouTube study was published by MEEDIA and authored by Frank Puscher....”
WordPress
Open-source CMS ecosystem stewarded by a US non-profit foundation.
“WordPress is listed as the creator of cookies like wordpress_test_cookie and wp_lang in the site's cookie table....”
Datareporter
Austrian SaaS for consent and privacy compliance.
“DataReporter GmbH is listed as the creator of certain consent cookies (e.g., _webcare_consentid, cookieconsent_mode, cookieconsent_status) u...”
Datadog
Cloud observability software for infrastructure, applications, logs, and telemetry.
“A DataDog cookie (ID) is listed under the site's statistics cookies to collect information about visits and page relevance....”
TikTok
Short-form video platform with ads, commerce and creator tools.
“The article compares YouTube channel growth rates to other platforms, noting TikTok's channel growth rate of 16%....”
Medienfachverlag Oberauer
DACH trade publisher for media, PR and printing professionals.
Cloudflare
Cloud platform for security, performance, and edge application delivery.
“The cookie __cf_bm is attributed to CloudFlare in the site's cookie table....”
Search, video, adtech and cloud giant within Alphabet.
“Google cookies (_ga, _ga_(GA4-ID), __gads, NID) are listed in the site's cookie table and Google is referenced regarding cookies used....”
Meta's visual social platform and advertising inventory business.
“The article compares YouTube channel growth rates to Instagram (9%) when discussing cross-platform growth....”
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