Reports: short form video

Views of the top 100 YouTube channels doubled from 184 billion in February 2015 to 372 billion in October 2015. At the same time, the number of subscribers to the top 100 channels doubled to 1.4 billion. Despite Google sticking with its 2013 official statement of one billion monthly unique users for YouTube, it is clear that it is exploding in popularity.

Since its launch back in 2005, YouTube has dominated online video with an audience winning combination of user generated content and corporate short form content. While YouTube is more successful in terms of brand recognition and video views than it has ever been, it now faces real competition from video newcomers Facebook and Snapchat.

YouTube’s supercharged success over the last decade shows signs of having created a monopolistic mindset in the company that leaves it ripe for disruption. Its runaway success as both a content discovery platform and an end destination for video consumption, paradoxically also means it is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.

YouTube’s first decade established the video category that is still widely referred to as short form video, even though it is only music videos that any longer cling religiously to the few minutes format. Ten years on, YouTube’s channel hierarchy is emerging not just as the key navigation interface but also the foundation of a new content creator ecosystem.

With 1 billion monthly users, YouTube is the third most popular online destination globally making it the world’s de facto pure play video destination. A whole generation has grown up with YouTube as their preferred video content destination, most often bypassing traditional TV brands.