YouTube, the world’s most-used video platform continues to defy expectations — with 85 per cent of internet users now using the service each month, according to Ampere Analysis’s latest global consumer tracker of 56,000 adults.

Nearly one in five (18 per cent) users say they watch full-length movies and TV shows on the platform. The findings reveal that older audiences are transforming global viewing habits, with 35–64-year-olds driving a surge in long-form, multi-generational viewing that is reshaping how audiences engage with film and television content online.

Key findings: Who’s powering YouTube’s long-form surge?

• YouTube’s film and TV audience skews older than its overall user base, with engagement peaking among 35–64-year-olds.
• Households with children are another key driver of this viewing, suggesting that both parents and grandparents are increasingly tuning into YouTube for family viewing.
• Viewers of film and TV shows on YouTube are “content super-consumers”, engaging with more genres than the general online population.
• The share of internet users watching films and TV shows on YouTube varies widely in the 29 markets in Ampere’s survey. It’s 32 per cent in India, 20% in Saudi Arabia, 15 per cent in the US, 12 per cent in the UK and falls to its lowest in Sweden at 7 per cent.

A range of factors influences YouTube viewing uptake in each market. In general, countries with fewer on-demand services and a weaker presence of broadcaster catch-up platforms see higher viewing of films and series on YouTube. Brazil and Mexico stand out in this regard, offering attractive distribution opportunities for content owners. These markets not only have large audiences for films and series on YouTube, but also report high levels of YouTube viewing on smart TVs, indicating a broad audience engaging with the platform to watch broadcast-style content in premium viewing environments.

Ed Ludlow, Senior Analyst at Ampere Analysis, says: “YouTube’s vast audience makes it an attractive partner for content owners seeking to monetise their catalogues and reach beyond their regular audience. But that same scale means viewing behaviours vary widely across demographic groups — it’s crucial that content owners understand who they’re really engaging when distributing content on the platform.”

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, OTT, Research

Tags: Ampere Analysis, movies, youtube