No other platform puts hours-long content and videos just a few seconds long in front of the same audience, on the same channel, in the same app. YouTube does.

YouTube is both the place people go to disappear into something long and the app they open for ten seconds between tasks. Search engine, TV replacement, and feed, all running through the same platform. So what’s actually working there for brands in 2026?

Instead of guessing, we looked at the numbers. We analyzed 799,718 videos from 71,177 accounts across every industry, niche, and account size, to see what’s really happening on YouTube in 2026.

Download the full 40-page study for free and explore strategies, trends, and formats that work in 2026, backed by data.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside: 

• Growing on YouTube: 11% of accounts under 10K followers grew between 2025 and 2026 
• Views are up, but average view duration is down: Content is getting more views, but people are spending less time watching it.
• More isn’t always better: The sweet spot for long-form content is 2–4 videos per week. With Shorts, the ceiling is higher.
• How to get discovered: the Shorts algorithm is the dominant force 

Plus, some resources to help you turn data into action: real-life examples from accounts that achieved above-average results and a Claude skill that lets you compare your account’s data with similar accounts (not the overall average).

Download the YouTube Study 2026 now to get all the details: