Creators are complaining about YouTube views going down, yet more people are joining the platform. What’s going on?
I’m starting to hear an echo across many of the channels I subscribe to on YouTube. There’s a level of frustration because creators are still putting in the effort, but viewership seems to be going down.
I’ve listened to a number of upset YouTubers, and you have to wonder if people stopped caring about their videos rather than the platform as a whole. Then, you look at other forms of media like music videos and movie previews and it seems to confirm viewership has decreased.
Even if you’re not a creator, you need to wonder what’s happened. Is YouTube losing its steam, or is there another explanation behind the decline?
Are People Really Leaving YouTube?
As of 2022, the number of YouTube users in the US hovers around 200 million. This is an increase from prior years, and the number is expected to grow. So it really doesn’t seem people are abandoning the platform.
In fact, YouTube Premium has also been growing. In 2021, the platform reported having 50 million subscribers, an increase of 20 million from the prior year. This is an important sign of growth because it demonstrates that users aren’t just giving time, they’re spending money. So it will attract future creators and allow the existing ones to dip into the potential earnings.
With the demonstrated increases in viewership, YouTube is also observing how people watch content. It’s actually one of the platforms that isn’t exclusively looking at mobile devices for growth. YouTube is now a source of TV content, and more people are streaming videos on their televisions than ever before.
Most subjective data suggests YouTube is getting bigger and that will continue. For every minute YouTube exists, hundreds of hours of content are uploaded. Numbers tell us the platform is growing, so why does it feel like it’s shrinking?
What’s Happening At YouTube?
In 2016, Adele’s Hello music video amassed a billion views in 87 days. The song was a huge hit, but YouTube played an important role in its rise. In 2022, Easy On Me was Adele’s big comeback. Both songs spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, yet Easy On Me isn’t anywhere near a billion views. In March 2022, about five months after its release, the song only has 260 million views.
Of course, Adele is just one example, and she doesn’t prove anything. Her viewer count is a worldwide tally, so her success in the US only means so much. But when her views decrease while other creators are complaining about a decline, something must be happening.
But there is a possibility that YouTube can become more popular and creators are seeing a decline in viewership. This means the platform is shifting directions, and creators will need to adapt if they want to be successful.
Videos Are Getting Longer
Objectively, this is the simplest explanation and it would make the most mathematical sense. More viewers on the platform, but view counts are getting lower. If the video length is increasing, this means people will consume fewer videos in a period of time.
Once upon a time, YouTube didn’t allow users to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. That boundary was pushed until it was completely removed. As a result, the average length of a video increased each year, particularly after 2014. As that number increases, people are going to start watching lengthier clips, but consume fewer.
Add this to the fact that YouTube is pushing live streams and hosts movies, and there’s potential for viewers to spend hours on the platform but only contribute one view.
YouTube Is Promoting TV Streaming
No, YouTube is not transforming into a traditional television network, but it wants to keep those networks off of your screens. More TVs have the ability to stream YouTube than ever before, and the platform is going to reward creators who can be viewed in the living room.
It’s clear that YouTube wants to be connected to your TV. In March 2022 the service obtained the rights to stream ad-supported TV shows, akin to Tubi TV. But YouTube is different than Tubi because it offers more than just ad-supported shows. By teasing viewers with real TV, they’re hoping these people will become paid subscribers to a service like YouTube TV.
Clearly, these paid options aren’t designed to help vloggers and home-grown channels. While YouTube couldn’t exist without its core content creators, it also can’t grow without revenue coming in. Now, more styles of content will be promoted, and the algorithm is going to favor content that aligns with its future goals. Long-form content and high-quality videos are going to be treated favorably, and that also means some channels will feel the impact of shifting objectives.
Viewers Want Other Content
At its core, social media algorithms promote content that’s engaging and will get views. YouTube started as a user-centric video upload site and that attracted a lot of vloggers, and those are the creators I have followed for years. If they’re not getting views, it likely means they haven’t uploaded content that resonated with the new generation of viewers.
If we look at the trending videos on YouTube, we’ll often find some clips from talk shows and a decent number of pranks, but the most common videos fall into the gaming genre. Younger audiences seem to be into reaction-style videos and live stream content. If you’re just vlogging and living life, you’re not likely to get views from young viewers.
Making YouTube videos is easier than ever. You don’t need any equipment beyond a smartphone, and there are lots of options out there. The market is very saturated, so creators need to differentiate themselves. New channels are likely to start their YouTube journey with a niche in mind while preexisting channels will need to pivot and rebrand if they want new audiences.
Is YouTube Really Losing Views?
If you look strictly at the public-facing numbers, it’s hard to deny that channels are losing views. Music videos for some of our biggest songs are only receiving a fraction of the views an equivalent song would receive in 2017.
But this might also be a case where we need to compare apples to oranges; the videos that were popular five years ago aren’t as popular in 2022. The methods of obtaining content are also changing. People still stream music, but they might not be using YouTube. Like most digital trends, creators will either need to adapt or get left behind.
If you hear a creator complain about losing viewership, they’re most likely not being dramatic. Older viewers are likely moving on and newer viewers aren’t as interested. People who don’t adapt to the changing landscape will struggle to find success in a new climate.
This doesn’t mean YouTube is dead or people don’t care about it. In fact, the platform is offering more than ever. The number of options has made it impossible for viewers to consume everything they want to watch, so some things won’t get viewed. If someone’s complaining, it might mean people dumped their channel to watch more live streams.
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