This increase is driven primarily by short-form video, with Shorts now accounting for more than 90% of all new uploads.
YouTube reached 29 billion videos as of December 2025, with growth fueled by Shorts, AI-generated content, and expansion in markets such as India, according to new research from Omdia.
“YouTube is the world’s most popular video service and is on track to reach 30 billion videos in early 2026,” said Daoud Jackson, Senior Analyst at Omdia. “Omdia’s research shows that the bottom 99% of the least-watched videos account for just 9% of total viewing time. However, YouTube continues to host the equivalent of 280,000 years of video content, most of which is rarely watched, a fascinating aspect of the platform’s strategy,” Jackson said.
Jackson added: “This content also forms the foundation of Google’s video training data for Gemini. While user-generated content shapes perceptions of success, our research shows that the reality is more complex. By 2026, YouTube has become a highly diverse platform, where professional content, music, news, and podcasts shape consumption patterns.”
YouTube’s growth is accelerating: 25% of all videos uploaded in 2025 were concentrated in the first 10 months of the year.
This increase is driven primarily by short-form video, with Shorts now accounting for more than 90% of all new uploads.
The top 1% of videos generates 91% of total viewing time, while the remaining 99% accounts for just 9%, though it continues to play a critical role within the platform’s ecosystem.
Key findings on audience preferences include:
Music and professional content dominate: music videos account for 33% of all viewing time on YouTube, while professionally produced content accounts for 46%.
Podcasts are growing: video podcasts account for 5% of total views, indicating rapid growth for the format.
News remains relevant: news content accounts for 10% of viewing time, ranking as the third most popular category.
If you prefer, I can also adapt this to a more editorial tone for trade media such as ttvnews or make it slightly punchier for a press release.
