YouTube sits comfortably as the most-used social network among those 18-24, but young consumers are now splitting their time between it and other social video destinations, posing a threat to Google’s video dominance.
Despite marketer concerns about brand safety, a new Pew Research study shows that YouTube is still a prominent destination for US consumers. Google’s video-sharing site is now used by 73 percent of US adults, compared to Facebook at 68 percent, according to Pew Research Center. YouTube is especially popular among users age 18-24, with 94 percent saying they use the site.
YouTube is attracting more users overall, but only 29 percent of US consumers visit the site multiple times a day, compared to the 51 percent returning time and time again to Facebook.
Facebook, used by 80 percent of 18-24-year-olds, hopes to lure viewers away with its own social video platform. The social media giant has been busy making deals with the music industry, capitalizing on YouTube’s strained relationship with music execs. Facebook also poured over $200 million dollars into programming for Facebook Watch and hopes to offer ad revenue-sharing to creators amid YouTube conflicts over brand safety.
Instagram is also pulling eyes away from YouTube, with 60 percent of users indicating that they check the site at least once daily and 38 percent saying they do so several times a day. A year after its launch, Instagram Stories is going strong with 300 million active users. Marketing options like carousel ads have made watching videos on Instagram a popular destination for advertisers and users alike.
Snapchat is also investing in original video programming at a pivotal time in the company’s growth. Pew found that 49 percent of US consumers check Snapchat multiple times a day, which could translate to a lot of video views, so long as users accept the controversial app redesign.
