YouTube is the most popular free video service across all generations

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Key stat: YouTube is the most widely used free video service among US internet users of all generations, according to Kagan. Its highest saturation is among Gen Zers (82%) and millennials (78%).

Beyond the chart:

• Last year, for the first time, US adults spent more time watching digital video than traditional TV. The time spent gap between digital video and traditional TV will widen in the next few years, from 28 minutes in 2023 to more than an hour in 2025, according to our forecast.
• US adults will spend 3:23 per day watching digital video in 2023. YouTube will claim 34 of those daily minutes.
• Nearly 55% of time spent watching digital video is through connected TV (CTV). US users will also spend more time watching YouTube from CTVs than on mobile devices this year.

Use this chart:

• Craft your free video strategies to reach your target audience where they spend their time.

More like this:

• US Time Spent With Media Forecast 2023 (Insider Intelligence subscription required)
• A guide to YouTube’s video ad formats
• Instagram eyes longer Reels, challenging YouTube's dominance with long-form videos
• YouTube will use its own co-viewing data for CTV advertising, raising concerns about transparency

More Chart of the Day:

• 9/25 - Show me the app money
• 9/22 - B2B digital ad spend growth lags
• 9/21 - Subscribe and save
• 9/20 - Banking on traditional
• 9/19 - Top platforms by influencer marketing spending

Methodology: Data is from the August 2023 Kagan survey titled "U.S. Q1 2023 Consumer Insights." Approximately 2,500 adult internet users ages 18+ were surveyed online during March 2023. Kagan is a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence.