30 Fast Facts About Video

Last updated on 23rd May 2023

Have you ever wondered what all the fuss is about when it comes to videos? Maybe you already know what the fuss is about and you just need some amazing stats to convince your boss! Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by.

Here are 30 fast facts about video…Enjoy!

1. Businesses using video grow company revenue 49% faster, year-over-year, than organisations without.

If growth is the name of the game, video is a really smart choice. The data suggests that video’s ability to reach, educate, inspire and inform audiences fuels impressive growth for companies who invest in it.

2. 79% of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product, than read text on a page.

Attention spans have never been shorter, and distractions – both online and offline – are everywhere. Video tends to hold viewer attention better than other media types, and it’s probably unsurprising that so many people love to learn via video.

3. YouTube is the SECOND most popular search engine, in the world. (In case you weren’t sure, number 1 is Google)

There’s a commonly cited statistic that over 90% of online experiences begin with a search engine. The majority of these searches will come through Google, but it’s interesting to know that – owing to video’s popularity as a learning tool – many people will begin their search process in YouTube, looking specifically for video content. Whether it’s explainer videos, demonstration videos or instructional walk-throughs, the point remains: lots of potential customers are beginning their search on YouTube.

4. Forrester Research found that video increases the chance of a front-page Google result by 53 times!

Of course, nobody knows Google’s exact algorithm. But the data has suggested repeatedly that rich media like video can contribute to a rankings boost. It can also hold visitors on your site longer – increasing dwell time, another significant ranking factor. The first page is where it’s at – after all, just 10% of users look past the first page of search results.

5. Our Rise in Video infographic shows that videos are 4x more engaging than static content.

By combining lots of different learning styles into one slick package, video is a sensory experience that blows static content out of the water.

6. 20 MILLION videos are uploaded to Facebook each month

Yep. You read that right. 20 million! Facebook has its own designs on the video consumption market, and while it has a way to travel before it looks like catching up with YouTube, it’s a hub for video content in its own right. A real opportunity for brands.

7. 39 BILLION videos are viewed per month in the U.S. That’s 211 videos viewed and 16 hours of time spent per person, per MONTH!

We spend 16 hours per month watching video – and to put that in its full context, that’s more than double what the average person spends on the toilet.

8. Mobile video traffic accounted for 55% of total mobile data traffic in 2015. This will increase elevenfold to 75% by 2020

Video and mobile are made for each other. We watch all kinds of different video content on our phones, whether it’s YouTube, streaming services or videos to help guide our purchasing decisions.

9. Networking manufacturer Cisco state that 86% of the Internet audience is watching online video – that’s 183 million people!

They didn’t elaborate to outline how many people are just watching funny cat videos on YouTube, of course, but it’s probably fair to say that’s a LOT of people watching a LOT of video.

10. More than three-quarters (76%) of users have visited a company’s website after watching one of their video ads on social media.

The message here is clear: the journey doesn’t stop when the video does. Video ads on social media are reaching and engaging consumers – who are then prepared to continue their research and fact-finding about a brand after the video stops.

11. 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound.

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to make sure that your video content designed for Facebook is equipped with closed captions or subtitles. This means that the video makes sense even if the sound doesn’t play.

12. Among millennials, YouTube accounts for two-thirds of the premium online video watched across ALL devices.

When it comes to distribution and reach, YouTube is really a must-use platform to connect with your audience.

13. 99% of businesses will continue to use video throughout 2019, and 88% will spend more.

It’s interesting to note that marketers are going to continue using video in the year ahead. But what speaks even louder for the ROI of video content is the fact that so many – almost 9 in 10 – are looking to increase spend, too.

14. The most viewed YouTube video is this:

15. By 2025, half of viewers under the age of 32 will not subscribe to a pay TV service.

This really illustrates how viewing habits are changing. Increasingly, modern consumers expect video to be available on-demand – the shows they want to watch, the topics they’re interested in, the brands they relate to.

16. Video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rates.

Email has been written off so many times as a marketing tactic but it remains incredibly effective. As you can see from this stat, email only makes it more powerful!

17. It would take an individual more than 5 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks each month in 2020.

And let’s be honest – you probably have more important things to be doing for the next 5 million years, right?

18. Snapchatters watch 10 billion videos a day.

Interestingly, while Snapchat is a phenomenally popular tool for video consumption, it tends to not be the best for marketers. Our research has found that just 11% of marketers have used Snapchat video, and out of those, just 27% found it to be effective strategy.

19. In 1956, video recorders were sold for $50,000 and videotapes cost $300 per one-hour reel!

Lots of metrics have increased when it comes to video – thankfully, cost isn’t one of them! Taking inflation into account, this would mean a video recorder would set you back around $465,000 while a one-hour video reel would be nearly $3,000. Yeesh – thank goodness for the web!

20. 69% say they’d be more likely to watch a video ad their friend had shared.

We’ve all been there; we see a piece of content, and we make a snap judgement on whether to watch it based on who shared it! In simple terms, users really tend to trust their friends’ judgement when it comes to watching an ad.

21. The very first music video to appear on MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles.

Which is, like, super appropriate if you think about it…

22. 80% of users can recall a video ad they viewed in the past 30 days.

This is a powerful statistic because it demonstrates that people don’t just sit back and let video content wash over them – they remember what they see. It makes an impact on them that they can usually recall for at least a few weeks after.

23. 59% of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video.

Turns out executives are no different from the rest of us! They’re just as time-pinched as everybody else, if not more so, and – given the choice of learning through video or static content – it’s no contest.

24. 83% of businesses believe that video gives them a good ROI.

We shouldn’t be too surprised by this one. After all, marketers wouldn’t  continue to adopt and invest at such staggering scale in a tactic they didn’t feel was actually working.

25. The most popular YouTube channel (at the time of writing this article) is PewDiePie with over 93 million subscribers.

And those subscribers aren’t just a vanity project – their views drive revenue for ol’ PewDie to the tune of over $15m last year. Phenomenal!

26. 72% of businesses who use video believe that it has improved the conversion rate of their website.

There’s an old marketing adage that ‘traffic is vanity, conversion is sanity.’ Ultimately, we all want to get people onto our website – but if they leave without taking any action, how much is that really worth? Video is a great tool to help you convert traffic into leads, customers and fans!

27. Noted as the one of the first animated films ever to be made, Gertie the Dinosaur was created by Winsor McCay and it took 10,000 drawings to produce the 12 minute film:

A lot has changed in the more than 100 years since McCay created this film. But animated content retains its timeless qualities, and abilities to inspire, delight and entertain. We’re walking proof!

28. Social Media Examiner found that 76% of marketers plan to add videos to their sites.

They also said that video is now a higher priority than Facebook, Twitter and their blog.

29. When asked which skills they wished they, or their teams, were more adept at, 42.4% of marketers and 31.7% of SMB owners listed video marketing.

In a video-first world, the skills associated with video marketing are highly prized. Check out our free ebook if you’d like to give your own video marketing skills a tune-up…

30. A staggering 98% of users say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

Explainer videos are an incredible and, still, under-utilised tool for audience education and understanding. This stat says it all: the majority of us say we’ve watched one at some point to learn about a product or service.

Speak to us

If you like the sound of those AMAZING facts, and you’re convinced that video really is the only way forward, then be sure to contact us and we promise to create an incredible video that you’ll be proud to show off to the world!