YouTube has just released a new whitepaper on the topic of ‘Why We Watch,’ featuring insights from The Behavioural Architects and research we recently conducted for the global streaming platform. We’ve picked out a few of our standout learnings from the project to share with you here.
Following last year’s Mirrors & Windows, our award-winning work with YouTube looking at how identity impacts media choices in modern Britain, they commissioned us to conduct further research as part of a new EMEA-wide project. Our mixed methodology approach included a literature review and expert interviews, followed by consumer depth interviews and a large-scale survey across 9 key markets. This allowed us to gain a deep understanding of the role video plays in people’s lives today, as well as the unique strengths of YouTube.
The results of this collaboration will be revealed over the coming months, and the first insights have been shared in a new whitepaper, ‘Co-creating culture: How viewers influence the content they love.’ The whitepaper focuses on the autonomy that video platforms like YouTube give us to curate our own personal media universes.
To give you a glimpse into what to expect from the whitepaper, some of our favourite learnings included:
The freedom of choice
YouTube users are adept at navigating the vast array of content on offer. Rather than being overwhelmed by choice, they see this as one of YouTube’s greatest strengths. 48% of YouTube users say that it enables them to find the exact content they like at any moment, ranking first among all platforms and significantly higher than TV.1
The power of discovery for all
It’s not just young people who use YouTube to discover new passions: 48% of 45-60-year-old viewers agree that YouTube enables them to find new interests that could become important to them. They ranked it #1 for this purpose, above broadcast TV, social media, and streaming.2
Supporting the creator eco-system
58% of YouTube users in our survey state that they want to support the creators they relate to by watching ads alongside their content.3 This reflects a growing understanding among audiences of their role in supporting creators they love and ensuring their ability to continue producing great content.
To learn about these topics and much more, check out the whitepaper here and look out for more from the ‘Why We Watch’ project coming soon.