2026 YouTube Benchmark Report
Learn how top brands are succeeding on YouTube in 2026.
YouTube continues to lead in sustained attention, with more people watching and staying longer. Shorts drive faster viewership growth, and on-demand videos maintain reach. Success comes from using both formats together. This report breaks down how brands are balancing short and long-form content to keep audiences watching.
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Key Takeaways: 2026 YouTube Benchmark Report
- YouTube is built for retention. Views are up 30% and the average completion rate is 90%.
- Shorts are driving viewership growth. Shorts views are up 109%, compared to 14% for on-demand videos.
- Different formats play different roles. Shorts drive more engagement, while on-demand videos lead in reach.
Top Brands on YouTube
These brands earned the highest average views within our sample. Their success highlights how short and long-form video lend themselves to behind-the-scenes glimpses and product-driven stories, helping brands stand out among YouTube’s short-form and On-Demand feeds.
Tatcha leverages its creator relationships on YouTube, sharing event snippets, product tutorials, sneak peeks, and close-ups. The brand leverages longer videos to add valuable context in skincare tutorials and interviews, while Shorts offer a better format for jokes, teasers, and quick tips.
Bath & Body Works drives YouTube views by combining product storytelling and sensory-driven content. Longer videos highlight collections, routines, and behind-the-scenes moments, while Shorts focus on quick product features, trends, and visually satisfying clips. This lets the brand build interest through discovery and deeper engagement.
Average YouTube Performance Across All Industries
Brands on YouTube average 559.9K followers and post about eight times per week. These benchmarks highlight the value of consistency and quality in building an engaged, visually driven audience.
Download the full YouTube benchmark report to access the Monthly Follower Growth, Percentage Viewed and Video Views Per Post, all broken down by brand size.
Average YouTube Performance By Industry
Performance on YouTube varies by industry, with Food and Beverage leading in views at 313K per video, followed by Retail at 242K. Retail and Travel and Hospitality show the strongest growth rates at 1.5%, while Fashion stands out with the highest percentage viewed at 106%, indicating strong rewatch behavior. CPG maintains high retention at 87% despite lower posting volume, highlighting how different content strategies drive both reach and sustained attention across industries.
Download the full YouTube benchmark report to access the above metrics and more.
Download the Full YouTube Benchmark Report
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Social Media Benchmark FAQs
What metrics should I focus on to grow on YouTube?
Focus on video views and percentage viewed as primary indicators of performance. Views show how well your content is being distributed, while completion rate (90% on average) signals how effectively you’re holding attention. Likes and comments matter, but watch time and retention are strong growth indicators.
What video length performs the best on YouTube?
There’s no single ideal length, but performance hinges on holding attention. Shorter videos and Shorts drive the fastest growth, with Shorts views up 139%, while longer videos still play a key role in reach and providing more space for longer narratives. The best approach is to keep videos as long as they need to be, but hook audiences in the first few seconds, and cut anything that doesn’t maintain viewer interest.
What posting cadence works best for YouTube channels?
Brands post around six times per week on average, with larger accounts posting up to eight times weekly. Posting frequency has increased alongside view growth, but consistency matters more than volume.