Short-Form Content Statistics for 2026: ROI, Platform Scale, Engagement, Video Length, AI Adoption, B2B Data, and Consumer Behavior

In 2026, short-form content is the dominant force in digital marketing not as a trend, but as the established default format for how audiences discover, engage with, and respond to brand messaging. Short-form video is the most used content format among marketers globally, cited by 60% of respondents in HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2026, and it delivers the highest ROI of any content format for 21% of all marketers and 36% of social media marketers specifically. It is also the format that the highest share of marketers 17.13% plan to increase investment in for 2025 and 2026.

The scale of short-form video consumption reflects why. YouTube Shorts reached 200 billion daily views as of early 2026, up from 70 billion in March 2024, a nearly threefold increase in under two years. Instagram Reels are viewed an estimated 200 billion times per day across Facebook and Instagram combined. TikTok’s 1.59 billion monthly users spend an average of 55 to 61 minutes per day on the platform, with 81% of users engaging daily with videos under 60 seconds. Short-form video views across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts grew 36% year over year, and global short-form video consumption has grown more than 75% since the early 2020s.

These platforms and their audience behaviors have also reshaped how marketers define the format itself. While the industry consensus still positions under 60 seconds as the core short-form window, the optimal performance sweet spot is shifting. TikTok videos over 54 seconds average 38,000 views versus 19,000 views for sub-10-second clips. YouTube Shorts between 50 and 60 seconds get the most views on the platform. Instagram Reels between 60 and 90 seconds consistently deliver the highest engagement rates. The old notion of shorter always being better has been replaced by a more nuanced understanding: content should be as short as needed to deliver value, and no shorter.

This article compiles over 70 short-form content statistics for 2026, drawn from more than 30 distinct primary sources. Data is organized across 10 thematic sections covering overall market scale and ROI, platform-level volume data, TikTok performance, Instagram Reels data, YouTube Shorts benchmarks, content length and format optimization, AI adoption in short-form creation, B2B short-form marketing, consumer behavior and preferences, and geographic and demographic patterns. All figures are drawn from publicly available data published within the last two years.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available short-form content statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Short-Form Content Statistics for 2026

Short-form video is the most used content format by marketers in 2025 and 2026, cited by 60% of all marketers in the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026, based on data from HubSpot.
21% of marketers say short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any content format, ranking it first overall and ahead of live-streaming video at 15.53%, based on the HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing Report cited by HubSpot Blog.
36% of social media marketers specifically say short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any social content format, based on HubSpot research cited by iPromote.
YouTube Shorts generates over 200 billion daily views as of early 2026, up from 70 billion in March 2024, based on a disclosure by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan cited by Loopex Digital.
Short-form video views across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts grew 36% year over year, based on data from New Media.
Global short-form video consumption has grown more than 75% since the early 2020s, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
85% of marketers believe short-form video is the most effective format on social media, based on data cited by Marketing LTB.
77% of marketers believe short-form videos deliver the highest ROI compared to just 22% who say long-form performs better, based on Statista 2024 data cited by Siege Media.
Short-form video ad revenue is projected to surpass $10 billion in 2025, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
Short-form video accounts for 43% of all social media content consumed in 2026, making it the fastest-growing format measured by share of total consumption, based on data from New Media.

Market Scale and Adoption Statistics

Short-form video is the most leveraged video format by marketers overall, with 29% of marketers including it in their content mix more than any other format, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
57% of marketers already using short-form plan to increase their investment in it, and 30% of marketers who do not yet invest in short-form intend to start doing so in 2025 to 2026, based on data cited by Marketing LTB.
17.13% of marketers chose short-form video as the format they plan to invest more in for 2025, making it the top choice ahead of live streaming at 13.88%, based on the HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing Report cited by HubSpot Blog.
Short-form video is used by 30% of both B2B and B2C marketers in their marketing strategies, based on HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report cited by HubSpot Blog.
56% of marketers indicated that short-form video was the leading trend to which they intended to allocate resources in 2024, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report for 2024 cited by Loopex Digital.
83% of marketers believe short-form videos should not exceed 60 seconds, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
40% of brands prioritize short-form video for their marketing, particularly on social media, based on data from The Desire Company.
Videos shorter than 90 seconds keep 50% of their audience engaged throughout the viewing session, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.

TikTok Short-Form Statistics

TikTok has 1.59 billion monthly active users as of early 2025, with advertisers able to reach that audience across 2.65 billion monthly platform visits, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
Android users spend an average of 35 hours per month more than one hour per day on TikTok, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
81% of TikTok users engage daily with videos under 60 seconds, making it the platform with the highest short-form video consumption rate among its user base, based on data from SQ Magazine.
The average TikTok user watches 265 videos per day, compared to 177 on Instagram, based on data from SQ Magazine.
TikTok videos over 54 seconds averaged approximately 38,000 views, while very short TikTok videos under 10 seconds attracted approximately 19,000 views, based on data cited by Marketing LTB.
The average length of TikTok videos rose to 42.7 seconds in 2024, up from approximately 39 seconds in prior years, based on platform data cited by Marketing LTB.
TikTok videos with trending audio see 52% higher completion rates than those without, based on data from SQ Magazine.
TikTok accounts for 39% of total short-form video ad revenue globally, ahead of YouTube Shorts at 33% and Instagram Reels at 24%, based on data from Zebracat.
TikTok holds approximately 40% of the total short-form video platform market by usage share, with Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts each taking around 20% in many markets, based on data cited by Marketing LTB.
TikTok is used by 56% of all social media users globally, including 82% of Gen Z, for entertainment, search, shopping, and learning, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.

Instagram Reels Statistics

Instagram Reels are viewed an estimated 200 billion times per day across Facebook and Instagram combined in 2025, up from 140 billion per day in late 2022, based on data from Teleprompter.com Instagram Reels Statistics.
Over 2 billion people nearly the entire Instagram user base interact with Reels each month, based on data from Teleprompter.com Instagram Reels Statistics.
Reels account for 41% of all time spent on Instagram in 2025, with about 35% of total Instagram usage time spent on Reels content specifically, based on data from Teleprompter.com Instagram Reels Statistics.
Instagram Reels have an average reach rate of approximately 30.8% of followers, roughly double that of carousel posts at 14.5% and more than double single-image posts at 13.1%, based on a Socialinsider study cited by Stackinfluence.
Instagram Reels engagement rose 25% since 2021, and in January 2025 Instagram increased Reels’ time limit to three minutes, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
Reels between 60 and 90 seconds consistently deliver the highest engagement rates for business accounts, while Reels under 30 seconds are best for reaching new audiences, based on data from Socialinsider Social Media Video Statistics.
38% of all Instagram Reels contain paid brand promotions, the highest proportion of any short-form video platform, compared to 29% on TikTok and 24% on YouTube Shorts, based on data from Zebracat.
Instagram Reels delivers a 35% higher engagement rate than standard Instagram video posts, based on data from New Media.

YouTube Shorts Statistics

YouTube Shorts has 2 billion monthly active users, ahead of TikTok at 1.59 billion and Instagram Reels at 1.8 billion, based on platform data cited by Loopex Digital.
YouTube Shorts generates over 200 billion daily views as of early 2026, compared to TikTok’s estimated 50 billion daily views and Instagram Reels’ 18 billion, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
YouTube Shorts leads all major short-form video platforms with an average engagement rate of 5.91%, outperforming TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels in Q1 2024, based on Statista data cited by HubSpot Blog.
YouTube Shorts has a strong average viewer retention rate of 73%, compared to TikTok’s 78% and Instagram Reels’ 65%, based on data from Zebracat.
74% of YouTube Shorts views come from non-subscribers, making Shorts YouTube’s primary discovery format for new audiences, based on platform data cited by Loopex Digital.
Channels that use both Shorts and long-form content grow 41% faster than channels relying on long-form alone, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
YouTube Shorts between 50 and 60 seconds get the most views of any duration bracket on the platform, based on platform analysis cited by HubSpot Blog.
Shorts with an immediate hook in the first 2 seconds retain 19% more viewers than those with a slow start, based on data from Zebracat.
Since October 2024, YouTube allows Shorts up to 3 minutes long, based on an Alphabet Q3 2024 Earnings Call disclosure cited by HubSpot Blog.
62% of brands allocated more ad spend to YouTube Shorts than to TikTok and Reels in 2025, driven by better targeting options and integration with long-form content, based on data from Zebracat.

Content Length and Format Optimization Statistics

The most common short-form video length is 20 to 30 seconds across all platforms, with YouTube Shorts slightly favoring 15 to 25 seconds, based on cross-platform data from Zebracat.
73% of marketers believe videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are most effective for driving engagement, based on data from The Desire Company.
Lo-fi and UGC-style creative approaches now account for 42% of top-spending ads, outperforming polished production in engagement and view time, based on Zero Gravity’s 2025 report cited by Single Grain.
Creators who repurpose content across all three short-form platforms TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts see a 46% higher reach than those who post exclusively on one, based on data from Zebracat.
89% of viral short-form sounds originate on TikTok before spreading to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, making TikTok the leading platform for audio trends, based on data from Zebracat.
Short-form video ads deliver 1.6 times higher ROI compared to static display ads, based on data from New Media.
Brands that post video content at least twice per week see 41% higher engagement rates, based on data from New Media.
Vertical video accounts for 95% of all mobile video consumption, making portrait-orientation the default requirement for short-form content targeting mobile audiences, based on data from New Media.

AI Adoption in Short-Form Content Statistics

56% of marketers use AI to create short-form videos, compared to 53% using AI to generate images and 42% using AI for long-form video creation, based on HubSpot’s survey of 1,100+ social media professionals cited by HubSpot Social Media Marketing Report.
Auto-generating captions and transcripts is the top AI use case for video content at 59% of businesses, based on the Wistia 2024 State of Video Report cited by HubSpot Blog.
254% more businesses captioned their videos in 2023 than in 2022, reflecting the rapid normalization of AI-assisted caption generation, based on the Wistia 2024 State of Video Report cited by HubSpot Blog.
51% of marketers say they have used AI tools for video creation or editing, while 49% have not, based on the Wyzowl Video Marketing Statistics 2025 cited by HubSpot Blog.
AI-driven personalization can increase video content engagement rates by up to 60%, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
80% of marketers believe AI will help streamline the video production process, enabling faster turnaround times and higher-quality content, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
AI usage in creative ad production increased 220% in 2024, driven by expansion across video, playable ads, CTV, and short-form social formats, based on the AppLovin SparkLabs Creative Trends Report cited by Single Grain.

B2B Short-Form Content Statistics

Short-form video drives the highest ROI among all video formats for 41% of B2B social media marketers, with brand storytelling second at 38% and testimonials third at 34%, based on data cited by Sprout Social.
92% of B2B marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026, based on data cited by Sprout Social.
70% of video marketers now use LinkedIn for video distribution, making it the most widely used video platform among video marketers, surpassing even Facebook, based on data from Teleprompter.com.
78% of B2B marketers now use video and more than half plan to increase video investment in the year ahead, based on the LinkedIn B2B Marketing Benchmark 2025 cited by DSMN8.
LinkedIn video content saw a 36% increase in views year over year in 2025, and video is shared 20 times more than any other content type on the platform, based on data cited by Martal.
53% of U.S. B2B marketers planned to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2025, with short-form creator content on TikTok and LinkedIn gaining the most allocation, based on EMARKETER data cited by DSMN8.
TikTok now edges out X on both brand usage and ROI perception among marketers, with 54.5% of brands using TikTok as a marketing platform and 32% ranking it in their top three ROI channels, based on HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing data cited by HubSpot Blog.

Consumer Behavior and Preference Statistics

78% of consumers prefer short video content when learning about a product or service, making it the preferred discovery format over text, email, and other video lengths, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
66% of consumers find short-form videos the most engaging type of content, based on data cited by DemandSage.
83% of consumers are actively seeking more video content from brands in 2025, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
A message delivered via video is retained by 95% of viewers, compared to just 10% when the same message is delivered via text, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.
64% of consumers say they have made a purchase after seeing a video ad on social media, based on data cited by Zebracat.
Social videos are shared 1,200% more than the combined total of text and image posts, reflecting the disproportionate viral potential of the format, based on data cited by Teleprompter.com.
Over 55% of global consumers say they discover new products through social video, based on data from New Media.
Generation Z spends over three hours per day watching online videos, more than any other demographic, and 54% of Gen Z users say social platforms including TikTok are their main source of product discovery, based on data cited by Loopex Digital.

Regional and Demographic Statistics

In the U.S., YouTube is the most used social platform, and YouTube reached 12.5% of all U.S. TV viewing in May 2025, the highest share on record, based on Nielsen data cited by Loopex Digital.
175.1 million U.S. users watched YouTube Shorts in 2025, with projections of 192 million by 2027, based on EMARKETER data cited by Loopex Digital.
The United States leads TikTok’s user base by country with 136 million users, while the Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 51% of TikTok’s global user base, based on data from Media Components.
TikTok dominates in Southeast Asia, holding 74% market penetration in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, while Instagram maintains a stronger lead in Western markets at 79% of U.S. social media users versus TikTok’s 66%, based on data from SQ Magazine.
TikTok gained over 100 million new users from Africa and Latin America combined since early 2024, demonstrating the platform’s fastest growth is now occurring in emerging markets outside the United States, based on data from SQ Magazine.
Vietnam’s TikTok daily active users grew by 39% year over year in 2025, the highest tracked rate of any market, while TikTok is now available in 160 or more countries globally, based on data cited by SQ Magazine.
In India, where TikTok remains banned, Instagram saw year-over-year user growth of 14% driven largely by Reels adoption, based on data from SQ Magazine.

References

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