Kids' YouTube content getting more 'TV like'
Kids' content on YouTube is getting more 'TV like' with a significant increase in both the duration and rate of new productions among the top 50 YouTube channels aimed at young children. Ampere Analysis research (published by MIP TV in a new free-to-download report: Kids' TV and the future of entertainment), shows that the top fifty kids’ YouTube channels have nearly 28,000 programmes between them, representing more than 3,994 hours worth of children’s content. The duration and frequency of kids’ content on YouTube is growing rapidly. Short-form still rules, but there is a growing volume of compilation and longer-form video that can engage kids for traditional-TV programme lengths or longer. The average length of content on the top 50 YouTube channels for young kids is now eight and a half minutes, up from under two minutes in 2012.
The refresh rate of content has also increased significantly, on average the number of pieces of content produced per channel each month among the top 50 channels is more than 20, up over 25% since last year and four times the rate of just two years ago. Kids have a voracious appetite for YouTube content and, format-wise, shorter-form programming fits well with the central role of the tablet as a viewing device for young children. The increase in duration and refresh rate is a reflection of the increasingly central role of YouTube and tablet-friendly app environments to the young child's entertainment mix. Ampere research shows that this is, in part, a life-phase artifact, with tablet viewing and app affinity dropping off sharply as children age. Download the full report Kids' TV and the future of entertainment here.
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