By Kai Boas, Reach3 Insights
YouTube’s dominance in streaming and creator culture is well-documented, but the real story lies in the audience. As researchers, we wanted to understand what’s driving this behavior: why people across generations are trading traditional TV for creator-led, on-demand content that feels more personal and authentic.
For years, YouTube was viewed as a mobile platform for younger audiences. That’s no longer true. Data shows its user base is remarkably balanced across generations: Millennials make up 25.5% of U.S. users, Gen Z 25.1%, Gen X 19.9%, and Baby Boomers 15%. Increasingly, those viewers are streaming on connected TVs—and not just digital natives. (This is separate from YouTube TV, which offers live network programming like traditional cable.)
The platform has quietly replaced traditional TV for many households, becoming a new kind of “prime time” that blends entertainment, education, and shopping. In fact, connected TV is the most-used platform for using YouTube, accounting for more than 11% of total TV watch time.
Our recent research shows that this shift is redefining how people discover products, build trust with brands, and make purchase decisions, often through creators they’ve chosen to invite into their daily routines. According to a study by creative agency Whalar, nearly 70% of followers agree they trust product recommendations from creators more than celebrities and 72% agree they are more likely to purchase a product from a creator they trust.
This rise in large-screen viewing means marketers can no longer think of YouTube purely as social media. It’s part of the prime-time mix and its creators are now commanding the kind of attention once reserved for traditional broadcasters. With 197 million users in the United States alone, it’s a cultural and commercial force that brands can’t afford to overlook.
The new prime-time influencers
Audiences increasingly view creators as credible sources of advice, not just entertainers. In 2025, 61 % of consumers said they’d trust influencer recommendations more than traditional advertisements, and around 69% say they’d trust product suggestions from influencers that they follow.
The implications for advertisers are significant. Instead of relying on static placements, brands can partner with creators who already own the audience’s attention and shape how that audience learns, compares, and ultimately buys. The strongest collaborations feel like part of the creator’s natural storytelling, not an interruption.
YouTube itself is leaning into this shift. At its recent Made On event, the company unveiled new ways for creators to link directly to products, automatically tag items with AI, and even swap out brand integrations over time. These updates show that YouTube fully recognizes that its power lies with the nearly 69 million creators who fuel its ecosystem and it is building the infrastructure to make brand partnerships more dynamic and measurable.
A platform that spans generations
We’ve touched on it already, but it’s worth emphasizing: the creator audience isn’t confined to youth. YouTube’s reach now spans every generation, from kids discovering new shows to older adults replacing cable.
Children’s cable networks like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel have lost more than half their total viewership since 2016, while YouTube will surpass linear TV among U.S. children by 2026. Kids under 12 already spend nearly 1 hour 48 minutes a day on YouTube—more than on broadcast TV—driven by an entire ecosystem of family-friendly and educational creators.
At the other end of the spectrum, older audiences are tuning in faster than anyone expected. Seniors watched 96% more YouTube this year than last, and 88% of adults 55+ now watch weekly. They’re also twice as likely as Millennials to share YouTube links. The idea that older adults struggle with technology is quickly fading.
Between these extremes sit the digitally fluent generations shaping culture. Gen Z is redefining what engagement means, turning passive viewing into real-time dialogue through polls, live chats, and interactive livestreams.
For advertisers, this spectrum is a goldmine. Few platforms can claim to engage every cohort from Gen Alpha to Baby Boomers in meaningful ways on the same screen. Campaigns that understand these generational nuances, while tapping into shared behaviors of trust, discovery, and community, stand to gain the most.
Across generations, credibility is the throughline: viewers may differ in what they watch, but they all respond to creators who feel genuine and transparent.
What advertisers can take away
YouTube’s evolution from a mobile distraction to a living-room habit represents one of the biggest shifts in media behavior in years. To make the most of it:
- Use research to track rising creators early. The next breakout voices often emerge from niche communities long before they hit mainstream awareness. Ongoing consumer feedback can help identify which creators, categories, or trends are gaining momentum.
- Understand context, not just content. The same creator can play very different roles depending on where, when, and how viewers are watching. Research that captures real-life moments of engagement can reveal how needs and emotions shift across screens and time of day.
- Explore generational nuances. From Gen Alpha’s immersive viewing habits to Boomers’ growing comfort with streaming, each audience approaches creators with different motivations and trust triggers. Fast, iterative research can help brands keep pace as these patterns evolve.
- Measure authenticity as carefully as awareness. Credibility is the new currency in creator marketing. Tracking how consumers perceive tone, fit, and transparency provides a stronger signal of long-term impact than impressions alone.
The key advantage is understanding why certain creators resonate (and with whom), and how those connections shift over time. Continuous, in-context research keeps advertisers close to audiences as viewing habits change, helping them stay a step ahead of what people will watch, share, and buy next.
About the Author
Kai Boas is a research consultant at Reach3 Insights (www.reach3insights.com), pioneers of mobile-first conversational research methods and technology. With experience spanning UX, product marketing, and market research, Kai brings a creative, insight-driven approach to translating customer insights into clear product narratives and go-to-market strategies that inform smarter business decisions.
