Video Marketing Statistics 2026
Video marketing has reached near-universal adoption. This compilation presents 70+ individually sourced statistics covering ROI benchmarks, conversion rates, short-form video dominance, B2B insights, and the rise of shoppable video commerce.
Running StreamRecorder.io means I talk to marketing teams and content creators constantly — and the one thing I hear over and over is that everyone knows video works, but nobody can agree on exactly how well or where to put their money. Half the stats floating around out there are recycled from 2021 survey data or come from companies selling you the very thing they’re claiming you need. That drives me nuts.
So I went through and pulled together the numbers I actually trust — the ones I’d use myself if I were pitching a client or making a budget decision. This page covers ROI figures, adoption rates, format performance, and where video marketing is genuinely headed versus where people just wish it were headed. If you’re building a case for video spend or trying to figure out what’s actually working right now, this is the reference I’d point you to.
⚡ Key Takeaways
Market Size & Ad Spend
Video advertising has become the fastest-growing segment of digital marketing, with global spending now measured in hundreds of billions. The shift from linear TV to digital video represents one of the largest reallocations of advertising dollars in marketing history, driven by measurable performance metrics that traditional broadcast could never provide.
Global Digital Video Ad Spend (2025)
Digital video advertising spending worldwide is projected to reach $214.76 billion in 2025, with 83.8% generated through mobile by 2030. The market is expected to grow at 9.54% CAGR to reach $338.64 billion by 2030.
The numbers tell a clear story about where marketing budgets are flowing. Digital video's 14% year-over-year growth outpaces total media spending by two to three times, according to IAB research. This isn't incremental growth — it's a fundamental restructuring of how brands reach consumers.
The CTV factor deserves particular attention. With 68% of marketers now calling connected TV a "must buy" and ad completion rates exceeding 95%, CTV is cannibalizing budgets from both linear TV and social media. Thirty-six percent of marketers planning to increase CTV spending expect to source funds from linear TV budgets, while an equal percentage plan to pull from social media allocations.
Business Adoption & Strategy
Video marketing has transitioned from competitive advantage to table stakes. The question facing most marketing teams today isn't whether to use video, but how to allocate resources across an expanding landscape of formats, platforms, and use cases. The adoption numbers reflect this maturation — video is no longer experimental for the vast majority of businesses.
The barriers to video adoption have shifted dramatically. Cost and time constraints, which historically blocked many businesses from video marketing, are eroding thanks to AI-powered production tools and the cultural acceptance of less-polished content. The two biggest reasons companies still cite for not using video — "don't feel it's needed" (24%) and "too expensive" (24%) — represent increasingly outdated perceptions.
The strategic calculus has changed. Video is no longer a discrete marketing tactic but an integrated component across virtually every channel. Email campaigns with video see 300% higher click-through rates. Landing pages with video convert 86% better. Product pages with video generate up to 80% more conversions. When video amplifies performance across every touchpoint, the question becomes how to produce enough content to meet demand — not whether to produce it at all.
ROI & Conversion Statistics
The ROI question that once made video marketing a hard sell to finance departments has been definitively answered. Across industries, company sizes, and use cases, video consistently delivers measurable returns that outperform other content formats. The data has matured from anecdotal success stories to statistically significant benchmarks that inform budget allocation decisions.
Video Marketers Report Positive ROI
The highest percentage recorded since tracking began. Compare to just 76% in 2016 — a 17-point improvement over a decade as video production became more accessible and measurement more sophisticated.
The ROI story extends beyond direct conversion metrics into operational efficiency. When 57% of video marketers report decreased support queries after implementing video content, that's cost reduction that doesn't appear in typical marketing attribution models but significantly impacts the bottom line.
Video length and conversion have a nuanced relationship. Videos 30-60 seconds perform best for attention-grabbing and social engagement, but Wistia's data reveals that videos running 30-60 minutes are actually the best at converting viewers when paired with lead generation features. The key insight: match video length to intent. Awareness content should be short; consideration and decision-stage content can — and often should — be longer.
Short-Form Video Performance
Short-form video has evolved from TikTok novelty to dominant marketing format in under five years. The format's success isn't just about attention spans — it's about algorithmic discovery, production economics, and the fundamental shift toward mobile-first content consumption. For marketers, short-form represents both the highest-ROI format and the most competitive content environment.
Marketers Say Short-Form Is Most Effective
Videos under 60 seconds are rated the most effective content type for engagement. Short-form delivers highest ROI and is the top investment priority for marketers heading into 2026.
Platform Engagement Comparison
| Platform | Avg Engagement Rate | Reach Change YoY | Key Insight |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 8.24% | -47.19% | Highest engagement, declining reach |
| YouTube Shorts | 5.91% | -31% | Engagement down 36% YoY |
| Instagram Reels | ~4-5% | -59.15% | Smaller accounts seeing traction |
| Facebook Reels | ~2% | +24.48% | Highest avg reach: 15,334 per video |
The Metricool data reveals a critical insight that gets lost in platform hype: TikTok's engagement supremacy comes with a reach paradox. While the platform delivers the highest engagement rate at 8.24%, average reach declined 47% year-over-year. More creators competing for the same attention means algorithmic distribution has become significantly more competitive.
Meanwhile, Facebook Reels has emerged as an unexpected performer — the only platform showing reach growth (+24.48%) and boasting the highest average reach per video at 15,334. For brands prioritizing visibility over engagement rates, the overlooked platform may offer better returns than the trend-forward choices.
Platform Usage & Distribution
Platform strategy has become increasingly complex as each major social network develops distinct video cultures, algorithmic preferences, and audience expectations. The days of creating one video and distributing everywhere are over — or at least, that approach now carries significant performance penalties. Understanding platform-specific dynamics is essential for resource allocation.
YouTube Global Audience
| Country | Monthly Users | Share of Global |
|---|---|---|
| India | 491M | ~18% |
| United States | 253M | ~9% |
| Brazil | 144M | ~5% |
| United Kingdom | 54.8M | ~2% |
The platform data reveals a striking divergence between usage and effectiveness. YouTube dominates usage (82% of video marketers), but Instagram claims the effectiveness crown (61% report success). LinkedIn's rise to 70% usage represents the most significant platform shift in recent years — a reflection of B2B video marketing's maturation.
The LinkedIn opportunity is particularly underexploited. Video posts generate 5× higher engagement than other formats, and live videos deliver 24× more reactions. Yet many B2B brands still treat LinkedIn as a text-first platform. The data suggests significant competitive advantage remains available for brands willing to invest in platform-specific video content.
B2B Video Marketing
B2B video marketing has undergone a quiet revolution. What began as product demos and corporate overviews has evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem spanning webinars, thought leadership content, customer testimonials, and personalized sales videos. The B2B buyer's preference for video over text has forced traditionally text-heavy industries to rethink their entire content strategy.
B2B Buyers Prefer Video Over Text
When learning about a product or service, B2B decision-makers overwhelmingly prefer video content to reading documentation, whitepapers, or product descriptions.
Video Performance by Funnel Stage
The B2B shift toward shorter video reflects broader mobile consumption patterns, but it's more nuanced than simply "shorter is better." Sub-30-second clips earn 38% higher completion rates on LinkedIn feeds, but when buyers are actively evaluating solutions, they're willing to invest significant time — webinars with 50%+ on-demand viewing demonstrate sustained attention when value is delivered.
The webinar resurgence deserves attention. Goldcast's 2025 benchmark report documents a 225% surge in webinar volume, with B2B companies treating webinars as content engines rather than standalone events. AI-powered repurposing has removed the production bottleneck — a single 40-minute webinar now generates dozens of social clips, email content, and blog material. The math has changed: webinar investment now yields multiplied returns across every channel.
E-Commerce & Shoppable Video
Shoppable video represents the convergence of content and commerce that marketers have pursued for decades. By eliminating the friction between discovery and purchase, video commerce collapses the traditional funnel into a single interaction. The conversion rates speak for themselves — and they're forcing e-commerce brands to rethink their entire content investment strategy.
Shoppable Video Conversion Lift
Interactive shoppable videos achieve 30% higher conversion rates compared to standard video content, combining the engagement of video with the immediacy of one-click purchasing.
Video Commerce Market Growth
| Metric | 2025 Value | Projected 2028 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Commerce Market | $1.2T+ | $2.79T | +130% |
| Live Shopping (Global) | $25B | $35B | +40% |
| Global E-commerce Sales | $6.8T | $8T | +18% |
The conversion data makes the strategic case clear: video-first e-commerce dramatically outperforms traditional approaches. But the 35% reduction in returns is equally significant — it addresses one of e-commerce's most persistent profit drains while improving customer satisfaction.
Live commerce represents the next frontier. With conversion rates of 9-30% versus 2-3% for standard e-commerce, live shopping events deliver performance that justifies significant production investment. Fashion and beauty categories lead, with top-performing sessions reaching 70% conversion rates. The format combines entertainment, education, and urgency in ways static product pages cannot match.
Consumer Behavior & Preferences
Understanding how consumers actually interact with video content — not just what marketers create — reveals the gaps between production assumptions and audience reality. Mobile dominance, silent viewing, and the preference for authenticity over polish all shape effective video strategy. These behavioral patterns increasingly dictate format decisions.
The 85% silent viewing statistic on Facebook reflects a fundamental shift in how people consume content. Public spaces, quiet environments, and the habit of scrolling with sound off have made captions and visual storytelling essential — not accessibility features but core design requirements.
The authenticity preference deserves strategic attention. User-generated content now accounts for over 50% of video engagement on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Polished production doesn't automatically outperform raw, authentic content — and in many contexts, over-production triggers skepticism. The brands succeeding on short-form platforms have learned to match production quality to platform culture, not corporate brand guidelines.
Video Marketing in 2026: Strategy Implications
The statistics compiled in this report point toward several structural shifts that should inform video marketing strategy for the year ahead.
First, the format wars have produced clear winners. Short-form video delivers the highest engagement and ROI for social media marketing. Long-form video — particularly webinars and deep-dive content — excels at conversion and lead generation. The formats aren't competing; they serve different functions in the customer journey. Effective strategies deploy both, matched to intent and platform.
Second, shoppable video is no longer experimental. With 30% conversion lifts over standard video and live commerce delivering 9-30% conversion rates, the business case for video commerce investment has been proven. E-commerce brands treating video as a content marketing afterthought are leaving significant revenue on the table.
Third, platform diversification has become essential. TikTok's engagement supremacy comes with declining reach. YouTube maintains distribution dominance but faces attention competition from Shorts. LinkedIn has emerged as a video platform in its own right. Facebook Reels quietly outperforms on reach metrics. Single-platform strategies carry increasing risk.
Finally, authenticity continues to outperform polish. User-generated content, creator partnerships, and raw-footage aesthetics drive engagement that overproduced corporate content cannot match. The brands winning on video have learned to code-switch — polished production for sales materials, authentic production for social content.
The 91% of businesses using video marketing in 2026 aren't competing on adoption anymore. They're competing on strategic sophistication, platform expertise, and the ability to produce volume without sacrificing relevance. The statistics suggest where to focus — and where the opportunity for competitive advantage remains.
