Shorts on the Rise: Assessing the Effects of YouTube Shorts on Long-Form Video Content

TL;DR

This study investigates how the rise of YouTube Shorts has negatively impacted view counts and engagement in long-form videos, revealing a significant decline since short-form content's emergence.

Contribution

The paper provides empirical evidence of the decline in long-form video engagement correlating with the rise of short-form content on YouTube.

Findings

Significant decrease in long-form video view counts

Noticeable decline in engagement metrics

Correlation between short-form content popularity and long-form content decline

Abstract

Short form content has permeated into the video creator space over the past few years, led by industry leading products such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. YouTube in particular was previously synonymous with being the main hub for long form video content consumption. The monetization of long form videos was easier as it allowed multiple advertisement placements during the course of the video. This model also facilitated thematic brand partnerships. However, since the introduction of short form content, creators have found it more difficult to generate revenue as advertisement placements have decreased. This leads to a unique situation where people are spending more time watching shorter videos, and yet they generate less revenue for the creators. In this paper, we perform a study of 250 creators with significant audiences to see if the introduction of short form content has affected the view counts and engagement of long form content. Our findings reveal a noteworthy trend: since the advent of short-form content, there has been a significant decrease in both view counts and engagement in long-form videos on these channels.