Video has moved from a discretionary marketing tactic to default infrastructure. This briefing assembles verified data on how marketers use video, what it returns, where short-form is winning, how much money is moving into digital video advertising, and how consumers actually watch. Numbers come from primary survey publishers and platform-level datasets, with each figure attributed to a publisher, year, and geography.

One caution drives the whole document: the most-cited video marketing numbers come from self-reported marketer surveys with small samples. We flag those explicitly so the data is used responsibly.

Executive Summary

• 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, per Wyzowl’s Video Marketing Statistics 2026 report, based on a survey of 266 respondents conducted in late 2025 (global, self-reported). Source
• 82% of marketers say video marketing has given them a good ROI in the 2026 report, down from 93% in the prior-year report (Wyzowl, 2026, global, self-reported). Source
• 85% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads and 83% say it directly increased sales (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Source
• 63% of video marketers say they have used AI video tools to create or edit marketing videos (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global), up from 51% in the prior-year report. Source
• U.S. digital video ad spend is forecast to surpass $80 billion in 2026, growing 11% year over year, roughly 20% faster than the total ad market (IAB, 2026, United States). Source
• Vidyard customers created 943,305 videos in 2024, an 88% increase over 2023 (Vidyard Video in Business Benchmark Report, data January to December 2024, global customer base). Source
• The world’s internet users spend an average of 3 hours 13 minutes watching television each day across linear and streaming formats, and 97.5% watch some form of TV monthly (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source
• Short-form video under 60 seconds is the brand content social users are most likely to engage with across nearly every platform (Sprout Social Index 2025, global). Source

Key Findings

• 91% of businesses report using video as a marketing tool in Wyzowl’s 2026 report (global, n=266, self-reported), down slightly from 89% to 91% range seen in recent years. Wyzowl, 2026
• 93% of video marketers see video as an important part of their overall strategy (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• 82% of marketers report a good ROI from video in the 2026 report, a notable drop from the 93% all-time high recorded in the prior-year report (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• 93% of video marketers say video increased user understanding of their product or service (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• 93% of video marketers say video helped increase brand awareness (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• 92% of marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026 (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• 63% of video marketers report using AI video tools to create or edit videos (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global). Wyzowl, 2026
• HubSpot data shows the most-used content format among marketers is short-form video, with marketers ranking it among the highest-ROI formats (HubSpot, 2025, primarily U.S. marketer sample). HubSpot, 2025
• Vidyard customers created 943,305 videos in 2024, an 88% increase over 2023, with average videos per user up 241% (Vidyard, data Jan to Dec 2024, global). Vidyard, 2025 report
• Videos under one minute retained roughly 65% of viewers through completion, versus about 20% for videos over 20 minutes (Vidyard, 2024 data, global customer base). Vidyard, 2025 report
• 97.5% of internet users watch at least one form of TV each month, averaging 3 hours 13 minutes of daily TV viewing across all formats (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). DataReportal, 2025
• Among internet users aged 16 to 24, streaming accounts for 1 hour 24 minutes of daily TV time versus 1 hour 20 minutes for linear TV, the only age band where streaming leads (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). DataReportal, 2025
• Global digital video advertising spend is projected to reach $214.76 billion in 2025 (Statista, 2025, worldwide market estimate). Statista, 2025
• Digital video is expected to exceed 60% of total U.S. TV and video ad spend for the first time in 2026 (IAB, 2026, United States). IAB, 2026
• On Instagram, 52% of social users gravitate toward short-form video under 60 seconds, while only 19% favor long-form content over 60 seconds (Sprout Social Index 2025, global). Sprout Social, 2025

Marketer Adoption and Usage

Video adoption among businesses has plateaued near the top of its range after a decade of growth. Wyzowl’s long-running survey is the standard reference here, though it is a small self-reported sample and should be read as directional rather than census-grade.

91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in the 2026 report (Wyzowl, 2026, global, n=266). Source: Wyzowl

93% of video marketers consider video an important part of their overall strategy (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

59% of video marketers create video in-house rather than outsourcing (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

Adoption rose from about 61% of businesses in 2016 to a peak near 91% in recent years, a roughly 30 percentage point climb over the period, per Wyzowl’s historical series (global, self-reported). Source: Wyzowl

What this means: the adoption story is now about depth and format rather than first-time use. Year-to-year movement of a few points likely reflects sample composition as much as real change, given the small survey base.

ROI and Business Impact

Self-reported ROI remains high but slipped in the latest reading. These are marketer perceptions, not audited financial returns, and should be treated as sentiment.

82% of marketers say video has given them a good ROI in the 2026 report, down from 93% in the prior-year report (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

85% of video marketers say video helped them generate leads (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

83% of video marketers say video directly increased sales (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

82% of video marketers say video increased web traffic (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

HubSpot’s data ranks short-form, long-form, and live video among the top ROI-driving content formats reported by marketers (HubSpot, 2025, primarily U.S. sample). Source: HubSpot

What this means: the 11 point drop in good-ROI sentiment is the single most important shift in the latest data. It is consistent with falling organic engagement reported elsewhere, but a small sample makes the exact magnitude uncertain.

Short-Form vs Long-Form

Short-form dominates discovery and engagement, while long-form retains a role in deep education and sales workflows. The format split shows up consistently across an engagement publisher (Vidyard) and a social publisher (Sprout Social).

Videos under one minute retained about 65% of viewers through completion, versus roughly 20% for videos over 20 minutes (Vidyard, 2024 data, global). Source: Vidyard

Vidyard recorded a 420% increase in videos exceeding 20 minutes during 2024, indicating long-form is growing fastest off a small base even as short-form holds attention better (Vidyard, 2024 data, global). Source: Vidyard

52% of social users prefer short-form video under 60 seconds on Instagram, against 19% who prefer content over 60 seconds (Sprout Social Index 2025, global). Source: Sprout Social

48% of social users are most likely to interact with short-form video under 60 seconds on Facebook (Sprout Social Index 2025, global). Source: Sprout Social

What this means: short-form wins for reach and top-of-funnel engagement, while long-form is concentrating in sales, training, and webinar use cases. The two are not substitutes but serve different funnel stages.

Platform Performance

YouTube remains the anchor platform for marketers, with LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook close behind. Investment intent skews toward the platforms with the strongest short-form distribution.

YouTube is used by 82% of video marketers, the top platform, followed by LinkedIn at 70%, Instagram at 69%, and Facebook at 66% (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source: Wyzowl

HubSpot data shows marketers planning to invest more in YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok lead other channels (HubSpot, 2025, primarily U.S. sample). Source: HubSpot

What this means: platform strategy is converging on a small set of high-reach short-form-friendly platforms. Marketer platform-usage figures and consumer engagement figures should not be conflated; they measure different things.

Consumer Video Consumption

Consumer-side data comes from DataReportal’s Digital series, which aggregates platform and panel data at global scale and is more robust than marketer self-report.

97.5% of internet users watch at least one form of TV each month (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source: DataReportal

Internet users spend an average of 3 hours 13 minutes per day watching television across linear and streaming formats (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source: DataReportal

92% of internet users watch streaming TV each month, while only 31.5% pay for a subscription service (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source: DataReportal

There were 5.56 billion internet users worldwide, 67.9% of the global population, as of early 2025 (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source: DataReportal

What this means: video viewing is near-universal among internet users, but the linear-to-streaming shift is age-driven. Among 16 to 24 year-olds, streaming already edges out linear TV daily.

Digital Video Advertising Spend

Ad budgets confirm the consumption story. Spending data comes from the IAB (United States trade body) and Statista (market estimates), both Tier 2 with transparent methodology.

U.S. digital video ad spend is forecast to surpass $80 billion in 2026, an 11% year-over-year increase (IAB, 2026, United States). Source: IAB

Digital video is expected to exceed 60% of total U.S. TV and video ad spend for the first time in 2026 (IAB, 2026, United States). Source: IAB

Social video spend is projected to grow 13% and connected TV spend 11% in the United States (IAB, 2026, United States). Source: IAB

Global digital video advertising spend is projected at $214.76 billion in 2025, with a 9.54% CAGR through 2030 (Statista, 2025, worldwide). Source: Statista

What this means: video ad spend is outgrowing the broader ad market, and the crossing of the 60% threshold marks digital video as the majority of TV-and-video budgets in the U.S.

AI Video Adoption

AI tools have moved into mainstream production within a single survey cycle. This is the fastest-moving variable in the dataset.

63% of video marketers say they have used AI video tools to create or edit marketing videos (Wyzowl, 2026, global), up from 51% in the prior-year report. Source: Wyzowl

Vidyard recorded a 12-fold increase in AI avatar adoption over eight months, from April to December 2024 (Vidyard, 2024 data, global). Source: Vidyard

What this means: AI assistance in video production roughly doubled year over year by the most direct comparison available, and platform-level data shows the steepest curves in synthetic presenters. Methodologies differ, so the two figures are directional rather than directly comparable.

Original Synthesis

Insight 1: The ROI-engagement gap. Marketer-reported good ROI fell from 93% to 82% (Wyzowl), an 11 percentage point drop, in the same window that Vidyard data shows short-form retaining about 65% of viewers versus 20% for long-form. Logic: sentiment on ROI is softening while attention concentrates in short clips. Inputs: Wyzowl 2026 ROI series and Vidyard 2024 retention benchmarks. Limitation: the two publishers measure different things (perception vs platform retention) and cannot be combined into one rate; this is a directional pairing, not a causal link.

Insight 2: Spend-to-attention alignment. U.S. digital video ad spend crossing 60% of TV-and-video budgets in 2026 (IAB) lines up with the consumption data showing streaming overtaking linear TV among 16 to 24 year-olds, 1h24m vs 1h20m daily (DataReportal). Logic: ad dollars are following the youngest cohort’s shift to on-demand video. Inputs: IAB 2026 spend share and DataReportal Digital 2025 age-band TV split. Limitation: IAB is U.S.-only while DataReportal is global, so the alignment is illustrative, not a matched comparison.

Insight 3: The AI doubling. Combining Wyzowl’s AI-tool usage (51% to 63% year over year) with Vidyard’s 12x AI-avatar growth over eight months produces a consistent direction: AI in video production is compounding, with the steepest curve in synthetic presenters rather than general editing. Logic: broad adoption (Wyzowl) plus a narrow but explosive sub-category (Vidyard avatars). Inputs: Wyzowl 2026 AI figure and Vidyard 2024 avatar figure. Limitation: different denominators, time windows, and definitions mean the growth rates cannot be averaged.

Tables

Source for table: Wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics 2026, global, n=266 (self-reported). wyzowl.com

Source for table: Wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics 2026, global. wyzowl.com

Source for table: Vidyard, Video in Business Benchmark Report, 2024 data, global customer base. vidyard.com

Sources for table: IAB, 2026 (iab.com); Statista, 2025 (statista.com).

Charts to build

1. Chart title: Marketer good-ROI sentiment, prior year vs 2026. Data needed: Wyzowl ROI percentages (93% then 82%). Source: Wyzowl 2026. Insight: first material drop in years. Why citation-worthy: it quantifies a turning point in marketer confidence.
2. Chart title: Viewer retention by video length. Data needed: retention for under 1 min (~65%) and over 20 min (~20%). Source: Vidyard 2024. Insight: short-form holds attention far better. Why citation-worthy: platform-level data, not self-report.
3. Chart title: U.S. digital video share of TV/video ad spend. Data needed: share crossing 60% in 2026 and dollar total above $80B. Source: IAB 2026. Insight: digital video becomes the majority of TV budgets. Why citation-worthy: a clear, datable threshold.
4. Chart title: Daily TV time by age band, streaming vs linear. Data needed: 16-24 streaming 1h24m vs linear 1h20m; total 3h13m. Source: DataReportal Digital 2025. Insight: the generational streaming crossover. Why citation-worthy: global panel data.
5. Chart title: AI in video production, year over year. Data needed: Wyzowl 51% to 63%; Vidyard 12x avatar growth. Source: Wyzowl 2026, Vidyard 2024. Insight: AI adoption roughly doubling. Why citation-worthy: pairs survey and platform evidence.

Inline chart, marketer good-ROI sentiment:

Source: Wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics 2026, global, n=266. wyzowl.com

Methodology

Source selection prioritized the recognized primary publisher for this topic (Wyzowl’s annual State of Video survey) plus platform-level datasets (Vidyard, DataReportal) and trade-body and market-estimate spend data (IAB, Statista). Inclusion required a named publisher, a datable figure, and a stated or inferable geography. We excluded round-number claims that appear only on aggregator blogs without an original source, and excluded figures we could not trace to a publisher.

Conflicting numbers were handled by citing the figure as published and noting the discrepancy. For example, Wyzowl’s headline business-use figure has been reported between 89% and 91% across recent cycles; we cite the 2026 report’s 91% and flag the range. Derived insights in Original Synthesis combine sources only directionally and never average incompatible denominators. Self-reported survey data (Wyzowl, Wistia, HubSpot) is labeled as such and treated as sentiment, not audited fact. Date of last update: June 2026.

Source Quality

Tier 1 (primary platform-level or panel data): DataReportal Digital 2025 (aggregated platform and panel data). Vidyard Video in Business Benchmark Report (anonymized platform data on 943,305 videos), strong for engagement but limited to Vidyard’s customer base.

Tier 2 (credible market research, trade bodies, public company data): IAB digital video ad spend reports. Statista market estimates. Sprout Social Index. Wyzowl State of Video survey (the standard topic reference, but a small self-reported sample of 266). HubSpot and Wistia marketing surveys.

Tier 3 (reputable journalism and expert commentary): trade press summaries of the above reports, used only to locate primary figures, not as primary sources themselves.

Most Quotable Statistics

• “91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool” (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source
• “82% of marketers say video gave them a good ROI, down from 93%” (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source
• “63% of video marketers have used AI video tools” (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source
• “U.S. digital video ad spend will surpass $80 billion in 2026” (IAB, 2026). Source
• “97.5% of internet users watch some form of TV each month” (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source

Data Limitations

The most-cited marketer figures (Wyzowl, Wistia, HubSpot) are self-reported surveys; Wyzowl’s 2026 sample is 266 respondents, so single-digit year-to-year moves may reflect sample composition. Vidyard data reflects only its own customer base and skews toward sales and B2B use cases, so its averages do not represent all businesses. IAB spend figures are U.S.-only and forecast-based. Statista’s global figure is a market estimate, not a survey. DataReportal aggregates third-party panel and platform data with its own caveats. Marketer platform-usage and consumer engagement figures measure different populations and should not be merged. AI adoption is moving fast enough that any figure may be stale within a cycle.

Recommended Dataset Fields

For a downloadable CSV: metric_name, value, unit, year, geography, publisher, report_name, sample_size, sample_type (survey/platform/panel/estimate), self_reported_flag, source_url, notes.

Press Summary

Video is now default marketing infrastructure, but the latest data shows confidence cooling even as spend accelerates. In Wyzowl’s 2026 survey, 91% of businesses use video and 92% plan to maintain or grow video budgets, yet the share reporting good ROI fell from 93% to 82%, the first material drop in years. AI has crossed into the mainstream: 63% of video marketers now use AI tools, up from 51%, and Vidyard recorded a 12-fold rise in AI avatar use in eight months. Attention favors short-form, with sub-minute clips retaining about 65% of viewers versus 20% for clips over 20 minutes. Money is following: U.S. digital video ad spend will pass $80 billion in 2026 and exceed 60% of TV-and-video budgets for the first time, per the IAB. Marketer surveys here are small and self-reported and should be read as directional.

Suggested Headlines

1. Video ROI Confidence Slips From 93% to 82% Even as Budgets Hold
2. AI Video Hits the Mainstream: 63% of Marketers Now Use It
3. Digital Video to Claim Over 60% of U.S. TV Ad Budgets in 2026
4. Short-Form Wins Attention: Sub-Minute Clips Keep 65% of Viewers
5. 97.5% of Internet Users Watch TV Monthly as Streaming Overtakes Linear for Under-25s

FAQ

What share of businesses use video marketing? 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool (Wyzowl, 2026 report, global, self-reported). Source

Does video deliver good ROI? 82% of marketers say video gave them a good ROI in the 2026 report, down from 93% prior year (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source

How many marketers use AI for video? 63% of video marketers say they have used AI video tools to create or edit videos (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source

Is short-form or long-form more effective? Sub-minute videos retain about 65% of viewers through completion versus roughly 20% for videos over 20 minutes (Vidyard, 2024 data, global). Source

Which platform do most video marketers use? YouTube, used by 82% of video marketers, followed by LinkedIn at 70% (Wyzowl, 2026, global). Source

How much is spent on digital video ads? U.S. digital video ad spend is forecast to surpass $80 billion in 2026 (IAB, 2026), and global spend is estimated at $214.76 billion in 2025 (Statista). Source

How much TV and video do people watch daily? Internet users average 3 hours 13 minutes of daily TV across linear and streaming formats (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source

Is streaming beating linear TV? Among 16 to 24 year-olds, streaming accounts for 1h24m of daily TV versus 1h20m for linear, the only age band where streaming leads (DataReportal, Digital 2025, global). Source

What video content do consumers want from brands? Short-form video under 60 seconds is the brand content social users are most likely to engage with across nearly every platform (Sprout Social Index 2025, global). Source

How fast is business video creation growing? Vidyard customers created 943,305 videos in 2024, an 88% increase over 2023 (Vidyard, 2024 data, global customer base). Source

For more research-driven growth analysis, see CO Consulting. If you want help turning these benchmarks into a measurable video strategy, you can book a consultation.