Find out who will dominate the video market in 2025 in our comparative analysis of YouTube and Facebook. Explore the trends, statistics and strategies of the two social media giants to find out where content creators and consumers are headed. And don't miss our analysis of the forces at play and the opportunities ahead in the video landscape.
Social platforms continue to reshuffle the deck, driven by the acceleration of artificial intelligence, increasingly varied video consumption behaviors and bold strategies orchestrated by the tech giants. At the top of the list, YouTube and Facebook are the focus of most attention, embodying the fierce battle for leadership in the global video market. Between the transformation of uses, the explosion of advertising investment and major technological innovations, the year 2025 reveals a totally transformed digital ecosystem. Advertisers, content creators and users alike are at the heart of this revolution, seeking to capitalize on the opportunities offered by these two titans. The impact will be felt far beyond the traditional boundaries of the social mediaThe video market is changing, affecting influencer marketing, e-commerce, engagement strategies and cultural habits. Through the prism of data, concrete use cases and innovations, this analysis details the distinctive strengths of YouTube and Facebook, revealing the mechanics that will shape the video market in 2025.
YouTube versus Facebook: global overview and new power relations
The year 2025 marks a crucial turning point in the competition between YouTube and Facebook, with each platform claiming dominant positions in key segments of the global video market. YouTube boasts an active user base that is 16 % to that of WhatsApp, overtaking Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Twitter in terms of video reach. This supremacy is not just numerical: it is expressed through the diversity of formats, the depth of engagement and the power of analytics tools.
Facebook, with its extensive integration of video functionalities in its News Feed and Facebook Watch, remains a massive audience driver. Its trump card? The recycling of videos from Reels initially created on Instagram and amplified thanks to the synergy of the Meta ecosystem. What's more, Facebook takes first place in terms of website traffic generation, with publications with links garnering an average of 413 clicks - a higher score than any other social platform, including Instagram, YouTube or TikTok.
- YouTube dominates, thanks to the depth of its long and short content (Shorts, Lives, Playlists).
- Facebook capitalizes on the virality of its short formats (Reels) and the power of the Meta ecosystem.
- Instagram is emerging as a key driver for brand discovery and social commerce.
- TikTok takes first place for time spent per Android user with 35 hours per month on average.
- The other players - Snapchat, Twitter, Twitch, Vimeo, Dailymotion - invest in specific niches: live streamingexpert communities or thematic sharing.
| Platform | Active users (worldwide) | Average time per month | Dominant video type | Traffic generated (clicks to sites) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 2.53 billion | 28h | Long, Shorts, Live | 350 |
| 2.13 billion | 21h | Reels, Stories, Live | 413 | |
| 1.7 billion | 15h | Reels, Stories | 275 | |
| TikTok | 1.5 billion | 35h | Courtes, Live | 228 |
| Snapchat | 750 million | 10h | Stories, Spotlight | 160 |
The challenge is no longer simply to accumulate views, but to win the loyalty of hybrid audiences and converge uses. This balance of power is reinforced by the spectacular growth of digital in everyday life5.56 billion Internet users, 5.24 billion active social profiles and an average daily engagement time of 2 hours 21 minutes are the hallmarks of a highly competitive market.
As strategies evolve, it becomes clear that the distinction is as much about the ability to monetize audiences as it is about mastery of technological tools - from algorithmic recommendations to rights management of AI-generated content. The massive engagement around videos on YouTube is also translating into the emergence of innovative monetized formats, while Facebook is accelerating in the personalization and integration of video shopping.
Rising platforms and fragmentation of uses
One trend stands out: today's audience juggles a wide range of average of 6.83 social platforms per month. In addition to the must-haves, players such as Twitch, Vimeo, Dailymotion, LinkedIn and Twitter are taking market share in specialized segments. LinkedIn, for example, is investing heavily in video in the manner of TikTok, experimenting with immersive feeds designed for professionals and experts. (Discover this transformation here on ValueYourNetwork).
The fragmentation of the digital landscape, however, creates a formidable complexity for advertisers and content creators alike. The buzz around niche platforms such as Bluesky or Threads is accompanied by growing difficulty in building loyal audiences. Conquering attention spans thus becomes the true barometer of success, justifying massive investment and continuous innovation.
To understand how the video battle is structured, it's essential to look at engagement mechanisms and how they are evolving - a decisive issue in today's market.
Video audience engagement: in-depth behavior analysis
The ability to generate deep, lasting commitment is one of the key criteria that separate the market leaders. On YouTube, the diversity of formats (long videos, shorts, live, playlists) encourages à la carte consumption, fostering the creation of communities around key creators such as MrBeastwith a record 341 million subscribers this year.
Facebook, for its part, relies on the ease of viral sharing, the relay of private and public groups, and synergy with Instagram and Messenger to amplify its video audiences. AI-facilitated Reels and Stories are systematically highlighted in the Feed algorithm, pushing content discovery towards a logic of zapping and virality. This approach confers a formidable ability to generate reach, particularly on news, sports or entertainment topics.
- Long videos on YouTube generate in-depth interaction (comments, likes, recurring subscriptions).
- Virality on Facebook takes advantage of the "shares + groups" structure, rapidly propelling content to a wider audience.
- The format live streaming on YouTube and Facebook, but also on Twitch or LinkedIn, marks important events (webinars, games, public debates).
- Video vignettes (Shorts on YouTube, Reels on Facebook and Instagram, TikToks) encourage immediate engagement with young audiences.
- Recommendation tools stimulate both loyalty (creation of playlists, subscriptions, personalized recommendations) and discovery (algorithms exploring trends).
| Video format | Flagship platform | Average engagement time | Dominant interaction | Example of a captive audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term | YouTube, Facebook Watch | 20 min | Comments, Subscriptions | MrBeast fans, online training |
| Short video | TikTok, Reels, Shorts | 90 sec | Shares, Likes | Young people aged 16-24 |
| Live streaming | Twitch, YouTube Live, Facebook Live | 40 min | Donations, Live reactions | Video game fans, coaching, concerts |
| Stories | Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat | 12 sec | Views, Quick answers | Millennials & Generation Z |
Behavioral studies show that loyalty is Instagram's strong point (16.6 %), while Facebook retains 13.1 % of its users declaring marked loyalty. TikTok outperforms all other platforms in terms of time spent, although perseverance remains more volatile than on YouTube or Facebook.
The spread of podcasts and sports content reinforces the sense of community, a considerable point of support for the creation of video content. The emergence of AI-generated video on YouTube, the emphasis on video podcasts (notably with YouTube Music and Spotify) and the breakthrough of video shopping on Facebook illustrate this constant diversification of engagement points. To guarantee the success of a video strategy, it has become essential to multiply formats, adapt production to the context of each platform, and continuously measure performance to guide the editorial line.
Content segmentation and personalized experiences
The challenge for each platform is to personalize the user experience. With the rise of artificial intelligence, both YouTube and Facebook are perfecting their recommendations to adapt to tastes and viewing habits. Thanks to AI, Facebook, for example, offers automated content highlighting based on location, social context and virality potential. While YouTube refines its dynamic playlists, spotting videos likely to attract attention or provoke strong engagement, while automatically detecting content generated or modified by generative AI (more).
This level of technological sophistication is prompting advertisers to redesign their creative and budgeting strategies, exploring synergies between individual targeting, remarketing and multiplatform activation.
Understanding the place of advertising spend and influencer marketing in this new era is fundamental to grasping the dynamics of domination in the video universe.
Advertising explosion and changing influence strategies
The competition between YouTube and Facebook isn't just about audience acquisition, it's also about monetization and advertising effectiveness. In the digital sector as a whole, worldwide advertising spend reached 1.1 trillion dollars in 2024, with strong growth of 7,3 %. Social networks now account for nearly 73 % of these budgets, i.e. 790 billionwhile influencer marketing recorded spectacular growth, peaking at 35 billion dollars invested, galvanized by the performance of creators on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
- Advertising reach is up sharply on LinkedIn (+17 %) and Pinterest (+10 %).
- Video, in short or long format, is the preferred format for branding, brand awareness and conversion.
- On Facebook, video advertising is increasingly integrated into the News Feed, taking advantage of cross-platform data (Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp).
- YouTube creators are exploiting the diversification of sponsored formats: product placements, collaborations, live shopping, integration of video podcasts.
- The use of AI makes it possible to optimize advertising targeting and predict ROI trends on each platform.
| Canal Social | Advertising expenditure 2024 (billion $) | Annual change (%) | Share of video in advertising | Star influencers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 108 | +12 | 69 % | MrBeast, Squeezie |
| 76 | +13 | 52 % | Le Grand JD, Nas Daily | |
| 52 | +16 | 57 % | Chiara Ferragni, Léna Situations | |
| TikTok | 28 | +18 | 84 % | Khabane Lame, Zach King |
| Twitch | 7 | +8 | 55 % | TommyInnit, Domingo |
Podcasts, powered by video, are becoming the new Eldorado of influence. According to GWI, 22,1 % of online adults listen to at least one weekly podcast, now surpassing the proportion who follow influencers (find out here). YouTube and Spotify's rapid move into this format signals the rise of hybrid content (audio + video), fostering new modes of engagement and intimacy with audiences. Facebook, for its part, is exploring the integration of Live audio and the broadcasting of live events to build community loyalty.
This context of accelerated change reinforces the gap between pioneering platforms such as YouTube, capable of aggregating multiple global audiences, and Facebook, which taps into a massively engaged intergenerational audience, courted through social commerce and interactive content mechanics. Both concentrate budgets and attract major talent, while having redefined the codes of digital marketing in the age of ubiquitous video.
While advertising performance is becoming a central issue, the strengthening of video identity and innovation on each platform is accelerating the race for new formats and the conquest of future generations.
Micro-influencers, communities and authenticity
Success is no longer limited to the sector's behemoths. Visit micro-influencerscapable of engaging highly targeted and authentic communities, are becoming essential for brands seeking credibility (discover why). On YouTube, the construction of specialized channels, niche areas and personalized playlists attracts a loyal audience looking for expertise or a shared passion. Facebook, on the other hand, favors private thematic groups, where exchange and mutual support often revolve around practical or inspiring videos.
- Authentic partnerships: personalized campaigns based on strong storytelling.
- Private groups: co-create and share key videos, tutorials and case studies.
- Explosions in video challenges: recurring short formats surfing on #2025 trends.
- Mixed formats: a combination of podcast, video and live to reinforce proximity.
- Participative engagement: voting, Q&A, video contests.
The development of these micro-influence strategies reinjects a breath of authenticity into the video sphere, making every piece of viral content a potential bearer of new value, in an ecosystem where relevance and creativity count for more than the mechanical multiplication of views.
These examples reveal a profound evolution in the way each platform approaches video, its monetization and dialogue with its users. These transformations are paving the way for the advent of artificial intelligence and personalization, key elements in the future structuring of the market.
Video social networks and AI: new frontiers in user experience
The integration of artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the video experience on all platforms. On YouTube, AI powers video recommendations, the detection of potentially sensitive content, automatic chapter synthesis and the flagging of AI-generated videos. Facebook, for its part, relies on generative AI to adapt suggestions in Feed, organize dynamic playlists and offer branded videos tailor-made for each user.
- Real-time optimization of video feeds according to individual interactions and preferences.
- Automated comment moderation, proactive removal of inappropriate content.
- Automatic synthesis of video summaries, real-time multilingual translation on YouTube.
- Push inspirational or educational videos according to audience segment expectations on Facebook.
- Cross-referencing with LinkedIn (viral B2B content), Twitch (live streaming of events), TikTok (trendy challenges).
| AI functionality | YouTube | User impact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized recommendation | Yes, very advanced | Yes, via Feed and Watch | Increases engagement time |
| AI content detection | Yes, IA signage | Yes, proactive moderation | Confidence, enhanced safety |
| Simultaneous translation | Available on flagship videos | Coming soon via MetaAI | Global accessibility, diversity |
| Microformats generation | Shorts, dynamic extracts | Reels, Automatic Stories | More discoveries, greater reactivity |
Added to this technical sophistication is the explosion of ChatGPT in the digital ecosystem, combining 310 million unique visitors and 3.5 billion monthly visits. The craze for generative AI is stimulating the creation of micro-content, video extracts and hybrid formats combining synthesized voice, animation and augmented video. This trend also encourages the constant reinvention of formats, in line with the speed at which user expectations evolve.
AI's influence doesn't stop there: it enables each platform to spot market "weak signals", anticipate thematic shifts and inspire the design of new community or commercial experiences.
The personalized video experience, a catalyst for social commerce
The combined effectiveness of video and AI is exemplary in the field of social trade. More 56 % of connected adults say they buy online every week, driven by personalized recommendations from their browsing on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook. Worldwide sales of online consumer goods now exceed 4.12 trillion dollarsThis is confirmation of the ability of videos to trigger spontaneous purchases, thanks to product placement, live shopping or the addition of interactive information to the video stream.
- Clickable videos: direct redirection to the store or shopping cart, with no break in the customer journey.
- Live shopping: interactive presentations by influencers or experts, questions in real time.
- Tutorials and usage demonstrations on YouTube, sponsored Reels on Facebook, LinkedIn video guides.
- Push content tailored to each demographic segment, with particular emphasis on "silver surfers" (over 50), who are active and solvent but traditionally less targeted.
- Association of QR codes or promotional links with video formats, stimulating instant conversion.
This efficiency is fueled by fluidity and personalization, with each platform seeking to eliminate friction to maximize the probability of purchase (detailed analysis). Eventually, the convergence of AI + video could even give rise to new categories of immersive commerce, merging customer experience, infotainment and community interaction on a very large scale.
The video shopping model, massively tested in Asia and now a must in Europe and the Americas, is reshaping the e-commerce landscape and establishing the supremacy of platforms capable of offering both algorithmic firepower and creative diversity.
The dynamics of streaming and the mutation of television, driven by video, are forcing every player to constantly reposition themselves, or risk losing some of their relevance to new generations. This link between video, streaming and changing media habits deserves closer attention.
Streaming, video and media mutation: towards a new generational paradigm
The rise of streaming content is upsetting the traditional balance between video platforms and historical media. While Netflix and Disney+ continue their ascent, YouTube maintains its status as the leader in online video, generating more than 6,44 % of global web traffic - that's 40 % more than Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit and WhatsApp combined. On screens, the new generation devotes more time to streaming than to traditional television, particularly among 16-24 year-olds, who spend 51 % of their screen time.
- 92 % of Internet users consume online content every month, across all media.
- Streaming video accounts for nearly 87 % of worldwide Internet traffic (all formats, all platforms).
- Sports and podcasts are gaining ground, with 23.6 % and 22.1 % regular users respectively.
- Interactive formats: live chat, annotations, interactive responses, integrated polls on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and LinkedIn.
- Niche platforms (Vimeo, Dailymotion) specialize in B2B, capturing professional events or sharing expert content.
| Content type | Dominant platforms | Key audience | Share of screen time | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video streaming | YouTube, Netflix, Twitch | 16-24 year-old esport fans | 51 % (16-24 years) | Video games, broadcasts, live talk shows |
| Social video | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok | 25-44 years, families, trending | 42 % (social network time) | Discovery, entertainment, challenges |
| Professional video | LinkedIn, Vimeo | 30-50 years, B2B, experts | 15 % (dedicated time) | Webinars, training, conferences |
| Podcasts & audio video | YouTube, Spotify | All ages | 20 % (weekly audience share) | Programs, debates, long-form stories |
In this panorama, YouTube stands out as the most transgenerational platform, capable of winning over both digital natives and more mature generations. Facebook stands out for the strength of its intergenerational communities, offering a unifying space for dialogue and sharing, although video consumption is less intensive than on YouTube or TikTok.
The transformation of video social networks is also the result of the ability to integrate the live experience, essential for the coverage of sporting, political or cultural events on a global scale. Twitch occupies a central position in this segment, but is facing the rise of competing offerings emanating directly from YouTube, Facebook Live and LinkedIn Video.
Generations, content and the evolution of video cultural practices
Observation of viewing practices reveals a shift from a linear model (traditional TV) to on-demand, decompartmentalized and interactive consumption. This revolution is generating several notable effects:
- Emergence of transversal creators: the same influencer activates his visibility on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitch to maximize his omnichannel presence.
- Blurring the boundaries between editorial, entertainment, commerce and training.
- Enhancement of educational and informative content (webinars, tutorials, mini-trainings) on LinkedIn Video and YouTube.
- Rise of live streaming for hot news coverage, political discussions and major sporting events.
- Increasing integration of audio with video: podcasts, live talk shows, filmed episodes of audio series broadcast on YouTube or Facebook Watch.
Each platform is fine-tuning its strategy to capture new audiences while maximizing the attention span of its traditional communities. This race for relevance is driving innovation tenfold and accelerating the reshuffling of the cards, both in terms of technology and the very nature of the link between creators, audiences and brands.
In the light of this abundance of opportunities and challenges, it becomes clear that the future of video on social networks is less a question of simple domination than of perpetual strategic adaptation, at the frenetic pace of global demand.