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YouTube benchmarks · 2026
Largest video platform globally. TrueView for direct response, Bumper for reach, Shorts for short-form. Connected TV inventory (YouTube on TVs) is now ~45% of total YouTube viewing time.
Owner: Alphabet, Inc. · Market share: ~9% of US digital ad spend (2026)
TL;DR
Largest video platform globally. TrueView for direct response, Bumper for reach, Shorts for short-form. Connected TV inventory (YouTube on TVs) is now ~45% of total YouTube viewing time.
Current benchmarks · 2026
CPM, CTR, CVR, ROAS, and adjacent platform-specific metrics. All ranges blend platform-published data, third-party agency reports, and RGM operator-side aggregation. Use as sanity-check, not absolutes.
Historical trend · 2020–2026
How YouTube has evolved year-by-year. Includes platform-level changes, attribution events, creative innovations, and macroeconomic context.
How to operate on YouTube
Operator playbook
- Hook in the first 5 seconds — skippable's structural constraint.
- Sequence: ToF Bumper → MoF Skippable → BoF Shorts or Search. Same creative arc.
- Use BumperMachine to generate :06 variants from longer-form video.
- Connected TV: optimize for completion rate (90%+), not CTR. Frequency cap at 3/week.
- Shorts: vertical 9:16, native creator-style. Branded-looking Shorts underperform 2:1.
- Run Brand-Lift studies on any campaign >$50K. View-through ROAS is unreliable.
- TrueView for Action is best for direct response; pair with strong landing-page CRO.
- Sequenced storytelling (Director Mix) drives 30%+ better recall than single-ad campaigns.
Related platforms
How to read these benchmarks
Treat these YouTube figures as a diagnostic range, not a goal. With entry trueview cpm of $8–22, avg cpa (dr, e-com) in the $32–115 band, a result inside the range usually means the constraint is elsewhere - offer, landing experience, or measurement - while a result well outside it points straight at targeting, creative, or bid strategy. Compare like with like - same funnel stage, same objective, same season - because a top-of-funnel number judged against a bottom-of-funnel benchmark will always mislead.
How to use this page. Find the funnel stage you are buying, read the range, and calculate the gap to your live numbers. Model the revenue impact of closing that gap with the break-even ROAS and CAC payback calculators, then pressure-test the plan against the full 2026 benchmarks compendium.
Sourcing. Ranges are RGM's 2026 synthesis of platform-reported figures and aggregated account data, expressed as medians and typical spreads rather than single points. They move with season, auction pressure, and creative quality, so re-check them each quarter.