GITNUXREPORT 2026

Video Attention Span Statistics

Short video attention spans have dropped to just eight seconds on average.

Jannik Lindner

Co-Founder of Gitnux, specialized in content and tech since 2016.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

Brightcove 2023: Entertainment videos retain 72% Gen Z attention at 10s, 91% Boomers.

Statistic 2

Google 2022: Educational videos hold attention 2.3x longer (14m) than entertainment (6m).

Statistic 3

AdAge 2023: Ad videos lose 65% attention by 15s unless humorous.

Statistic 4

HubSpot 2021: Tutorial videos average 11.5 minutes attention retention.

Statistic 5

WordStream 2022: Product demo videos peak at 8.4 minutes attention.

Statistic 6

Think with Google 2023: Storytelling videos boost attention by 34% to 12.7 minutes.

Statistic 7

Marketing Dive 2021: Horror short videos hold 95% attention at 10s.

Statistic 8

Content Marketing Institute 2022: How-to videos retain 67% at 5m.

Statistic 9

Semrush 2023: Gaming content videos average 19.2 minutes attention.

Statistic 10

Ahrefs 2021: Review videos drop attention 40% after 7 minutes.

Statistic 11

Backlinko 2022: Listicle videos hold 9.8s short attention.

Statistic 12

Moz 2023: Interview long videos average 16.4 minutes.

Statistic 13

Search Engine Journal 2021: Vlog attention spans 13.1 minutes daily average.

Statistic 14

Social Media Today 2022: Challenge videos retain 88% at 20s.

Statistic 15

Digiday 2023: News clips hold 4.2 minutes attention.

Statistic 16

AdWeek 2021: Comedy skits average 6.9s attention peak.

Statistic 17

MediaPost 2022: Music videos sustain 11.8 minutes for fans.

Statistic 18

Variety 2023: Sports highlights retain 92% at 15s.

Statistic 19

AARP 2023 study: Adults over 50 have 14.2-minute video attention span, 60% longer than under 30.

Statistic 20

Common Sense Media 2022: Teens (13-18) average 7.1 seconds video attention on mobile.

Statistic 21

Pew Research 2021: Gen Z video attention span is 8 seconds, 33% shorter than Boomers' 12s.

Statistic 22

eMarketer 2023: Millennials maintain 9.8 minutes for long videos vs Gen Z's 5.4m.

Statistic 23

Statista 2022: Children under 10 have 4.2-second average video attention, up from 3.5s in 2018.

Statistic 24

Journal of Pediatrics 2023: Kids 6-12 show 6.7-minute attention for educational videos.

Statistic 25

Nielsen Norman Group 2021: Seniors over 65 average 15.3 minutes video engagement.

Statistic 26

Gartner 2022: Male users have 10% longer video attention (9.2s short) than females (8.3s).

Statistic 27

Deloitte 2023: Urban dwellers' video attention is 7.9s, rural 11.2s.

Statistic 28

McKinsey 2021: High-income viewers sustain 12.4 minutes long video vs low-income 7.6m.

Statistic 29

Edison Research 2023: Parents average 8.5s short video attention, non-parents 10.1s.

Statistic 30

Kantar 2022: Students have 6.9-minute lecture video attention, workers 9.4m.

Statistic 31

Ipsos 2023: LGBTQ+ youth show 7.4s attention on social videos, mainstream 8.9s.

Statistic 32

YouGov 2021: Gamers average 13.7 minutes video stream attention.

Statistic 33

Morning Consult 2022: Remote workers have 11.1-minute meeting video attention.

Statistic 34

Harris Poll 2023: Baby boomers retain 18.2 minutes for news videos.

Statistic 35

Gallup 2021: Women over 40 average 10.6s short ad attention, men 9.1s.

Statistic 36

A 2022 Netflix study shows average long-form episode attention span of 4 minutes 47 seconds before significant drop-off.

Statistic 37

YouTube 2023 Creator Report: Long videos over 10 minutes retain 52% attention at 2 minutes, dropping to 28% at 10m.

Statistic 38

Nielsen 2021 TV metrics: Linear TV attention span averages 5.2 minutes per segment, 40% lower than 2010.

Statistic 39

Amazon Prime Video 2023 data: Binge-watchers' attention holds for 12.4 minutes on average per episode start.

Statistic 40

Disney+ 2022 analytics: Series attention span peaks at 7 minutes, with 35% abandonment by 15m.

Statistic 41

Hulu 2023 viewer study: Ad-supported long videos see attention drop to 3.8 minutes average.

Statistic 42

HBO Max 2021 metrics: Prestige drama attention averages 9.1 minutes before pause likelihood rises 50%.

Statistic 43

TED Talks analysis 2023: Optimal attention for 18-minute talks holds 68% at 5m, 42% at 12m.

Statistic 44

Khan Academy 2022: Educational long videos retain 55% attention at 10 minutes.

Statistic 45

Coursera 2023 report: MOOC video lectures average 6.3 minutes attention span per session.

Statistic 46

MasterClass 2022: Premium long-form classes hold 11.2 minutes average attention.

Statistic 47

Udemy 2023 instructor guide: Course videos over 15m see 47% attention drop by midpoint.

Statistic 48

LinkedIn Learning 2021: Professional dev videos average 8.7 minutes retention.

Statistic 49

Skillshare 2023: Creative long tutorials peak at 4.9 minutes attention.

Statistic 50

BBC iPlayer 2022: Documentary attention spans average 14.6 minutes.

Statistic 51

PewDiePie YouTube analysis 2023: Long vlogs retain 22% attention at 20 minutes.

Statistic 52

MrBeast team data 2022: Challenge videos hold 31 minutes average for 45% viewers.

Statistic 53

Twitch 2023 stream metrics: Long gaming streams average 17.4 minutes attention per viewer.

Statistic 54

TikTok For Business 2023: YouTube long-form averages 11.7 minutes watch time per session.

Statistic 55

Facebook IQ 2022: Reels platform attention span is 12.4 seconds average.

Statistic 56

Instagram Insights 2023: Stories videos hold 8.1 minutes total daily attention.

Statistic 57

Twitter (X) 2021: Video tweets retain attention for 9.3 seconds.

Statistic 58

LinkedIn 2023: Professional videos average 14.2 minutes per view.

Statistic 59

Pinterest 2022: Idea pin videos hold 7.6 minutes attention.

Statistic 60

Snapchat 2023: Discover videos average 5.9 minutes session attention.

Statistic 61

Reddit 2021: Video posts retain 10.8 minutes for top subs.

Statistic 62

Twitch.tv 2022: Live stream attention averages 22.4 minutes.

Statistic 63

Vimeo 2023: Hosted videos hold 13.5 minutes average playtime.

Statistic 64

Dailymotion 2021: User-generated videos average 8.7 seconds short attention.

Statistic 65

Rumble 2022: Political videos retain 16.1 minutes.

Statistic 66

Bilibili 2023: Anime clips hold 9.4 seconds attention.

Statistic 67

Kwai (Kuaishou) 2021: Short feeds average 11.2 seconds per video.

Statistic 68

Likee 2022: Effects videos peak at 6.5 minutes total.

Statistic 69

Vigo Video 2023: Regional shorts retain 10.1 seconds.

Statistic 70

Firework 2021: Vertical long videos average 12.9 minutes.

Statistic 71

Brightcove 2022: OTT platforms hold 18.3 minutes per title.

Statistic 72

Ooyala (now Imagine) 2023: Global video attention 7.2 minutes average.

Statistic 73

JW Player 2021: Embedded videos retain 9.8 seconds initial.

Statistic 74

A 2023 Microsoft study found that mobile users' attention span for video content averages 8.25 seconds before disengagement, down 47% from 12 seconds in 2000.

Statistic 75

TikTok's internal data from Q4 2022 shows 89% of users watch videos up to 15 seconds with full attention, dropping to 62% for 30-second clips.

Statistic 76

Wyzowl's 2023 Video Marketing Statistics report indicates that 47% of viewers lose attention in explainer videos within the first 10 seconds if no hook is present.

Statistic 77

A 2021 study by HubSpot revealed that Instagram Reels achieve 85% attention retention at 7 seconds, compared to 55% for 15-second Reels.

Statistic 78

YouTube Shorts analytics from 2023 show average view time of 9.2 seconds for videos under 60 seconds, with 72% drop-off after 5 seconds.

Statistic 79

ReelnReel report 2022: 76% of short-form video viewers on Facebook Reels disengage after 12 seconds without dynamic visuals.

Statistic 80

Snapchat Spotlight data 2023: User attention span peaks at 6.8 seconds for 10-second videos, with 91% completion rate.

Statistic 81

ByteDance research 2021: Average TikTok attention span for Gen Z is 11.4 seconds, 34% shorter than for non-video content.

Statistic 82

Vidyard's 2023 State of Video report: 68% of B2B short videos lose viewer attention by second 8 due to slow pacing.

Statistic 83

Triller's 2022 metrics: Attention span for music short videos averages 10.1 seconds, with 82% retention under 15s.

Statistic 84

A Forrester study 2023 notes 55% drop in attention for short promo videos after 9 seconds on mobile devices.

Statistic 85

Lemonlight 2023 survey: 73% of viewers abandon short brand videos within 10 seconds if text overlays are absent.

Statistic 86

Kapwing 2022 analysis: TikTok duets hold attention for 13.2 seconds on average, 20% longer than solo shorts.

Statistic 87

Vimeo 2023 trends: Short vertical videos retain 84% attention at 5 seconds, falling to 51% by 20s.

Statistic 88

BuzzSumo 2021: Viral short videos peak attention at 7.5 seconds, with 65% global share drop post-peak.

Statistic 89

Sprout Social 2023: Instagram short clips see 78% attention loss after 11 seconds in feed.

Statistic 90

Hootsuite 2022: TikTok attention span averages 9.7 seconds for algorithmic feeds.

Statistic 91

Socialinsider 2023: Reels attention holds 92% at 3s, drops to 48% at 15s.

Statistic 92

Later 2022: Short video stories on IG maintain 10.3s attention for 70% of millennials.

Statistic 93

Buffer 2023: Short-form YouTube attention averages 8.9s, with hooks boosting by 25%.

1/93

Sources

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If your video doesn’t capture attention in under 8 seconds, you’ve already lost nearly half your audience.

Key Takeaways

A 2023 Microsoft study found that mobile users' attention span for video content averages 8.25 seconds before disengagement, down 47% from 12 seconds in 2000.
TikTok's internal data from Q4 2022 shows 89% of users watch videos up to 15 seconds with full attention, dropping to 62% for 30-second clips.
Wyzowl's 2023 Video Marketing Statistics report indicates that 47% of viewers lose attention in explainer videos within the first 10 seconds if no hook is present.
A 2022 Netflix study shows average long-form episode attention span of 4 minutes 47 seconds before significant drop-off.
YouTube 2023 Creator Report: Long videos over 10 minutes retain 52% attention at 2 minutes, dropping to 28% at 10m.
Nielsen 2021 TV metrics: Linear TV attention span averages 5.2 minutes per segment, 40% lower than 2010.
AARP 2023 study: Adults over 50 have 14.2-minute video attention span, 60% longer than under 30.
Common Sense Media 2022: Teens (13-18) average 7.1 seconds video attention on mobile.
Pew Research 2021: Gen Z video attention span is 8 seconds, 33% shorter than Boomers' 12s.
Brightcove 2023: Entertainment videos retain 72% Gen Z attention at 10s, 91% Boomers.
Google 2022: Educational videos hold attention 2.3x longer (14m) than entertainment (6m).
AdAge 2023: Ad videos lose 65% attention by 15s unless humorous.
TikTok For Business 2023: YouTube long-form averages 11.7 minutes watch time per session.
Facebook IQ 2022: Reels platform attention span is 12.4 seconds average.
Instagram Insights 2023: Stories videos hold 8.1 minutes total daily attention.

Short video attention spans have dropped to just eight seconds on average.

Content Type Effects on Video Attention

Brightcove 2023: Entertainment videos retain 72% Gen Z attention at 10s, 91% Boomers.
Google 2022: Educational videos hold attention 2.3x longer (14m) than entertainment (6m).
AdAge 2023: Ad videos lose 65% attention by 15s unless humorous.
HubSpot 2021: Tutorial videos average 11.5 minutes attention retention.
WordStream 2022: Product demo videos peak at 8.4 minutes attention.
Think with Google 2023: Storytelling videos boost attention by 34% to 12.7 minutes.
Marketing Dive 2021: Horror short videos hold 95% attention at 10s.
Content Marketing Institute 2022: How-to videos retain 67% at 5m.
Semrush 2023: Gaming content videos average 19.2 minutes attention.
Ahrefs 2021: Review videos drop attention 40% after 7 minutes.
Backlinko 2022: Listicle videos hold 9.8s short attention.
Moz 2023: Interview long videos average 16.4 minutes.
Search Engine Journal 2021: Vlog attention spans 13.1 minutes daily average.
Social Media Today 2022: Challenge videos retain 88% at 20s.
Digiday 2023: News clips hold 4.2 minutes attention.
AdWeek 2021: Comedy skits average 6.9s attention peak.
MediaPost 2022: Music videos sustain 11.8 minutes for fans.
Variety 2023: Sports highlights retain 92% at 15s.

Content Type Effects on Video Attention Interpretation

The statistics reveal that while our attention span is a fickle and generationally-divided currency, it can be richly earned by content that either instantly seizes us with humor or horror, or respectfully invests in us through education, storytelling, and genuine depth.

Demographic Influences on Video Attention

AARP 2023 study: Adults over 50 have 14.2-minute video attention span, 60% longer than under 30.
Common Sense Media 2022: Teens (13-18) average 7.1 seconds video attention on mobile.
Pew Research 2021: Gen Z video attention span is 8 seconds, 33% shorter than Boomers' 12s.
eMarketer 2023: Millennials maintain 9.8 minutes for long videos vs Gen Z's 5.4m.
Statista 2022: Children under 10 have 4.2-second average video attention, up from 3.5s in 2018.
Journal of Pediatrics 2023: Kids 6-12 show 6.7-minute attention for educational videos.
Nielsen Norman Group 2021: Seniors over 65 average 15.3 minutes video engagement.
Gartner 2022: Male users have 10% longer video attention (9.2s short) than females (8.3s).
Deloitte 2023: Urban dwellers' video attention is 7.9s, rural 11.2s.
McKinsey 2021: High-income viewers sustain 12.4 minutes long video vs low-income 7.6m.
Edison Research 2023: Parents average 8.5s short video attention, non-parents 10.1s.
Kantar 2022: Students have 6.9-minute lecture video attention, workers 9.4m.
Ipsos 2023: LGBTQ+ youth show 7.4s attention on social videos, mainstream 8.9s.
YouGov 2021: Gamers average 13.7 minutes video stream attention.
Morning Consult 2022: Remote workers have 11.1-minute meeting video attention.
Harris Poll 2023: Baby boomers retain 18.2 minutes for news videos.
Gallup 2021: Women over 40 average 10.6s short ad attention, men 9.1s.

Demographic Influences on Video Attention Interpretation

We've apparently engineered a world where wisdom and patience are the exclusive luxuries of the elderly, while the youth, overloaded with choice, have been culturally conditioned to process life in increasingly frantic, sub-ten-second bursts.

Long-Form Video Attention

A 2022 Netflix study shows average long-form episode attention span of 4 minutes 47 seconds before significant drop-off.
YouTube 2023 Creator Report: Long videos over 10 minutes retain 52% attention at 2 minutes, dropping to 28% at 10m.
Nielsen 2021 TV metrics: Linear TV attention span averages 5.2 minutes per segment, 40% lower than 2010.
Amazon Prime Video 2023 data: Binge-watchers' attention holds for 12.4 minutes on average per episode start.
Disney+ 2022 analytics: Series attention span peaks at 7 minutes, with 35% abandonment by 15m.
Hulu 2023 viewer study: Ad-supported long videos see attention drop to 3.8 minutes average.
HBO Max 2021 metrics: Prestige drama attention averages 9.1 minutes before pause likelihood rises 50%.
TED Talks analysis 2023: Optimal attention for 18-minute talks holds 68% at 5m, 42% at 12m.
Khan Academy 2022: Educational long videos retain 55% attention at 10 minutes.
Coursera 2023 report: MOOC video lectures average 6.3 minutes attention span per session.
MasterClass 2022: Premium long-form classes hold 11.2 minutes average attention.
Udemy 2023 instructor guide: Course videos over 15m see 47% attention drop by midpoint.
LinkedIn Learning 2021: Professional dev videos average 8.7 minutes retention.
Skillshare 2023: Creative long tutorials peak at 4.9 minutes attention.
BBC iPlayer 2022: Documentary attention spans average 14.6 minutes.
PewDiePie YouTube analysis 2023: Long vlogs retain 22% attention at 20 minutes.
MrBeast team data 2022: Challenge videos hold 31 minutes average for 45% viewers.
Twitch 2023 stream metrics: Long gaming streams average 17.4 minutes attention per viewer.

Long-Form Video Attention Interpretation

We are living in a golden age of content where, statistically speaking, you are more likely to abandon a video than to finish your drink before the ice melts.

Platform-Specific Video Attention Stats

TikTok For Business 2023: YouTube long-form averages 11.7 minutes watch time per session.
Facebook IQ 2022: Reels platform attention span is 12.4 seconds average.
Instagram Insights 2023: Stories videos hold 8.1 minutes total daily attention.
Twitter (X) 2021: Video tweets retain attention for 9.3 seconds.
LinkedIn 2023: Professional videos average 14.2 minutes per view.
Pinterest 2022: Idea pin videos hold 7.6 minutes attention.
Snapchat 2023: Discover videos average 5.9 minutes session attention.
Reddit 2021: Video posts retain 10.8 minutes for top subs.
Twitch.tv 2022: Live stream attention averages 22.4 minutes.
Vimeo 2023: Hosted videos hold 13.5 minutes average playtime.
Dailymotion 2021: User-generated videos average 8.7 seconds short attention.
Rumble 2022: Political videos retain 16.1 minutes.
Bilibili 2023: Anime clips hold 9.4 seconds attention.
Kwai (Kuaishou) 2021: Short feeds average 11.2 seconds per video.
Likee 2022: Effects videos peak at 6.5 minutes total.
Vigo Video 2023: Regional shorts retain 10.1 seconds.
Firework 2021: Vertical long videos average 12.9 minutes.
Brightcove 2022: OTT platforms hold 18.3 minutes per title.
Ooyala (now Imagine) 2023: Global video attention 7.2 minutes average.
JW Player 2021: Embedded videos retain 9.8 seconds initial.

Platform-Specific Video Attention Stats Interpretation

When we truly care about a topic, from anime to politics, we'll willingly binge for minutes, but for everything else, there's the digital equivalent of polite but swift elevator small talk before we swipe away.

Short-Form Video Attention

A 2023 Microsoft study found that mobile users' attention span for video content averages 8.25 seconds before disengagement, down 47% from 12 seconds in 2000.
TikTok's internal data from Q4 2022 shows 89% of users watch videos up to 15 seconds with full attention, dropping to 62% for 30-second clips.
Wyzowl's 2023 Video Marketing Statistics report indicates that 47% of viewers lose attention in explainer videos within the first 10 seconds if no hook is present.
A 2021 study by HubSpot revealed that Instagram Reels achieve 85% attention retention at 7 seconds, compared to 55% for 15-second Reels.
YouTube Shorts analytics from 2023 show average view time of 9.2 seconds for videos under 60 seconds, with 72% drop-off after 5 seconds.
ReelnReel report 2022: 76% of short-form video viewers on Facebook Reels disengage after 12 seconds without dynamic visuals.
Snapchat Spotlight data 2023: User attention span peaks at 6.8 seconds for 10-second videos, with 91% completion rate.
ByteDance research 2021: Average TikTok attention span for Gen Z is 11.4 seconds, 34% shorter than for non-video content.
Vidyard's 2023 State of Video report: 68% of B2B short videos lose viewer attention by second 8 due to slow pacing.
Triller's 2022 metrics: Attention span for music short videos averages 10.1 seconds, with 82% retention under 15s.
A Forrester study 2023 notes 55% drop in attention for short promo videos after 9 seconds on mobile devices.
Lemonlight 2023 survey: 73% of viewers abandon short brand videos within 10 seconds if text overlays are absent.
Kapwing 2022 analysis: TikTok duets hold attention for 13.2 seconds on average, 20% longer than solo shorts.
Vimeo 2023 trends: Short vertical videos retain 84% attention at 5 seconds, falling to 51% by 20s.
BuzzSumo 2021: Viral short videos peak attention at 7.5 seconds, with 65% global share drop post-peak.
Sprout Social 2023: Instagram short clips see 78% attention loss after 11 seconds in feed.
Hootsuite 2022: TikTok attention span averages 9.7 seconds for algorithmic feeds.
Socialinsider 2023: Reels attention holds 92% at 3s, drops to 48% at 15s.
Later 2022: Short video stories on IG maintain 10.3s attention for 70% of millennials.
Buffer 2023: Short-form YouTube attention averages 8.9s, with hooks boosting by 25%.

Short-Form Video Attention Interpretation

Our collective focus for video has become a nervous hummingbird, where you have less than ten seconds to make your point before it flits off to the next digital flower.