State of Video Report: Video Marketing Statistics for 2026

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Get the latest trends, insights, and benchmarks you need to create a winning video strategy this year.

April 22, 2026

What’s working (and not working) in video marketing right now?

To find out, we surveyed 900+ professionals across industries, dug into over 13 million videos and 79 million hours of viewing data on Wistia, and then packed everything into our 2026 State of Video Report.

The big picture

Video demand is up, but budgets aren’t: Companies are making more videos, but fewer plan to increase spend and almost half are keeping their budgets flat.
Blended video teams are becoming the norm: In-house teams are growing fast, outsourcing more, and using AI mostly in pre-production.
Social engagement is the fastest-rising video success metric: It’s the top metric for almost a quarter of marketers, nearly double the share from last year.
LinkedIn is now B2B’s #1 video channel: 8 in 10 teams say LinkedIn is their primary place to share videos. It even beats out YouTube.
Webinars are the second most impactful video type: On-demand webinars keep getting plays for up to 12 months after the live event.
Four video formats are pulling ahead: Educational videos, product videos, social videos, and webinars are where teams are investing and doubling down on next year.

Now that you’ve got the big picture, let’s dig into some interesting data and takeaways that can change the way you approach video this year.

Benchmarks and ROI

We asked teams to name the top metric they use to gauge the success of their videos. The most common ones are:

View counts: The number of times a video is watched
Conversion assists: The percentage of viewers who take action while watching a video
Social media engagement: The number of shares, likes, and comments on a social post

We also found that less than half of marketers connect their video platform to their customer relationship management (CRM) or email marketing tool to track video analytics alongside their other marketing data. That’s a big missed opportunity to influence conversions!

To get a clear picture of what good video performance looks like, we analyzed Wistia’s video uploads and pulled some benchmarks:

Play rates

The play rate is the amount of visitors who land on a page and press play on a video instead of scrolling past it. The higher the play rate, the higher the video view count. So where you put your video can make a big difference in how many visitors watch it.

To find out where videos get the most plays and engagement on a website, we uncovered the 10 most common types of web pages where companies put their videos and pulled the average metrics for each one:

Videos on homepages, video galleries, and product pages get the highest play rates, and viewers generally get about halfway through them.

Videos on the rest of the pages don’t get as many plays, but people who watch them tend to stay engaged. Videos on event pages saw the highest engagement rate. This makes sense because the ones who choose to hit play on those pages are already invested in the content, so they see it through.

Conversion assists

Interactive video elements are a good way to give someone a next step while they’re already paying attention. To find out what’s working well, we looked at the elements Wistia users put in their videos:

Call to action (CTA): A clickable image or text overlay that encourages viewers to take the next step, like booking a demo or downloading an asset
Annotation link: A small clickable button that sends viewers to a relevant resource — good for building authority when citing a source
Lead generation form: A skippable or unskippable form that asks viewers for their contact information

CTAs are the most common interactive element Wistia users add to their videos, with annotations coming in second and lead gen forms last.

Which interactive video element gets the most clicks?

Surprisingly, it’s the least-used one: lead gen forms. CTAs also drive clicks at a much higher rate than annotation links.

That doesn’t mean lead gen forms and CTAs are the only tools worth using, though. Annotation links are still great for getting viewers to take the next step.

Which video length drives the most clicks?

Longer videos, as it turns out. The longer the video, the more likely viewers are to act. Videos between 30 and 60 minutes see the highest clicks, with videos over 60 minutes coming in second.

This might be because longer videos attract engaged viewers who are more likely to take action when prompted. Plus, people are more willing to fill out a lead gen form to access a longer video.

Where’s the best place to put an interactive video element?

At the end of a video. It’s because people who watch all the way through are already engaged and more likely to take action. Plus, an interactive feature at the end feels like a natural next step instead of an interruption.

Where to place lead gen forms based on video length

5–30 minute videos: the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarters (53–55% click-through rate)
30–60 minute videos: the 1st and 4th quarters (50–51% click-through rate)
60+ minute videos: the 2nd and 4th quarters (67–75% click-through rate)

For 3–5 minute videos, click-through rates are slightly higher when you require viewers to fill out a form before watching than when you let them watch a bit first and then ask. However, forms placed in the last quarter still drive the most clicks.

Engagement rates

We don’t have access to everyone’s engagement metrics on social platforms, but we can share some benchmarks and insights based on data from videos uploaded to our platform. At Wistia, engagement rate is how much of a video people watch on average.

Which video length is the most engaging?

The shorter the video, the higher the engagement rate.

This doesn’t mean shorter is always better! A 10-minute video with a lower engagement rate still gets more total watch time than a 1-minute video with a higher engagement rate. Just remember to deliver your main message before most viewers start to tune out.

The most engaging types of videos

Educational and tutorial videos top the list. People watch about halfway through these videos under five minutes, and engagement holds up well for longer lengths too.

Webinars hold up better than a lot of other long-form formats. They’re not top performers in short-form, but they stay relatively strong as videos get longer.

Almost every format performs best under 5 minutes, but courses, educational videos, webinars, and podcasts hold attention better than the rest once you move into mid- and long-form territory.

Video engagement by industry

Performance varies the most by industry, which suggests that the intent behind a video matters more than the video’s type.

Education

In this field, videos that set out to teach something perform best. Short or long-form both work, as long as they get to the point quickly.

Educational videos consistently show the highest engagement across the board, likely because the audience is there to learn.

Finance & insurance and health & wellness

Long-form videos focused on building trust perform best here. Videos 30 minutes or longer outperform short-form content, which saw weaker engagement. Audiences in these fields want depth and credibility before they’re willing to act.

Food & beverage and retail & ecommerce

Short-form wins here. Videos under three minutes that are visual, snackable, and easy to rewatch see the highest engagement. The goal is discovery, and brevity serves that well.

Software & technology

Videos between three and 30 minutes perform best, with audiences typically in research mode. This industry also has the highest play counts, followed by retail & ecommerce and education.

Let’s talk AI

Teams are using AI in every stage of the video workflow, from planning to repurposing.

And adoption is growing. More than a third already use AI in their workflow, and nearly a quarter more plan to start soon.

Our friends at Storyblocks are seeing the same trend, with most companies they surveyed increasing AI usage over the past 12 months.

And over half are putting more money into AI this year. All of this shows us that AI in video isn’t an experiment anymore. It’s becoming standard practice.

It’s no surprise. AI can help speed up your workflow at every stage, whether you’re planning, making videos, or adding accessibility features. We recently published our AI Video Marketing Trends report, which found:

Daily video producers are 58% more likely to use AI.
AI users are 57% more likely to produce 50–100 videos, and twice as likely to produce 100–250 videos.
AI users are 82% more likely to have subtitles in multiple languages.
AI users are 50% more likely to use audio descriptions.
AI users are 27% more likely to make product videos, and 52% more likely to make ads.

The primary use cases for AI in video

AI is most common in pre-production.

Most teams use ChatGPT for planning, scripting, and ideation.

Teams also use generative AI to create video assets, with captions topping the list. Dubbing is the next most common feature. The top five languages teams dub their videos in are Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Portuguese.

How companies are making videos

Now, let’s look at how companies approached video creation in 2025 and where they’re headed in 2026.

Accessibility

Accessibility is no longer just a best practice. With new laws passed in 2025, including the European Accessibility Act, it’s now a compliance requirement too. 90% of teams are already taking steps to make their videos accessible, and captions are the most common place they start.

We’re seeing more videos uploaded to Wistia meet accessibility standards. Our in-app accessibility checklist has seven criteria. Since 2023, the share of videos meeting at least three of them has grown every year.

Video resolutions

Full HD 1080p is still the most common resolution for videos uploaded to Wistia. Vertical HD (1080x1920) continues to gain momentum, with 24% more uploads than last year. 4k videos saw a 16% boost. On the other hand, 720p videos dropped by 8%, and square videos declined slightly by 4%.

Video production budgets

Almost 40% of companies spent under $5,000 producing videos last year. Just over 30% spent more than $5,000. The rest didn’t have an exact video budget, likely because it was lumped into a broader marketing budget.

The share of companies planning to increase their video budgets has cooled since 2023. Only 40% expect to spend more this year, while 46% are keeping their budgets the same.

Video promotion budgets

41% of companies spent under $20,000 on video promotion and advertising in 2025, and 28% spent over $20,000. As with production budgets, the rest likely don’t track it separately.

Almost half (48%) of companies plan to increase their video promotion budgets this year, and less than 10% are cutting them.

The most popular paid channels for video promotion

LinkedIn is the top platform where teams pay to promote their videos, followed by YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (in that order).

Who makes videos at a company?

More teams are meeting demand by building in-house video capability, but they’re not abandoning outsourcing either. Both approaches are up year over year (YoY), with outsourced production seeing the bigger jump at 7%.

Most companies make videos in-house, with video crews, creative teams, or individual contributors handling production. Around a quarter also outsource video creation to freelancers or video production agencies.

And the highest-volume producers (those making more than 250 videos a year) are 41% more likely than other groups to rely on an in-house team.

What influenced the types of videos companies created in 2025?

Instead of relying on a single factor, most companies considered multiple influences when deciding what videos to create.

Company goals and product launches are driving more than half of video decisions, which means most videos are being made in response to internal priorities rather than external signals like customer feedback, competitor activity, or SEO. Video is still largely a push medium, not a pull one.

The most common video types created in 2025

Educational videos, social videos, product videos, and webinars took the top spots, with over half of companies creating them regularly.

The most impactful types of videos

When asked which video types have the biggest impact on business success, teams put product videos and webinars at the top, with educational and social videos close behind.

Ads and customer testimonials came next, with around a quarter of professionals attributing their success to these formats.

Sitting at the bottom of the list are sales videos, company culture videos, online courses, podcasts, support videos, and original series.

Types of videos companies will create this year

They’re doubling down on the same four video types that proved most successful: product videos, webinars, educational videos, and social videos.

Online courses and original series are the least common choices, with only a small percentage of companies planning to make them.

Sales and support videos are generally static or trending down YoY, suggesting the video format isn’t as popular for these types of interactions.

Customer testimonial videos are trending up: 17% of companies planned to make them in 2023, 37% in 2024, 38% in 2025, and 47% this year.

And podcasts continue to be a growing segment for companies: 14% planned to produce them in 2024, 18% in 2025, and 21% this year.

Creating and promoting videos

Most companies continue to produce videos on a monthly or weekly cadence. 76% are making at least one video a month, signaling that more teams are settling into a sustainable groove.

When looking at YoY changes, the biggest ones are at both ends of the spectrum. The number of companies making videos daily dropped the most, while the number making them just a few times a year saw the biggest increase.

Over half of teams (57%) spend more time creating videos than promoting them. Only 20% spend more time promoting, and 23% split their time evenly between the two.

What’s holding companies back from making more videos?

To meet the growing demand for video, companies produced more videos in 2025 than they did in the previous years. Most would’ve made even more if resources allowed. For the third year in a row, company size and resources top the list of barriers, followed closely by cost.

Go-to video tools

When we asked Wistia users about their favorite tools for recording videos, easy-to-use tools like Canva, Wistia, and Loom came out on top.

For video editing, Adobe Premiere Pro is still the industry standard for many, but teams are also adopting simpler solutions like Canva, Wistia, CapCut, iMovie, and Davinci Resolve.

Podcasting

Let’s switch gears and dig into the data we uncovered about how companies are podcasting these days.

Just over a quarter of companies have a podcast, and 10% are planning to launch one in 2026.

Yep, most companies don’t do podcasts. Their biggest reason is that they don’t have enough time. Their next biggest reasons are a lack of production resources, no room in their budget, and a lack of hosting talent.

Out of companies that do podcasts, an overwhelming 72% cite growing brand awareness and reputation as their primary goal.

Much fewer see podcasts as a sales tool. Only 12% use them to generate leads, and 8% use them to improve customer engagement or retention.

Where companies are sharing their videos

Social media and landing pages are the go-to places to distribute videos, with most companies using both. Email is another popular channel. HubSpot says 75% of marketers use 5+ distinct marketing channels, and only 6% rely on just one or two.

LinkedIn and YouTube are the top platforms where companies post their videos, and by a wide margin. 81% of teams share videos on LinkedIn, followed closely by YouTube at 76%. About half share on Instagram, and just under half on Facebook. Less than a quarter share videos on TikTok.

LinkedIn is now B2B’s top video-sharing channel, and video-heavy platform TikTok’s relatively low number suggests companies are still prioritizing established platforms that support long-form videos and cater to professional audiences.

Resizing videos

Most teams have figured out that resizing videos for different platforms pays off. 76% adjust the aspect ratio depending on where they’re posting, and half do it every time. Of those, more than half resize specifically for LinkedIn and Instagram.

Over half of companies repurpose their video content into social clips. LinkedIn is the top platform for sharing them, with 67% of teams posting clips there, followed by Instagram (49%), YouTube (41%), and Facebook (34%). About one in five share clips on TikTok.

And 60% use those clips to link back to their website, which makes social videos a traffic driver as much as an awareness play.

Where do videos perform best on a website?

To find out, we looked at the most common web pages where Wistia users place videos and the average percentage of visitors who press play on those pages.

Videos on homepages, video galleries, and product pages get the highest play rates, which makes sense. Visitors on these pages are actively exploring, and a video is a natural next step.

One surprising finding: Thank you and contact pages, which might seem like afterthoughts for video, actually hold their own with a 10% play rate each.

Pro-Tip

Got a stash of evergreen videos? Try showcasing them in a video gallery. You might be surprised by how often they get played!

Webinars

Long-form still works when intent is high, and webinars have become a repeatable growth motion. As mentioned, teams rated them as the second most impactful type of video.

Out of teams hosting webinars:

Nearly half started within the past five years.
46% go live at least once a month.
Most are marketing teams.

Types of webinars teams are hosting

The most popular types are focused on establishing thought leadership and showing products in action.

This strategy directly supports the top reasons companies go live (engaging with prospects and customers and generating new leads) and the top ways they measure webinar success (number of attendees and leads).

Webinar budgets

Despite their impact, webinar budgets stay lean. About 8 out of 10 companies spent under $10,000 on webinars last year.

Live webinars

Few types of content hold attention the way webinars do. More than half of attendees keep the webinar tab open the whole time, and they stay for almost the entire event. That kind of focus is hard to come by.

About 40% of people who register for a Wistia-hosted webinar show up. If your webinar lands in the mid-30% attendance range (or higher), that’s solid. If attendance is lower, the answer isn’t making the event shorter. It’s usually making the promise clearer and the live moment more worth showing up for.

On-demand webinars

The teams pulling ahead are not treating webinars like one-off events. They’re treating them as source material for months of content: replays, clips, emails, and more.

Almost 90% of teams reuse webinar content — and for good reason. A third of webinars are still pulling in plays three months after the live event.

On-demand engagement is lower than live attendance, but the replay has a much longer runway. And the data suggests that longer webinars perform better on demand.

On-demand webinar engagement usually lands around 15–20%, but length makes a big difference. Webinar replays between 31–45 minutes saw more than 2x the engagement of those under 30 minutes.

Shorter webinars can drive higher live attendance, but they tend to underperform as replays. If you want a recording that keeps working after the event, a more substantial webinar is usually the better bet.

Repurposing webinars

The most popular approach for repurposing webinars is adding on-demand recordings to landing pages, followed by creating social clips.

Nearly half of teams also include recordings in email campaigns, while over a third embed them in blog posts.

Download your free copy of the report

That’s a wrap on the big takeaways! We hope you’re feeling inspired (and maybe a little nerdy about video). We’ve covered a lot, but there’s still plenty more to dig into.

Grab the full report to get even more trends, insights, and benchmarks that’ll help you level up your video strategy this year.

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