YouTubers' viewership increased by 30% during the pandemic (LTTM group data)
During the pandemic, video viewership for YouTubers affiliated with the LTTM group's networks increased by 30%. The time spent watching materials significantly lengthened (by 30%) and the number of video views increased (by 27%). From March 12 to 15 alone, the total number of views on YouTube reached as many as 133 million, and the average watch time was 753 million minutes (522 days).
Viewership growth across all groups
Comparing this data to the equivalent days (Friday–Sunday) of the first week of March, an increase of 28 million views and 170 million minutes of watch time is noticeable. This change was recorded across the LTTM network in all demographic groups of viewers. Channels for children, gaming, educational content, as well as those in the beauty, entertainment, and specialized thematic and hobby content categories are all enjoying greater popularity. The data was compiled based on over 800 channels affiliated with the network.
The pandemic period means not only increased media consumption, but also a growth in content creator activity that we have observed. Thanks to this, we helped many clients move budgets at express speed, including from OOH activities to campaigns with influencers. We are also naturally observing increased interest from e-commerce companies in influencer marketing — specifically for this group, we introduced new possibilities for settling collaborations with influencers, including based on CPM, CPC models, or the use of discount codes - comments Paweł Stano, vice president of the LTTM group and president of LifeTube.
Creators intensify their activity
Influencers are not only engaging in educational or informational campaigns (such as the recently initiated #KoronaCizGłowyNieSpadnie campaign, in which over 60 top creators have already taken part), but are currently creating more content aimed at their communities. They often create their materials in a home studio, without the support of a film crew or limiting it to the necessary minimum — thanks to this, the production of their content has in most cases not been halted.
What is the LTTM group?
LTTM — the largest group in Poland providing video and influencer marketing services. Under its wing, 62% of the industry in Poland is developing. LTTM comprises specialized companies: LifeTube — the largest YouTube partner network, TalentMedia — the most professional influencer marketing agency, and Mellon Media — a producer of video, new channels and formats on YouTube.
Terms from the article
CPM — Cost Per Mille / cost per thousand views. A settlement model and metric defining the cost of a thousand ad impressions. It is used primarily in reach campaigns and brand awareness building.
Why it matters: The standard for settling reach campaigns: you pay per thousand impressions, so it's easy to compare the cost of reach across different media and formats.
When it's used: When planning and settling awareness campaigns and comparing media.
What happens if you skip it: Without a common measure, the cost of reach on TV, the internet, and outdoor is incomparable — media decisions are made on gut feeling.
CPC — Cost Per Click / cost per click. A settlement model or metric defining the average cost of a single click on an ad or sponsored link. It allows comparing the effectiveness of creatives, keywords, and audience groups.
Why it matters: It shows how much it costs to bring one person to a site — a common denominator for comparing keywords, creatives, and audience groups.
How the growth in at-home views changes marketers' strategies
How at-home views changed marketers' strategies
When it's used: When optimizing paid campaigns in search engines and social media.
What happens if you skip it: Without cost per click, the budget gets spread across campaigns blindly — you can't see which keywords and creatives you're overpaying for several times over.
OOH — Out of Home / out-of-home advertising. Advertising reaching audiences outside the home, e.g. billboards, citylights, public transport carriers, airport advertising, and large-format screens. It requires planning of locations and exposure.
Why it matters: It works where people already are: on streets, at bus stops, on commuter routes. It builds local reach and brand recall without fighting for attention in an overloaded internet.
When it's used: When building awareness, local campaigns, and supporting launches; location and exposure decide everything.
What happens if you skip it: A purely digital campaign bypasses people away from screens — and purchasing decisions are also made on the way to the store.
Production — Production / production. The process of preparing and executing creative material, e.g. a spot, photo session, podcast, graphic, website, or event. It covers pre-production, execution, post-production, quality control, approvals, and delivery of final files.
Why it matters: Its efficiency determines whether an idea survives the journey to airing: budget, schedule, and quality are decided in preparation and execution, not in the concept.
When it's used: For every material requiring execution: spots, sessions, podcasts, events, websites.
What happens if you skip it: Without reliable production, a great script ends up as material that is delayed, overpaid for, or endlessly revised.
Summary
LTTM group data shows that the pandemic clearly increased video consumption online: viewership rose by 30%, and the number of views on March 12–15 reached 133 million, with 753 million minutes of watch time. The growth covered all demographic groups and content categories, from children's to educational and beauty. Creators, working from home studios, kept production going, and marketers accelerated the shift of budgets from OOH to influencer marketing, using CPM and CPC models and discount codes.
