TikTok and YouTube trigger influencer boom among older audiences

Overall, 70% of internet users in the UK and the US watch influencer videos at least once a week, with total viewing up 18% since the first quarter of 2020.

The proportion of 55- to 64-year-olds watching influencer videos weekly rose from 44% in the first quarter of 2020 to 54% in the third quarter of 2025 in the US. Correspondingly, this figure rose from 30% to 38% in the UK during the same time span.

TikTok and YouTube, in particular, are driving growth in monthly active users (MAUs).

The research also shows that streaming platforms are increasingly partnering with influencers to win viewers. For example, Amazon Prime Video has Molly Mae: Behind It All, Disney+ has The D’Amelio Show, and Netflix has capitalised on this strategy with Miss Rachel, which was the sixth most-watched children's show globally in the first half of 2025.

The popularity of influencer content with older viewers comes as YouTube becomes increasingly popular as a living-room viewing experience.

Smart TV ownership among 55- to 64-year-old internet users in the UK and the US jumped from 59% in the first quarter of 2020 to 79% in third quarter of 2025. Furthermore, over a quarter (29%) now use a smart TV monthly to watch YouTube.

Annabel Yeomans, Senior Research Manager at Ampere Analysis, said: “The biggest surprise in our latest data wasn’t how popular influencer videos have become – it is how rapidly this trend has extended to older audiences. As viewing habits diversify and platforms like YouTube and TikTok become part of living-room viewing, the lines between social and traditional platforms are blurring.

“As a result, new opportunities for collaboration across different platform types are emerging. Streaming services are increasingly partnering with influencers, an approach that first attracted younger viewers and is now gaining traction among older audiences.”

Adrian Pennington recently investigated how film and TV professionals can respond to the threat that YouTube and the wider creator economy pose to studios. Discover more here.