Why are YouTube videos so long now?

Quick answer

You search how to reset a router. The answer is hold the button for 10 seconds.

The video is 11 minutes. And like, you sit there through the intro, the channel story, the sponsor, the please subscribe, and then the guy holds the button.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

It's everywhere now, and people ask about it constantly. Here's what's actually going on, and what you can do about it.

The 8 minute line

YouTube lets monetized videos that are 8 minutes or longer carry mid-roll ads, meaning ad breaks in the middle of the video (YouTube Help). So a creator with a 5 minute answer has a real reason to make it 8. You can feel it when a video lands at 8:03.

Watch time pays

YouTube said publicly that it moved toward watch time, how long people keep watching, as a better signal than views (YouTube, cross-posted on Google's India blog, Feb 2017). More minutes watched tends to help a video, so long videos with a slow reveal are a pretty natural result.

The padding you keep seeing

• A recap of the last video before this one starts
• A long story about why they made the video
• The sponsor read, sometimes twice
• Teasing the answer, then 'but first'
• Saying the same point three ways
• A long outro asking you to subscribe

What people do about it

The tips that come up again and again when people complain about this:

• Open the chapters and jump straight to the one that matches your question.
• Read the description first. Some creators put the answer or the steps right there.
• Turn on 1.5x or 2x for talking-head videos.
• Check the top comments. Someone usually posted the timestamp of the actual answer.
• Open the transcript and search it for the word you care about.

Our own tip: if the title is a question, give the video 60 seconds. If it hasn't started answering by then, it's padding, and you can bail.

Where 125x fits

125x reads the videos from your subscriptions and puts a summary on each one, so the 3 minute answer is sitting right there before you open the 18 minute video. The verdict tells you if the full watch is worth it.

FAQ: questions people ask

Why are YouTube videos so long now?

A big reason is money. Monetized videos 8 minutes or longer can have mid-roll ads, and longer watch time tends to help videos get recommended.

How long is too long for a YouTube video?

If it takes longer than the answer needs, it's too long. A good test is whether the video starts answering its title in the first minute.

How do I skip the filler in a long YouTube video?

Use chapters, check the comments for a timestamp, search the transcript, or read a summary first so you know where the real part is.

Related guides

• Why YouTubers Never Get to the Point (and the Fix)
• How to Skip to the Good Part of Any YouTube Video
• How to Summarize a YouTube Video Without Watching It
• How to Stop Wasting Time on YouTube: 12 Tips That Work
• Every 125x guide

125x is a web app at 125x.app that turns your YouTube subscriptions into a feed with a summary on every video, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips, so you can see what's worth opening before you spend the time.

125x is made by Blake Labs Inc. 125x is not made by YouTube or Google.