Influencer content has moved firmly into the mainstream, with new research from Ampere Analysis showing that 70% of internet users in the UK and United States now watch influencer videos at least once a week – and older audiences are delivering much of the recent growth.
Among 55–64 year-olds, weekly viewing of influencer content has climbed sharply since 2020. In the US, the proportion watching at least weekly has risen from 44% in Q1 2020 to 54% in Q3 2025, while in the UK it has grown from 30% to 38% over the same period. Overall weekly viewing of influencer videos across all ages is up 18% since Q1 2020.
Streaming platforms are increasingly using influencers to front original commissions and spin-offs. Prime Video has Molly Mae: Behind It All, Disney+ carries The D’Amelio Show, while Netflix has tapped early years YouTube star Miss Rachel, whose pre-school series ranked as the sixth most-watched Children’s and Family title globally in the first half of 2025.
TikTok and YouTube sit at the heart of the trend. YouTube’s monthly active users among internet users in the UK and United States have grown by 12% in the United States and 34% in the UK between Q1 2020 and Q3 2025, while TikTok MAU has reached an all-time high of 30% across the same markets. Among 55–64 year-olds, YouTube delivered the highest growth in monthly viewing over the period – up 25% in the US and 14% in the UK – with TikTok MAU for this demo up 6% in the US and 16% in the UK over the past year alone.
Ampere links the shift in part to the rapid take-up of connected devices among older consumers. Smart TV ownership among 55–64 year-old internet users in the UK and United States has jumped from 59% in Q1 2020 to 79% in Q3 2025, with 29% now using a smart TV at least monthly to watch YouTube – positioning the Google-owned platform as a core living-room experience for this age group.
“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,” said Annabel Yeomans, senior research manager at Ampere Analysis. “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. Streaming services are increasingly partnering with influencers – an approach that first attracted younger viewers and is now gaining traction among older audiences.”
