Influencers Win Over an Unexpected Audience: The 55-and-Up Crowd

Influencer content is no longer just a young person’s game, as new research from Ampere Analysis reveals that audiences over 55 are now one of the genre's fastest-growing demographics. The trend is reshaping viewing habits and forcing major streaming platforms to rethink their content strategies.

• The gray wave: The report found that between 2020 and 2025, weekly viewership among 55-to-64-year-olds jumped 10 percentage points in the U.S. to land at 54%, while in the U.K. it climbed 8 points to 38%. This growth is being supercharged by the television itself, with Smart TV ownership in that same demographic soaring 20 percentage points to reach 79%.

• From phone to throne: YouTube's migration from the phone screen to the living room TV is a key driver of this shift. The result: Americans are now spending nearly 13% of their total TV time watching YouTube, according to recent Nielsen data cited by Media Play News.

• The streamer scramble: The streaming giants are already chasing this audience, partnering with digital-native stars to create premium content. Disney+ is home to The D’Amelio Show, Amazon’s Prime Video features Molly Mae: Behind It All, and Netflix has found a hit with Miss Rachel.

The trend underscores a larger convergence between social media and traditional television. As Ampere Analysis senior research manager Annabel Yeomans puts it, "the lines between social and traditional platforms are blurring," creating new opportunities for collaboration across the ecosystem.

But this shift isn't happening in a vacuum. In a related milestone, YouTube recently became the second most-viewed TV platform in the UK, cementing its place in the mainstream. Meanwhile, other industry voices note that while older demographics are surging, the move to living room viewing is broader, with the 35-plus crowd now primarily using TV as their main device for YouTube.