The news: YouTube’s focus on TV viewing and short-form content may be putting pressure on creators and influencers. Consumers spend more time watching YouTube on connected TVs (CTVs) than any other device, prompting the company to double down on being a one-stop shop for content offerings.

That includes a major push for Shorts, forcing creators to rethink their content strategies and follower attraction tactics. Tariffs and related market turmoil could also threaten brand partnerships and drive US social network ad spending growth down 10% this year, crafting a storm of uncertainty.

Short-form benefits: Longer-form video content can be more expensive to produce, requiring more resources and often needing multiple episodes to gain user attention. By contrast, short-form videos are cheaper and offer a lower-risk way for creators to try out content ideas and gauge audience interest in video concepts.

However lower costs for short-form videos can also mean less revenue and engagement.

• “You can’t monetize as effectively on Shorts as you can with long-form content … and you don’t develop that deep relationship with the audience,” creator Taylor Lorenz said, per Marketing Brew.
• Short-form videos may not help build followers since audiences can scroll through Shorts without engaging directly with creators’ accounts.

Zooming out: YouTube’s interest in Shorts isn’t a blip—it matches younger consumers’ overall interest, perhaps driven by shorter attention spans and a desire for bite-size viewing.

• 75% of Gen Zers said short-form videos are their most-watched type of vertical content, per Toluna.
• Music videos came in second at 39% in the multiple-choice survey question, while longer-form vlogs and personal-update videos trail behind at 30%.

Economic challenges: President Donald Trump’s tariffs may disrupt the digital ad market and reduce consumer spending.

• Companies that get their goods from China now face higher duties and could pause influencer campaigns.
• That could make it harder for influencers to create any kind of content since many content creators rely on brand or product sponsorships.

Our take: If digital ad spending growth slows, creators could see smaller ad-share payouts from YouTube. Diversifying both content length and income sources could help creators adapt to economic changes and platform pressures.