Indie animation is officially here to stay, and YouTube has the numbers to back it up. A new report from YouTube Culture & Trends, titled “Animation’s New Wave”, shared a few notable statistics emerging from the site’s animators, citing success stories like Hazbin Hotel, Alien Stage, and The Amazing Digital Circus:
- 61% of 14- to 24-year-old animation fans agree that they like watching animated series created by independent animators for YouTube, as much as or even more than series created by a major studio.
- 63% of 14- to 24-year-old animation fans watch animated series created for YouTube weekly or more. Fan-created trends are just as popular, with 66% watching animation memes weekly.
- 50% of 14- to 49-year-old animation fans watch animated series in languages other than their own.
The report also included VTubers as part of the animated phenomenon sweeping YouTube, with Hololive’s Juufutei Raden cited as a creator who found success through fan-created animated memes. Over 61% of 14- to 24-year-olds surveyed agree that it’s possible to feel just as connected to virtual creators and artists as real ones.
Read the full report over on the YouTube Culture and Trends website.
