The numbers at a glance
100 English videos from 26 channels, 30 hours in total, segment data fetched on September 19, 2026:
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Videos with at least one sponsor segment | 82 of 100 |
| Sponsor segments | 105 |
| Median segment length | 64 seconds |
| Middle half of segments | 24 to 94 seconds |
| 90% of segments were shorter than | 114 seconds |
| Longest segment | 144 seconds |
| Sponsor time per sponsored video (median) | 80 seconds, 7.9% of its runtime |
| Sponsored videos with exactly one sponsor segment | 63 of 82 |
| Sponsor share of all 30 hours | 6.2% (7.7% including self-promotion) |
How long is a typical sponsor read?
About a minute. The median was 64 seconds and the average 63.5 seconds. The distribution has two groups, though: 29 of the 105 segments were under 30 seconds, many of them short mentions such as “thanks to our sponsor” at the start, while 57 lasted a minute or longer, the full pitch with an offer and a code.
Longer videos had slightly longer reads: a median of 62 seconds in videos under 10 minutes, 66 seconds at 10 to 20 minutes and 71 seconds at 20 to 30 minutes. The group under 10 minutes held only 7 segments, so treat that first number as rough.
| Length | Segments |
|---|---|
| Under 30 seconds | 29 |
| 30 to 59 seconds | 19 |
| 60 to 89 seconds | 28 |
| 90 to 119 seconds | 22 |
| 120 seconds or more | 7 |
Where in the video do sponsors appear?
Measured by where each segment starts: 18 segments (17%) began in the first 10% of the video, 35 (33%) in the middle, and 52 (50%) in the last 20%.
That end-heavy result is mostly a channel effect. Several channels in the sample put their sponsor near the end of almost every video, while others, such as two hardware channels, put it at the very start every time. Of the 22 channels with sponsor segments, 11 mostly placed them at the end, 8 in the middle and 3 at the start. A different set of channels would shift these shares.
A rule like “skip the first two minutes” would have missed most sponsor reads in this sample. Placement varies by creator, which is why a skipper has to find the sponsor in each video rather than assume a position.
How much of your watch time goes to sponsors?
In this sample, sponsor reads took 6.2% of all video time, and 7.7% with unpaid self-promotion included. For a sponsored video the median was 80 seconds.
As a rough example: if you watch ten videos a day like these, and eight of them have a sponsor, that is about 11 minutes of sponsor reads a day, or more than 5 hours a month. Your own number depends heavily on the channels you watch.
How does this compare with other analyses?
A 2025 analysis by Mateus Trentz on Towards Data Science, using the whole SponsorBlock database after filtering, found sponsors made up about 6.5% of videos 12 to 20 minutes long and 4.8% of videos 20 to 30 minutes long, with sponsor density peaking near the start and the end of videos. Our figures point the same way, from a much smaller but recent sample.
How we built the sample
We fixed a list of English channels before collecting anything and took at most four videos per channel. Videos had to be 5 to 30 minutes long, have original English captions, and already have SponsorBlock segments in the Sponsor or Unpaid/Self Promotion category with non-negative votes. No video was replaced after collection.
- Not a random sample of YouTube: every video already had a segment, so this data can't say how many videos contain sponsors.
- Mostly technology, science and education channels; other genres may differ.
- Boundaries are community submissions and can be a few seconds early or late.
- Podcasts and videos over 30 minutes are not included.
Common questions
What percentage of a YouTube video is sponsors?
In our sample, sponsored videos spent a median of 7.9% of their runtime on sponsor reads. Across all 30 hours, including videos without a sponsor read, it was 6.2%.
Are sponsor segments usually at the start of a video?
Not in our sample: 17% started in the first 10% of the video and 50% in the last 20%. Placement depended strongly on the channel.
Can I use this data?
Yes. The aggregate statistics are published as JSON with the method and limits. Please cite SponsorSkip and mention that segment boundaries come from SponsorBlock contributors.
A minute per video adds up
SponsorSkip finds sponsor reads wherever the creator puts them, at the start, in the middle or at the end, by reading the captions. Try it free on your first 20 videos.
Sources
This analysis is by SponsorSkip. Segment boundaries come from SponsorBlock's public API and were submitted by its contributors; the statistics and their interpretation are ours. The aggregate data is downloadable below. External sources were checked on October 8, 2026. Product details describe SponsorSkip as of the update date above.
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