62.7% of Companies Experience Withdrawal or Discontinuation of YouTube Operations. Reality Reveals "Business Results" Over "View Count" Determines Continuation or Withdrawal. [Survey on the Reality of YouTube Operation Withdrawal/Failure]

Acacia Co., Ltd. (https://acacia-web.com/, Location: Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka, Representative Director: Rikuya Okamoto), which specializes in supporting B2B companies with customer acquisition and provides YouTube operation agency and video production services, conducted a "Survey on the Reality of YouTube Operation Withdrawal/Failure" targeting 303 corporate representatives who are currently operating or have experience operating YouTube channels in-house. This survey revealed that 62.7% of companies have experienced withdrawing or discontinuing YouTube operations, and more than half of them decided to cease within six months. While "failure to connect to sales results" and "low view counts" were almost equally cited as reasons for withdrawal, the top reasons cited by companies that continued despite initial failures were indicators linked to business results, such as brand awareness and lead generation. The reality highlights that the ability to design "YouTube for business results" rather than "YouTube for increasing view counts" is the turning point for continuation or withdrawal. Click here for the detailed report

Survey Overview

Survey Period: February 12, 2026 (Thursday) Target Audience: Companies currently operating or with experience operating YouTube channels in-house Valid Responses: 303 respondents (198 males / 105 females) Age Breakdown: 20s: 87 respondents / 30s: 113 respondents / 40s: 69 respondents / 50s: 34 respondents Survey Method: Internet survey Survey Organization: iBridge Corporation *Percentages for multiple-choice questions are calculated based on the number of valid respondents. *Data is rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not always be 100%. All data and detailed analysis can be found here: https://acacia-web.com/news/youtube-research/

Summary of Survey Results

・The most common YouTube operation system was "all in-house operation" with 173 respondents (57.1%), while a total of 130 respondents (42.9%) utilized external resources (fully outsourced or partially outsourced). ・The most common failure/challenge was "continued posting but view counts did not grow" with 97 respondents (32.0%), with approximately 90% experiencing some form of failure. ・The period until judging failure was most commonly "less than 3-6 months" at 39.2%, with 73.5% judging failure within one year. ・62.7% (190 respondents) experienced withdrawal/discontinuation, with "did not lead to sales results" (78 respondents, 41.1%) and "view counts did not grow and no results were expected" (75 respondents, 39.5%) being almost equally ranked as top reasons for withdrawal. ・The most common reason for continuing YouTube operations despite failures was "brand awareness improved" (27 respondents, 23.9%). Companies that continued prioritized connection to business results over view counts. ・The most common improvement measure after failure was "investing in video quality improvement" (94 respondents, 35.5%), but this suggests that the root cause of the problem lies in content design and strategy.

Key Survey Results

The survey yielded the following results. Details can be found in this report article. ▼ Approximately 90% experienced some form of failure in YouTube operations, with "view counts did not grow" being the most common. When asked, "What failures or challenges have you experienced regarding YouTube operations?", 'continued posting but view counts did not grow' was the most common response with 97 respondents (32.0%). This was followed by 'low audience engagement' with 79 respondents (26.1%) and 'content did not match market needs' with 72 respondents (23.8%). On the other hand, only 38 respondents (12.5%) answered 'never failed', revealing that approximately 90% have experienced some form of failure. ▼ 62.7% withdrew or discontinued YouTube operations, with more than half judging failure within six months. When asked, "Have you ever withdrawn or discontinued YouTube operations in the past?", 'Yes' accounted for 62.7% (190 respondents). The reasons for withdrawal/discontinuation (multiple answers) were most commonly 'did not lead to sales results' with 78 respondents (41.1%), followed by 'view counts did not grow and no results were expected' with 75 respondents (39.5%), and 'difficulty in continuous posting' with 72 respondents (37.9%). Furthermore, the period until judging failure was most commonly 'less than 3-6 months' at 39.2%, and combined with 'less than 3 months', 53.2% recognized failure within six months. ▼ Companies that continued YouTube operations despite failures prioritized "business results" over view counts. When 113 respondents who continued YouTube operations despite experiencing failures were asked for their reasons, 'brand awareness improved' was the most common with 27 respondents (23.9%). This was followed by 'generated leads that led to sales results' with 24 respondents (21.2%) and 'increased opportunities for customer contact' with 21 respondents (18.6%). The top reasons for continuation were indicators directly linked to business results, not view counts or subscriber numbers, indicating that the ability to design "YouTube for business results" is the turning point for continuation or withdrawal.

Company Profile

Company Name: Acacia Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Rikuya Okamoto Location: Sena Dora Kawaramachi 101, 1-1-3 Kawaramachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Date of Establishment: October 4, Reiwa 4 (2022) Business Activities: YouTube operation agency, video/film production, various marketing support Official Website: https://acacia-web.com/ ■ Service List YouTube Operation Agency: https://acacia-web.com/youtube-management/ Video/Film Production: https://acacia-web.com/video-production/ ■ Inquiries Inquiry Page: https://acacia-web.com/contact/ Email: info@acacia-web.com