Three winters, month by month
| Month | Winter 2023 to 2024 | Winter 2024 to 2025 | Winter 2025 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | 2,469 | 3,152 | 6,420 |
| December | 2,211 | 3,057 | 5,829 |
| January | 1,887 | 2,620 | 4,662 |
| Fall from December to January | 15% | 14% | 20% |
Each count is a video whose own text names the brand as its sponsor, counted by upload date, through the first days of November 2026. The totals grow every year, so read a month against its neighbours in the same winter.
Source: Our own count of sponsored YouTube videos, November 9, 2026
Five brands that buy hardest for November and December
Of the 66 brands with at least 150 videos in the windows we compared, 14 ran more videos a month in November and December than in February to September, in both years. Five ran at least 1.4 times their February to September pace both times.
| Brand | Nov and Dec 2024 | Feb to Sep 2025 | Nov and Dec 2025 | Feb to Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombas | 91 | 178 | 109 | 147 |
| MANSCAPED | 65 | 153 | 54 | 94 |
| Skillshare | 163 | 292 | 31 | 82 |
| Ridge | 27 | 46 | 32 | 85 |
| Rocket Money | 32 | 87 | 36 | 65 |
Bombas put 52 videos out in November 2025 and 57 in December, 109 in two months against 147 in the eight months after.
The other 52 brands, or 4 in 5, did not buy more for November and December in both years.
Five brands that buy hardest in January
Each of these ran at least 1.4 times its February to September monthly pace in January 2025 and again in January 2026. Monthly averages are rounded.
| Brand | Jan 2025 | Feb to Sep 2025, a month | Jan 2026 | Feb to Sep 2026, a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | 119 | 70 | 74 | 34 |
| AG1 | 45 | 24 | 54 | 25 |
| Huel | 12 | 7 | 50 | 24 |
| Wildgrain | 35 | 18 | 52 | 19 |
| Skillshare | 80 | 37 | 15 | 10 |
Skillshare is on both lists, so its videos run through the winter.
What to do with it
- Write the live date into the brief. Our counts are upload dates, so a count in November is a video that went live in November.
- Price a January test. Sponsored videos fell 14% to 20% from December to January in each of the last three winters, and the five brands above ran in January at least 1.4 times their usual pace.
- Look up your three closest rivals and read their months before you pick yours.
- Line the paid spend up with the live weeks, and read how much of your ad budget to put behind creators.
We've worked across 55+ brands and helped companies 2 to 3x Black Friday launches.
This audit comes from Influencer Advisory, our influencer marketing agency.