TLDR
- Crypto YouTube viewership dropped to its lowest level since January 2021 after a three-month decline
- The drop affects all social platforms, not just YouTube or X, and marks “bear market levels” of interest
- Content creators blame retail fatigue from scams, pump and dump schemes, and poor crypto returns in 2025
- Bitcoin returned -7% in 2025 while gold, silver and other precious metals outperformed
- Social sentiment for Bitcoin is improving around $90,000, but Ethereum sentiment remains scattered
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Crypto content viewership on YouTube has fallen to its lowest point since January 2021. The decline comes after a sharp three-month drop in engagement across cryptocurrency channels.
Benjamin Cowen, founder of ITC Crypto, shared data on Sunday showing the decline. He posted a 30-day moving average of views across multiple crypto YouTube channels. The data revealed the extent of reduced interest in crypto content.
Here is a 30 day moving average of views to a lot of different crypto youtube channels.
So it’s not just X and an algorithm change.
Viewership to crypto has been dropping across platforms. pic.twitter.com/zkowe3nb3L
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) January 11, 2026
Cowen noted the drop is not limited to YouTube alone. He said similar declines are happening on X and other social platforms. This suggests the trend is not caused by algorithm changes on any single platform.
Crypto YouTuber Tom Crown said interest has “collapsed across all platforms.” He added that viewership has shown a clear decline since October. Crown stated that crypto social engagement has remained in a slump since 2021 and never returned to previous highs.
Bitcoin investor Polaris XBT called the current data “bear market levels of social interest.” The low engagement supports the view that institutions have been driving markets this cycle. Retail traders appear to be sitting out the current market environment.
Content Creators Report Similar Patterns
YouTube creator Jesus Martinez grew his channel starting in early 2022. He said he has experienced some peaks in viewership. However, none of his recent videos came close to the reach he saw during 2021.
TikTok creator Cloud9 Markets suggested scams and pump and dump schemes have hurt retail interest. The creator said many retail traders got “rekt” by speculative altcoins. This has made audiences tired and wary of crypto content.
Marc Shawn Brown, head of social media at Cointelegraph, said many investors have shifted to precious metals and macro assets. He noted that Bitcoin returned -7% in 2025. Meanwhile, palladium, rhodium, cobalt, silver and gold all outperformed Bitcoin during that period.
Brown said people want actual returns rather than stories about potential future gains. The poor performance compared to traditional assets has reduced the incentive for retail participation. This shift in focus has contributed to declining interest in crypto content.
Bitcoin Sentiment Shows Signs of Stabilizing
Despite falling viewership, some data suggests sentiment may be stabilizing. Analytics platform Santiment said on Friday that social sentiment toward Bitcoin is becoming more positive. The firm noted that Bitcoin bleeding has shown mild signs of reversing.
Santiment added that the $90,000 price level is crucial for keeping retail traders positive. Maintaining that level could help prevent further deterioration in retail confidence. The platform said sentiment around Ethereum appears scattered with no consistent trends.
The decline in crypto YouTube viewership reflects broader bear market conditions. Content creators and analysts agree the drop is happening across multiple platforms. Retail fatigue from scams and poor returns has pushed many investors toward traditional assets that performed better in 2025.
