Cocomelon: a Successful YouTube Story

by Andrea Buosi

Objective

  • Analysis of the YouTube channel: Cocomelon
  • Identify successful strategy that can be replicated
  • Analysis of the content publication agenda

All data comes from public sources

Introduction

Cocomelon is a YouTube channel aimed at children.
It mainly provides animated videos featuring songs, nursery rhymes, and educational content.
It is currently considered the third biggest YouTube channel worldwide, with 196 million subscribers.

PART ONE: Published content

A quick overview of the channel reveals some key data. The number of total videos is quite high, but the most impressive data is the stunning number of views.

  • 1,641 videos published (since 2006)
  • Over 206.000.000.000 total views

Content Strategy Shift: A Turning Point in 2016

Although launched in 2006, Cocomelon only began publishing regularly and strategically in 2016 — marking a clear turning point in the channel’s growth. Here videos published by year:

Release years of top videos

Analyzing the release dates of the TOP50 most successful videos reveals an unusual YouTube pattern: nearly all standout videos are relatively old, published between 2017 and 2019 — with a strong peak in 2018.

Insight: The Real Original Content


A deeper dive into the data reveals an even more impressive insight:
the vast majority of Cocomelon’s total video hours comes from compilations or repeated use of a relatively small pool of original material.
After filtering the dataset, I estimate the original content to account for only around 36 hours.

Part One: Key Takeaway

  • YouTube content aimed at children appears largely immune to aging or obsolescence.

  • This type of content is highly reusable; a relatively small amount of original material can result in a disproportionately large total video output.

  • Low publishing activity during the first ten years did not hinder the channel’s long-term success. However, a clear shift occurred around 2016, when the publication rate began to increase significantly.

PAT TWO: Pubblication Agenda

The publication time plays a crucial role in the success of a YouTube video. The chart shows that, in the early years, the publishing hours appeared almost random. However, starting from 2016, a clear and consistent pattern emerges: videos are typically released between 7 and 8 AM, following a more mechanical and intentional schedule.

Focus: publication hour vary by season

A closer look at the video publication times reveals an interesting pattern: videos are typically published around 7AM throughout the year, but this shifts to 8AM during the winter months. While the dataset itself doesn’t explain the reason behind this decision, the consistency suggests it is part of a deliberate strategy.

Publishing Agenda by Weekdays

Let’s also take a look at the publishing schedule by weekday. The data clearly shows two peaks — on Tuesday and Friday. While there’s no direct information confirming this as part of a deliberate strategy, it’s reasonable to assume that Friday uploads are intended to catch the upcoming weekend audience, while Tuesday uploads may be planned to maintain a 3–4 day interval between releases.

Part Two: Key Takeaways

  • Publication hours between 7 and 8 AM appear to be highly effective for a YouTube channel aimed at children.
  • Since 2016, the channel shifted from a relatively random publishing schedule to a much more structured one. The results suggest this change had a significant positive impact.
  • The publishing pattern by weekday reveals two clear peaks — on Tuesday and Friday. Without insider information, one can reasonably assume this strategy is designed to maximize weekend engagement while maintaining a publication interval of no more than a few days.

FINAL CONCLUSION

Success on platforms like YouTube often hinges on building smart content systems, not just isolated hits. Consistency, strategic timing, and maximizing content reuse are essential pillars for scalable digital growth.

  • Content Reusability Is Powerful A relatively small amount of original content, when thoughtfully repurposed and compiled, can generate an extensive volume of videos and watch time. This approach maximizes content lifespan and efficiency.
  • Consistency and Timing Matter Moving from a random publishing schedule to a rigid, predictable agenda had a significant positive impact on channel growth. This highlights the importance of disciplined publishing routines.
  • Long-Term Growth Is Possible Despite Slow Starts Initial low activity did not prevent the channel’s later explosive success. This shows that perseverance and strategic adjustments over time can pay off dramatically.
  • Data-Driven Decisions Are Key Analyzing publishing patterns, video length, and content type provides actionable insights.