With mouthwatering names like “Tasty” and “Delish,” it’s no wonder food video networks are soaring in popularity. Even people who simply rotate between ordering takeout and sandwiches enjoy seeing piles of luscious food, prepared by experts who make it look effortless. And while the category has its fair share of upstart digital-native properties, it’s also a vertical in which 24-year-old TV mainstay Food Network consistently ranks in the top three, according to social video analytics company Tubular Labs, which tracks over 4 billion videos across social platforms.
Given that bird’s-eye view, Tubular shared three trends within the exploding food category in online video:
Cheesecake
Dessert remains a popular subject for food videos, but cheesecake recipes have been drawing particular interest — in the fourth quarter of 2017 alone, videos about the tasty treat garnered 730 million views across Facebook. And, remarkably, Tubular saw more than 1,000 uploads of cheesecake-themed Facebook videos just over those three months.
The trend shows no sign of abating in the first quarter of this year. Here, for instance is Food Network’s latest how-to video for Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake:
Fancy foods made easy
Making fancy foods look easy is also a hot topic. Videos on the topic got 443 million views in Q4 2017, a sharp uptick from the previous three quarters.
Comfort food
Closing out Q4, all of the top five channels in the food and drink category continued to gain viewers and followers. Many of the most-watched videos tended to focus on comfort food — no surprise given the nasty weather in much of the U.S. makes folks want to hunker down. This is another area in which Food Network excels, with recently uploaded videos such as Sunny’s “Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole” and “How to Make Giada’s Spicy One-Skillet Lasagna” leveraging on-air personalities.
Here are the top five food channels on Facebook in January 2018:
- Tasty (Buzzfeed)
1.3 billion Facebook views
Most viewed: Sliders Four Ways GET MORE TASTY
- Delish
827 million Facebook views
Most viewed: How To Make Garlicky Alfredo Shrimp Bake
- Food Network
664 million Facebook views
Most viewed: Pizza Pot Pie
- Tastemade
628 million Facebook views
Most viewed: Potato Pizza
- Food Envy by Jungle Creations
569 million Facebook views
Most viewed: The Best Workout Song
