If you think that it’s impossible to hold a YouTuber’s attention with a longer video, think again.

According to YouTube reps speaking at a closed partners event this week, more then one-third of all of the video viewing time on the site comes from videos that are longer than 20 minutes (via GigaOm). It appears that many users’ attention spans are a bit longer than the cats we believed were dominating YouTube’s most popular content.

Also, YouTube revealed that over one-third of all searches on the site are news-related queries.

While this is good news for humanity (we’re actually interested in long-form videos…and news!), it’s even better news for YouTube and the various channels on the site that are looking to focus on serious, in-depth original content. Remember, YouTube has been putting a lot of effort into building up channels on the site, hoping that users will want to follow creators that produce fresh, original videos. Back in May, YouTube unveiled the paid channels pilot, allowing a select few partners charge a small fee of users to view certain videos. Recent reports indicated that the paid channels may be off to a slow start, however.

Just a couple of weeks ago, YouTube expanded the paid channels initiative in a big way by allowing any account in good standing with over 10,000 subscribers to put a price on their content.

YouTube began expanding the length limit for all videos posted a few years ago (remember, it used to be 10 minutes). It currently sits at fifteen minutes for all users, and the length limit isn’t capped at all if you request an increase and verify your account.

Image via jm3, Flickr Creative Commons