Tank Museum becomes first museum to hit 100 million views on YouTube

The Tank Museum’s YouTube channel has achieved record-breaking success after reaching a milestone of 500,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views on YouTube.

Surpassing the British Museum’s 61 million total views, the military museum in Bovington, Dorset, ranks ahead of every other museum-based YouTube channel in the world.

Head of marketing Nik Wyness said: “As a rural regimental museum, we see YouTube as an essential means of reaching a wider audience – helping us to fulfil our mission to tell the story of the tank and the people that served in them.”

The channel holds more than 400 videos, including mini documentaries and action from events, which cover the history of the vehicles in the museum’s collection. Featuring expert staff members such as museum curator David Willey and historian James Holland, the museum’s videos attract a community of tank enthusiasts.

The Tank Museum raised £100,000 from its 2020 Tankfest live stream, which was watched by a million people across the globe.

The museum’s YouTube channel has also attracted support from funding bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.

“As a charity in a relatively remote location, it’s important that we are always looking to find new ways to reach new audiences and potential supporters to ensure our sustainability,” said Wyness.

 “YouTube has allowed us reach a global audience of tank enthusiasts – and it’s as a direct result of this that we are now generating over a quarter of our annual turnover from non-visitors.”

The Tank Museum has branched out into TikTok, currently achieving more than 55 million views.