For many content creators who otherwise did not have a platform to present their skills or ideas, YouTube has been a solution for a long time. Over the years, some of these YouTube channels on genres such as gaming, comedy, beauty or fashion have earned massive fan following with several thousands of subscribers and millions of views – in some cases without even spending a single marketing dollar to popularize the channel.
YouTube organized an unprecedented on-ground event where fans could meet some of these YouTube ‘celebrities’. “We are trying to showcase the popularity of these creators, and have them interacting with the community. These creators are stars in their categories and are looking forward to meeting with their fans. We also want the fans to know how much these YouTubers appreciate all the support they receive. For us at YouTube, it’s about bringing together everyone who have helped make YouTube successful in the region,” commented Diana Baddar, Head of YouTube partnerships for YouTube, MENA.
From Saudi Arabia, creators present included Abdulaziz Bakr and Abdulllah Bakr from The Saudi Reporters, Fahad Sal, Mahmoud Ramadan, Moutazim Tarabzouni and Darin Mobayed from Ana Wa Heya, a show that produces parody sketches about modern society in Saudi.
From the UAE, there were The Real Bin Bazz who has more than 14 million views on his channel and Al Anoud Badr, Lady Fozaza.
The Middle East region comes in second after the US in terms of watch time on YouTube. While the Saudi Arabia has the highest number of content creators on YouTube today, the Kingdom also has the highest number of views on YouTube coming from mobile (65 per cent), more than the global average which is 55 per cent.
