YouTube has launched a new hub Batala just for female creators from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) which features more than 100 female creators from the region. Announced during an event in Riyadh, the channel has more than 1,000 videos and is categorized by genres such as comedy, education, fitness and more. The hub will also highlight a new list of creators every month at the top of the channel.
“With the continuing growth of female content creators in MENA, we want to keep the momentum going. With YouTube Batala, discovering new creators and their work is now easier than ever. The hub highlights the work of some of our best creators in the region, and showcases high-quality Arabic content to YouTube’s one billion users,” said Head of YouTube Partnerships – MENA, Diana Baddar.
YouTube Batala highlights creators such as Njoud Al Shammari, a lifestyle YouTuber from Saudi Arabia, Enji Aboul Seoud, an amateur film critic from Egypt, and Haifa Bseiso, a travel vlogger from Palestine. It also features creators such as Noor Stars and Hayla Ghazal, who each have more than 2 million subscribers.
The development comes as the supply and demand of female-related content continues to grow on the platform. In MENA alone, the total number of hours spent watching female-related videos has grown by 50 percent in 2015. While in Saudi Arabia, the Consumer Connected Survey found that 63 percent of Saudi females are motivated to watch their most recent online video sensation to be entertained or inspired.
