The YouTube Roadshow recently conducted its first YouTube event aimed at the local creator community in Lebanon. The aim of the roadshow is to bring together YouTube executives and Lebanese music content creators. The roadshow also helps YouTubers creators showcase their success, as well as educate and mentor new ones. This helps them brainstorm new, original content, as well as come up with a viable business model through the online platform.
The program allows anyone with a YouTube channel consisting of at least one video, to monetize their content and make revenue by displaying ads against their original content. The program was originally launched in 2013 to users in KSA, UAE and Egypt, and later expanded to include Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Yemen.
Hala Ajil, Lead for YouTube Online Partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Lebanon is one of our top priorities in the region which is why YouTube is here for its first roadshow. Lebanon has a huge potential when it comes to YouTube creators – a lot of original, engaging content is born here, especially in music. We are giving creators the platform, tools and support to give them a voice not just in the region, but also globally.”
He added, “Advertisers should expect local and regional creators to produce more and more high quality, attractive content on YouTube. We also want to see more creators taking YouTube to the next level – where it goes from being a hobby to a full-time job”.
Moe Hamza, music producer and lead singer of music rock band, ‘The Kordz’, said: “As an artist and producer, YouTube allowed us as music performers and creators to have access to a huge potential market from all over the globe. YouTube is an equal opportunity platform for brands and artists where great content will have its proper value. The platform allows artists to be in control, manage and monetize their works in a simple seamless way. So if you are good, you will be heard for sure.”
In 2014, Nielsen showed YouTube is bigger than radio and all other digital music stores and on-demand services combined for 13-24 year olds. YouTube has paid out more than one billion dollars to the music industry in the last few years. In 2013, fans watched music content on YouTube hundreds of billions of times – the equivalent of every person on the planet watching more than 50 music videos.
YouTube Metrics in Middle East and North Africa
YouTube has become a cultural phenomenon in many countries around the world and its effects are most noticeable in the Middle East and North Africa where the region comes in second place after the U.S in terms of viewership (and ahead of Brazil). The number of hours people watch on YouTube has grown by 50% in the last year. More than two hours of content is being uploaded from the region every minute.
YouTube Metrics Globally
There are more than one billion unique visitors on YouTube every month. Watchtime is growing by 50% every year and there are more than 300 hours of uploaded content per minute.
The roadshow focuses on the premise that partners have been, and will continue to be the lifeblood of YouTube. The fact that YouTube executives provide extensive training to the attendees on the best practices on the platform, enables them to make quality engaging content that attracts viewership and most importantly, watch-time. Lebanese creators who have successfully transformed their work on YouTube from hobby to career get to share their success stories, tips and best practices to the audience – this will help grow the Lebanese and YouTube community in MENA, increasing the consumption of local content in both in the region, and globally.
To become a Partner and join the YouTube Partner Program, users need to have a YouTube account with at least one video on their channel. Their content also needs to comply with the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines