It may be of no surprise that the majority of YouTube viewers in the Middle East are youth, some of the most tech-savvy and digital consumers in the world. 80 percent of Saudi millennials visit YouTube once a day, according to a recent report by YouTube revealing that Saudi Arabia ranked among the top countries in terms of watchtime per capita.
Digital entertainment has surpassed television, where more than half of young Saudis consume more video online than they do on television and the majority watch on their smartphones, YouTube found in a research surveying 1,000 millennials in Saudi Arabia and the top 15,000 videos over the course of six months.
The research indicates that at 97 percent, YouTube has the highest reach among the millennial population in Saudi Arabia when compared to other online platforms.
They are also considered highly engaged as half of millennials share videos on social media.
The type of content that is being watched gives insight on what millennials care about.
Entertainment is the most popular category among viewers followed by sports, a favorite pastime of Saudis that is reflected on all social networks.
Vlogs offer a view to the lives of influencers, entrepreneurs and media personalities that have greatly impacted their audiences.
Moreover, YouTube has also become a go-to place to learn something new whether it’s for lifestyle, health, or home projects, like those shown on SuperMamaVideos, a channel that has a library of food and health tips and eKeif channel of DIY hacks.
YouTube said it is the most visited source online for parenting advice in Saudi Arabia. Some 43 percent in the research it conducted are parents who come to YouTube for help. Some of the most popular channels are SuperMamaVideos, Lowi Sahi, and Noor Stars at more than one million subscribers.
“More than a billion people around the world come to YouTube everyday to discover, watch, and learn new things. This number continues to grow not just globally but also here in the Middle East and North Africa, and especially among millennials,” said Tarek Abdalla, head of marketing at YouTube and Google in the Middle East and North Africa.
What YouTube said about Saudi Millennials
How do millennials spend their time on YouTube?
l 80% said they visit YouTube once a day
l 55% consume more video online than they do on TV
l 61% say they spend long consecutive sessions watching online videos
l Among other platforms used to watch YouTube, 80% say smartphones are their preferred device
l 82% say they come to YouTube to learn something new
l More men (76%) than women (71%) watch watch online videos daily
What do they look for in YouTube?
l 43% of married millennials in Saudi Arabia are parents who come to YouTube for help. The majority of millennials listed family as their top priority. YouTube ranks second among online sources in Saudi Arabia for parenting advice. 3 in 4 mothers say YouTube provides information for people like them. Some of the top channels in the family content are Super Mama Videos & Mama Sima
l Millennials are ambitious and conscientious of their health and well being
Career and education came in second after family in terms of priorities. YouTube is a place where they come to better themselves, educational content is the third most popular video category among millennials. Some of the top channels watched in this category are eKeif, which focuses on how-to videos and Mata’a Aqlak where users watch educational videos about a certain theme.
Top ranked video categories in Saudi Arabia:
Entertainment
Sports
Education & How-To
Technology
Fashion
