Hey streamers 👋
YouTube’s return to MIPCOM got me thinking about what broadcasters in MENA are doing on the platform.
Last year, they celebrated their 20th anniversary. This edition, they came back with a bigger programme about getting content watched and earning revenue.
And what’s better than broadcasters sharing their success stories?
RTL Deutschland said around 200 older episodes of Cobra 11 generated 30 million YouTube views in a year. An old television series was still giving people a reason to watch.
The BBC is also making programmes with YouTube viewers in mind. They announced CBeebies House: Time to Play, developed for a YouTube audience and also available on iPlayer.
What I like about these examples is that they give YouTube a place in the viewing experience itself. Someone can discover a show there and stay to watch it.
So, what is happening in MENA?
I mapped 61 YouTube channels coming from 8 broadcaster: MBC, Rotana, United Media Services, Dubai Media, Abu Dhabi Media, Saudi Broadcasting Authority, Roya Media Group and 2M.
Behind the big numbers, I want to answer a simple question: What does the broadcaster want to achieve with each YouTube channel?
Read on to learn about:
What 60+ YouTube channels tell us about MENA broadcasters’ approach to the platform
Why viewers sometimes follow a show more than the broadcaster behind it
How broadcasters can compete with YouTube on YouTube
Why an old Arabic series could be your next vertical TV experiment
What I would measure to decide whether it’s worth investing more
Many of these channels have been here for years
The first thing I checked is when the channels launched. And we can clearly say that YouTube distribution strategy is not something new in the region.
49 of the 61 YouTube channels were created before 2016.
And the channel MBC GROUP goes back to November 2005, 9 month after the launch of… YouTube 🤪
See for yourself: