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ZURICH/RIYADH: YouTube is setting its sights on Saudi Arabia, aiming to shift video consumption from smartphones to television and leveraging the Kingdom's affinity for the platform.
As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, the platform envisions a new era for the region, positioning YouTubers like Noor Stars as the next Hollywood stars. Additionally, YouTube is exploring artificial intelligence-enhanced experiences, including dubbing and other innovative features, to engage users on the big screen.
Pedro Pina, vice president of YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Arab News: 'Whether you are talking about Egypt or Saudi Arabia, we want to be the zeitgeist of culture; we want to be the future of TV.
'As these countries pick up steam in terms of penetration in connectivity, it will happen.'
According to a study released by YouTube's internal data, the platform reaches more than 12 million people in Saudi Arabia, over 2.5 million in the UAE, and 600,000 in Qatar over the age of 18 via connected TV.
Saudi Arabia has developed a significant affinity for YouTube, with 95.8 percent of the population using the platform. As YouTube looks to shift viewing from smartphones to television, it aims to enhance the way content is experienced by audiences in Saudi Arabia.
TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US, and viewers in the Middle East are shifting their viewing preferences from the smartphone to the TV.
During a two-day press gathering to mark YouTube's anniversary, hosted in Zurich, the platform's executives gathered to reflect on its growth since its inception in 2005, while highlighting future features and the vision for the region.
Executives who spoke about the evolution and progression of YouTube included Pina; Amjad Hanif, vice president of product management for YouTube creator products; Roya Zeitoune, head of YouTube's culture and trends for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Geoff van der Meer, vice president of engineering.
Pina took reporters back in time with a video of early meetings between the YouTube co-founders, showing them discussing the future of the platform.
He highlighted that between the co-founders, 'there were a lot of conversations about where the site was going to be … and what they were going to do about the ability of uploading videos.'
As YouTube looks to the future, it has four areas of focus: remaining the epicenter of culture, creators becoming the startups of Hollywood, YouTube becoming the new television, and AI being implemented to enhance the experience for viewers and creators.
'Creators are continuing to be the new startups. Noor Stars is one of the creators who is incredibly successful in the region,' Pina said, adding that she represents one of the success stories in YouTube's mission: 'Give everyone a voice and show them the world. This has been our goal since we began.'
Pina highlighted the strong engagement YouTube receives from viewers across the Middle East, citing the region's diverse cultures and varied realities.
When asked what new features can be expected in the region, Pina said: 'The solutions will look and feel different in each country (in the Middle East) because they are in different levels of development.
'For example, the penetration of connected TVs is different in one type of country from another, and therefore the future of TV viewing for creators will also feel different from other regions.'
Among the topics executives discussed was podcasting. With podcasting becoming increasingly mainstream, Pina highlighted YouTube's newly released statistic: Over 1 billion people interact with podcast content on YouTube each month, and those viewers are watching over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on their TVs.
The rise of podcasting as a mainstream media format is not unexpected. As of now, the most viewed podcast episode on YouTube comes from Saudi Arabia's Thmanyah, a sister publication of Arab News under SRMG, with 140 million views.
Another topic discussed was the YouTube Partner Program, which allows creators to have sustainable revenue and build a business while pursuing their passions through content creation.
According to YouTube's internal data, in Saudi Arabia, the number of YouTube channels making seven figures or more in Saudi riyals is up 40 percent year on year. And in the UAE, the number of YouTube channels making seven figures or more in SR is up 15 percent year on year.
Hanif said that there are currently 3 million YouTubers in the partner program, and more than half a million of them started their channel over a decade ago.
Hanif added: 'That speaks to the sustainability and the thoughtfulness we put into the program to make sure they are able to build a business this year, and YPP gives them the opportunity to continue to build and expand that business.'
The first YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, by Jawed Karim, one of the three co-founders of the platform. The video was titled 'Me at the Zoo.' Since then, YouTube has grown exponentially, with over 20 billion videos uploaded as of April 2025.
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