YouTube hosted its first-ever YouTube Brandcast in Pakistan to celebrate YouTube’s creator community, and to share the latest insights, updates and inspiration from brands succeeding on the platform. At Brandcast, YouTube also spotlighted how the platform is supporting the Pakistani creator ecosystem by building a reliable, multi-format platform that enables creators to build local and global communities that meet the evolving needs of their audiences.
According to Google and Kantar’s Unlocking Digital in Rural Pakistan research, YouTube is the most popular online video platform in Pakistan with 62% of online Pakistanis ages 18-24 reported watching YouTube once a month or more. In fact,
● 91% of Pakistani internet users say YouTube makes them feel positive
● 78% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube is the video platform they go to when they want to watch their favorite shows and content
● 76% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube helped them to learn something new
● 75% of internet users claim that the video platform has content that helps them dig deeper into their interests.
● 73% of internet users in Pakistan say that YouTube has video content for all their moods.
The same study found that 48% of rural Pakistanis are now online, of which 78% watch YouTube. Of those that watched YouTube, 76% say that YouTube has unique content they can't find anywhere else
Farhan S Qureshi, Country Director Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Google said: ”YouTube is about making connections and finding a community you can call home. It’s where viewers come to learn, unwind, and connect with their passions. The platform empowers people by not only giving them a voice but also financial stability. Since the platform resonates well with people of all ages and from all areas, it is no wonder that YouTube creates deep connections between brands, creators, and audiences in urban and rural areas of Pakistan.”
More content; stronger community
At the heart of YouTube are creators, who are helping build genuine connections by delivering personally engaging content. Whether long or short form, there is something on YouTube that will fit the bill. In the first quarter of 2022, watchtime of the following categories of videos grew significantly compared to the same time last year:
● Digital marketing videos grew by over 95%
● Web development videos grew by over 90%
● Exercise videos grew by over 80%
● Live television videos grew by over 8 times
Pakistani creators trust in YouTube and choose it as the platform to share their talent and creativity with the world. In fact, the total hours of content uploaded to YouTube by channels in Pakistan from June 2021 to May 2022 grew by over 25% when compared to the same time the year before, reiterating its importance as a place that matters for Pakistanis to connect with their passion, learn, and be entertained.
Aamna Haider Isani - Something Haute shared at Brandcast, “While creating content on YouTube, we realized early on that our viewers weren’t just watching our content because of the topics we were covering, but for the way we were covering them. Our channel resonated well with the audiences because they know that YouTube creators are real people - they look and sound just like their viewers.”
YouTube’s multi-format creativity gives creators every screen and every format possible to succeed
This healthy growth in content uploaded to YouTube includes short-form videos via YouTube Shorts which was launched in July last year. Globally, YouTube Shorts is now averaging 30 billion daily views[1], growing four times from a year ago. Shorts has been hugely successful in Pakistan as well, a testament to Pakistanis’ evolving preferences in how they choose to consume content. With the introduction of Shorts, creators like Salman Noman have managed to cross 10M subscribers, which is an incredible milestone for an individual YouTube creator.
"Before YouTube, I used to make the same style of videos on other short-form platforms and saw reasonable success. But I realized that other platforms had a ceiling to creator growth. Then YouTube introduced Shorts, which for me has no boundaries and makes the world your oasis. YouTube helped me grow my audience globally and I gained recognition because of my Shorts videos. I am so thankful for YouTube Shorts and having the platform to grow my audience." said Salman Noman.
In this same event, Iqra Kanwal – Sistrology, also shared, “YouTube is an incredible platform to reach your audience in a place where they are engaged and paying attention. It is where new forms of creativity and culture are created every day. With its multi-formats and depth of content, YouTube allows viewers to connect with their passions, audiences and creators that they love deeply and personally.
Marc Lefkowitz, Director of YouTube Partner Development and Management (APAC) added, “We have creators developing diverse content for podcasts, sketches, automobile reviews, tech reviews, tutorials, gaming and more. In fact, the number of creators in Pakistan has grown so much over the past few years that there are more than 5,400 Youtube channels with more than 100K subscribers. That’s an increase of 35% over last year. More than 350 of these channels have more than a million subscribers. The platform intends to continue to extend its support to Pakistani creators so they can pursue their passions and build careers in a responsible manner.”
In addition, Pakistani creators also now have access to YouTube’s Help Center and Creator Support in Urdu, which makes it easier for creators around the country to access help and information about the platform.
As of June 2021, the number of YouTube channels making 1 million PKR or more in revenue is up over 110%, year over year. Whether a Pakistani from a remote village in Punjab or a metropolis like Karachi, YouTube has proven to be an effective medium for communication across the languages of Pashto, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi or Urdu; enabling everyday Pakistanis to turn their passion into full-time careers.
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