The YouTube Roadshow comes to the city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today as part of a tour of MENA that will also include Morocco. The YouTube Roadshow brings together YouTube executives to meet with content creators in Saudi Arabia who are producing entertaining and creative content on YouTube. The roadshow will showcase their success on YouTube and discuss how to create a viable business model through the online platform. The YouTube Roadshow is hosted in collaboration with the Badir Program for Technology Incubators with the support of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology.
The YouTube Roadshow will demonstrate the key benefits of YouTube Partnership Program which was launched in MENA and KSA in 2013. The program allows anyone with a YouTube channel to monetize their content and make revenue by displaying ads against their original content. The program was originally launched in March 2013 to users in Egypt, KSA, UAE and later expanded in September 2013 to include Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman
“This is our first YouTube Roadshow event in KSA which is home to a lot of great content that’s being produced. Compelling content can come from anywhere we’re giving people the platform, the tools, and the support to make great things happen and grow big audiences.” stated Marenco Kemp, YouTube Online Partnerships in EMEA. He added, “Advertisers should expect more and more high quality content to be on YouTube that’s attractive to them. We also want to see more people taking YouTube from a hobby to a job”
Mr. Nawaf Al Sahhaf, CEO at Badir Program for Technology Incubators, confirmed the importance of this event as it provides the opportunity for Saudi entrepreneurs to hone their skills and capabilities through information and knowledge exchange regarding the best ways to utilize the most famous videosharing website worldwide. Mr. Sahhaf further specified that Badir is
keen in organizing and sponsoring unique and enriching events to provide an encouraging environment that would induce innovation and support technology entrepreneurship while promoting a culture of selfemployment and preparing extraordinary entrepreneurs for the Kingdom.
YouTube has become a cultural phenomenon in many countries around the world and its effects are arguably most noticeable in KSA where 83% of users access the platform on a daily basis. The majority of users in KSA view YouTube as both the number one destination for online videos and the main platform for high quality content with 73% and 58% respectively. YouTube has also
become a major hub for brands in KSA, which is especially evident in the fact that YouTube users in Saudi Arabia are opinion leaders. Those users are 2.5X more likely to give ratings for services, 2X more likely to share their opinion about things they like and are 2.2X more likely to be approached for advice by acquaintances before a purchase is made which makes YouTube of major interest to brands and advertisers alike.
The roadshow focuses on the premise that partners have been, and will continue to be the lifeblood of YouTube. The roadshow will focus on YouTube executives providing extensive training to the attendees on the best practices on the platform that enable them to make quality content that attracts views. The roadshow will also host several content creators from KSA who have successfully transformed their work on YouTube from hobby to career to share their success stories and best practices tips to the audience.
To become a Partner and join the YouTube Partner Program, you need to have a YouTube account, upload your own content that complies with the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines and you have to have previously monetized at least one video. For more information, visit http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=72851 and for any questions about the program, please contact: menapartner-support@google.com