Google commissioned research reveals viewer’s perception of ads & content on YouTube


  • Research finds that viewers prefer YouTube because they access short and long form content in one place
  • 83% of in Saudi Arabia & the UAE find ads on YouTube personally relevant to them  and over 83% find them more trustworthy 
  • 80% of respondents want to support the creators they relate to by watching ads that appear on their content.

 

DUBAI, U.A.E, 2 February 2024  – YouTube released new research findings on how people in the UAE and Saudi Arabia watch YouTube. The research found that viewers  prefer YouTube as a platform because it gives them access to short and long form content in one place and that the majority of YouTube viewers say that YouTube has ads that are relevant to them. 

The research, which was commissioned by Google, and conducted by Kantar and MTM in 2023 was announced during YouTube’s annual Brandcast event which was attended by over 400 advertisers and creators from the Middle East & North Africa.

Research by Kantar found that 83% of YouTube viewers in the UAE and 84% in Saudi Arabia agree that YouTube has ads that are personally relevant to them. Over 83% of YouTube viewers in both countries agree that advertising in videos on YouTube is trustworthy.

Research by  MTM shows that 80% of people who watch YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa region want to support the creators they relate to by watching ads that appear on their content. Moreover, 53% of MENA viewers say that YouTube enables them to find the exact content they like at any moment, ranking first among competitive platforms, and is significantly higher than TV. 


YouTube Brandcast, held in Dubai on 31 January, joined top brands, advertisers and creators like Qatar Airways, Honor, Noor Stars and Osamah Marwah. The event was hosted by top creator, Azza Zarour and included insights into leveraging AI for ads and learnings for top marketers in the region.