Here you can find the first survey of MENA YouTubers conducted by AIR Media-Tech, where 60 Creators shared insights about their work, key challenges and preferred ways of monetization.
The creator economy in MENA is showing rapid growth.
The most popular digital platforms for creators may vary from country to country, but YouTube remains one of the leaders across the region.
As of December 2021, YouTube creators in the Gulf region numbered almost 227 thousand, generating over 13.6 billion views monthly. Out of this number, more than half of the creators are located in Saudi Arabia (124,000), followed by Iraq (48,900) and the United Arab Emirates (25,500).
Most of these creators took up blogging as a hobby. But the growth dynamics and intense development in the region suggest that this may soon be taken much more seriously and become a full-time job for many of them.
With the growth of a creator's ecosystem, new players enter the market and contribute to its development. AIR Media-Tech, a global company that works with digital-first creators and brands, is one of such players. The company has been active in the MENA region since 2020. In 2021, AIR Media-Tech conducted the first regional survey of YouTube creators to better understand their work specifics and demands.
