YouTube: New Center of Power in SEA

Even though it has the highest population density on the planet, Asia, which has more than 4 billion people, is enthusiastic about expanding its social influencer economy. In a statement, Robert Kyncl, YouTube's Chief Business Officer, said that the company is focusing on Asia and is working hard to add content relevant to the area. It comes at a time when the number of people watching YouTube clips in the United States is getting close to competing with that of television watchers. Find out about the growth potential in Southeast Asia on YouTube.

As a result of YouTube's development into a multi-format hub, content makers now have more opportunities to reach their consumers than ever before in Southeast Asia. YouTube has a lot of different ways for people to make and watch films. It includes short videos on mobile, live streaming on desktop, audio-first content, and linked TV. YouTube announced that its Shorts content library would be playable on TVs and gaming consoles, giving viewers a new way to watch their favorite bite-sized content videos without leaving the couch.

Because of its adaptability, producers can use any device or content format they see fit. With a daily view count that has quadrupled in the past year to an average of 30 billion, YouTube Shorts has become a significant player in the online video content industry. It represents a change in how people consume media, as they are now more likely to switch between long and short-form content within a single platform, such as YouTube. The Daily Ketchup Podcast, from Singapore, has had 3 million views and 31,000 subscribers in just one year. This shows how quickly the podcasting content genre is growing on the platform in Southeast Asia. An all-time high of 147,000 viewers watched the show's most-watched episode.

People in Southeast Asia now get their news and entertainment in very different ways than they did a few years ago. TV screens are now the most popular and fastest-growing way to watch YouTube. In 2022, the number of YouTube users who watch fims on their connected TVs will grow by 50% in all of the significant SEA countries. This includes Thailand (12 million users), Malaysia (7.5 million users), Indonesia (25 million users), and the Philippines (16 million users). Because of these changes, the definition of television has changed. Two-thirds of viewers in each region say that YouTube "is TV" when watched on TV. These numbers were presented during Brandcast 2022, YouTube SEA Singapore's annual marketing event.

With the rise of e-commerce, YouTube has become a place in Southeast Asia where people can learn about new products and change their minds about what to buy. According to a Google and Talk Shoppe survey, audience members look at YouTube SEA content about products before buying them. Ninety percent or more of viewers in four Southeast Asian nations believe that YouTube creators provide the most important information about items and businesses.

Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company commissioned a paper called eConomy SEA 2022, which predicts Southeast Asia's digital economy will reach $200 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) this year. This is still driven by e-commerce content, which is expected to hit 16% GMV growth even though some consumers are shopping in stores again after the pandemic, and platform providers in Southeast are putting more emphasis on making money.

Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia in Southeast Asia all have twice as many hours of YouTube content as they did a year ago. In Singapore, the number of hours has grown by 40% in the same period. Every country also had a year-over-year channel growth of over 100,000 and over 1,000,000 subscribers. There are around 600 local channels in Singapore, with over 100,000 subscribers, up 30% from the previous year. Ipsos found that for individuals in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia who are part of Generation Z, YouTube is where they learn more about the things they like. YouTube has many kinds of videos serving almost any niche or broad interest in Southeast Asia.

Regarding the online video, SEA is in a category all its own. The 2020 pandemic was a big reason Southeast Asia went digital quickly. This helped make the area a mobile-first consumer economy. In addition to being a mobile-first market, viewers in this area are true video fans who relish the chance to consume content from companies they already enjoy. That fact alone should convince you to create your videos. With 122 million DAUs (daily active users), YouTube is the most popular place to watch videos. There is no doubt about that.