“Gangnam Style” parodies add a Middle Eastern twist on the global phenomenon
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 18th of December, 2012 - Today, Google announced the top ten trending videos which captivated users throughout the MENA region in 2012. The list announced by Google includes the most trending videos in the region which included popular music, entertainment, comedy and people & blogs videos.
“This year, we looked not just at views, but also shares, searches, likes and responses to identify the ten videos that everybody was talking about in 2012. On YouTube people don’t just view a popular video, they remix, share, and parody, building a fan community that extends far beyond the watch page.” stated Tarek Abdalla, Marketing Manager in the Gulf region, “We took all of this into account to ensure we truly captured the captivating moments of the year.” added Abdalla.
The top trending videos in the MENA region for 2012 amassed millions of views each with most videos averaging around four million views with hundreds of thousands of likes and shares on each video.
“2012 has been a big year for YouTube in MENA. With more than 260 million views every single day. Millions of creators are using YouTube channels to experiment with innovative forms of entertainment, explore their passions and interests, take creativity and pop culture to new levels. 2012’s top trending videos showcase this creative ingenuity in ways we’d never before thought possible,” stated Maha Abouelenein, Head of Communications in MENA.
Top Trending YouTube Videos in MENA:
1. حلا الترك – زهقانة | Hala AL Turk – Zahgana
2. 7A2Y BER2ABTY – GAME OVER / اغنية حقى برقبتى من فيلم جيم اوفر
3. Ahmed Mekky – Atr El Hayah / أحمد مكي – قطر الحياة
4. Saudi Gangman style
5. Eysh Elly 206 ايش اللي
6. La Yekthar Show: Episode 14 / برنامج لا يكثر: الحلقة الرابعة عشر
7. Disalata: Hobba Egyptian Style / هوبا ايجيبشان ستايل
8. #ArabsGotTalent الموسم الثاني – الحلقة التاسعة – شما حمدان
9. حلا الترك – عاشت البحرين
10. Start With yourself Tamer Hosny / كليب ابدأ بنفسك تامر حسني
Users can visit the YouTube Rewind channel to explore the trending videos of the year and popular channels in many countries around the globe.
Facts and Figures about YouTube:
- There are more than 260 million views per day in MENA on YouTube.
- There are two-hours of content uploaded on YouTube from MENA every minute.
- Globally, there are more than 4 billion views per day on YouTube.
- Globally, more than 72 hours of content are uploaded every minute.
- There are local versions of YouTube in eight countries across the Middle East – Algeria, Egypt, KSA, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.
- 1 out of 4 YouTube views in the world come from mobile devices (globally)
- 1 billion mobile views a day (globally)
- Saudi Arabia leads the region with the most playbacks followed by Egypt, Morocco and UAE
- From Oct 2011 to Oct 2012 YouTube playbacks in MENA grew 28%
YouTube TNS Study on UAE users:
- 46 % of study participants use YouTube on a daily basis.
- 70% of users in the UAE hold a favorable opinion of YouTube.
- 90 % of users perceive YouTube as an entertainment platform.
- 81 % of users agreeing that YouTube offers quality content.
- Over 75% of users agree that YouTube is the best video library as well as the best suited platform to connect them to people.
- Roughly 97% of users consider YouTube as the number one choice and most preferred website for searching for product information as well as the most preferred online video site.
- 93% of users access YouTube in the UAE through their personal computers.
- 40 % of users in the UAE access YouTube through their mobile phones.
- Users utilize YouTube primarily to ‘listen to music’ while stating ‘Relaxing’ as their second reason for using the platform.
YouTube TNS Study on KSA users:
- 44 % of study participants use YouTube on a daily basis.
- 84% of users in the KSA hold a favorable opinion of YouTube.
- 70 % of users perceive YouTube as an entertainment platform.
- 85 % of users agreeing that YouTube offers quality content.
- Over 80% of users agree that YouTube is the best video library as well as the best suited platform to connect them to people.
- Roughly 90% of users view YouTube as the number one choice and most preferred website for searching for product information as well as the most preferred online video site.
- 66 % of users in the KSA watch videos off of the “Most Viewed” category.
- 76 % of users in the KSA access YouTube through their mobile phones.
- Roughly 35% of users engage in video sharing as well as upload their own content.
- 80% of the users in KSA agree that their usage of YouTube has lead to the cannibalization of other media – dedicating less time for TV and/or print in comparison to time spent on YouTube.
YouTube TNS Study on Egypt users:
- 44% of Egypt’s 30 million daily Internet users are using YouTube on a daily basis and 97% of them have a positive opinion about it.
- 95% of users find that YouTube is an entertaining platform; highlighting its importance as a portal for producers and content creators.
- 80% of users find that YouTube is an informative platform; highlighting its importance as a portal for education and knowledge sharing.
- 80% of users find that YouTube offers quality content.
- 85% of users agree that YouTube is the best video library on the web as well as being a favorite pastime activity.
- YouTube is the first choice as an entertainment information website for over 50 % of all users.
- 51% of Egyptians use YouTube to listened to music and 47% use it to watch music video clips.
- Over 50 % of Egyptians use YouTube to follow up on the latest politics related news.
- 55% of Egyptian users upload content.
- 19% of smartphone users in Egypt access YouTube via their mobiles
- Egyptians watch YouTube primarily to stay ‘up to date’, while stating their second reason as “listening to music”.
About YouTube
YouTube is the world’s largest online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch, and share original videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original-content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC, is based in San Bruno, California, and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
Website: www.youtube.com
About Google Inc.
Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google’s innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top Internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world.
Website: www.google.com
