Most-trending categories in the Kingdom were gaming, learning and sports DUBAI: YouTube held its first online festival for advertisers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where it unveiled new research on audience viewership in Saudi Arabia. The most-trending categories in the Kingdom were gaming, learning and sports, and the most-watched content was locally produced. The last 12 months saw steady growth in gaming content streaming in Arabic. Puzzles and adventures were the most popular genres, followed by combat sports such as wrestling and boxing, and e-sports such as FIFA. Viewership of educational videos on YouTube also witnessed an increase. Watch time of science and maths videos increased by 200 percent, while 95 percent of users watched DIY content. In August of last year, YouTube reached over 20 million people in Saudi Arabia, who watched videos on the platform for an average of 55 minutes per day. Seven out of 10 most-watched videos in the Kingdom were locally produced. “People in Saudi Arabia come to YouTube to catch more personalized content and high-quality entertainment produced by local creators. They are looking for relevant and relatable video content that may not always be available in more traditional media,” said Souheil Soueid, head of advertising products and solutions at Google and YouTube in MENA. “This is evident in the continuous growth in watch time on the platform across all devices, including TV, and the popularity of new content genres like gaming and learning amongst others.” FAST FACTS: SAUDI YOUTUBE CONSUMPTION HABITS • Watch time of science, maths videos up 200 percent. • 95 percent of users watched DIY content. • Average watch time 55 minutes per day. • YouTube reached over 20m people in KSA last year.