DUBAI: YouTube has released five lists that reveal the top-trending videos, music videos, shorts and creators in the Middle East and North Africa region over the past year.
The growth of popularity in short-form video platforms such as TikTok prompted YouTube to launch Shorts, its own version of the format, globally in 2020 and in MENA in 2021. The platform said more than 1.5 billion logged-in users watch Shorts each month, with an average of more than 30 billion daily views.
This year, for the first time, YouTube has released a top shorts list, which was topped by Omani football freestyler, Mohammed Alnoufali.
Meanwhile, YouTube’s top-trending videos list is based on a range of factors, including total views, engagement, shares and likes, that the platform said indicate how “trending” a video is.
A video by comedy creator Abdo Asalsily, which has racked up 20 million views, topped this list.
The top music video in the region this year was “Aleky Eyoun” by Ahmed Saad, followed by “El-Bakht” by Egyptian rapper Wegz, and “Hatha El-Helo” by Lebanese singer Myriam Fares.
The list revealed a growing interest in regional performers, with North African rap and hip-hop artists, including Mc Artisan, Didine Canon 16, and Marwa Loud, taking almost half of the spots.
Entertainment and gaming creator AboFlah was not only the top creator for a second year in a row but also appeared in Asalsily’s top-trending video of the year. Football specialist Mohamad Adnan took second spot, followed by cooking channel Afnanrecipes in third.
The top creators list includes producers active all formats — shorts, long-form and multiformat — and is based on the number of subscribers acquired during 2022 in the MENA region.
The final list unveiled by YouTube was its Breakout Creators list, which ranks channels that have at least tripled in size based on number of subscribers gained in the region this year compared with 2021.
With nearly 2 million subscribers, Mr. Beast in Arabic topped the list, followed by UAE-based Husam Kwaik in second place and Egypt-based Omar Migo in third.
“Every year, the YouTube End-of-Year Top Lists give us a glimpse into emerging trends and the diverse interests of people in the Middle East and North Africa,” said Tarek Amin, director of partnerships at YouTube MENA.
“Whether it’s the growing North African rap scene or creators helping people fall in love with learning and reading, one thing is for certain — no matter what your interest or curiosity is there is probably a community on YouTube for it.”
YouTube said it has has paid more than $50 billion to creators, artists and media companies globally in the three years up to June 2022.
