Millions of South Africans are using YouTube to explore their world, learn new things and grow their businesses, according to insights shared during the YouTube Festival.
The event was held in Johannesburg and had over 150 clients and agencies in attendance, under the tagline “YouTube is for Everyone”. During the event, speakers from YouTube, content creators and advertisers shared their creativity stories and inspired the diverse audience.
YouTube revealed research insights which included information on YouTube’s effectiveness as an advertising platform, the creators who use it, and data which details how YouTube is growing in South Africa and its impact on users, creators and advertisers. These are some of the claims shared by the speakers and a highlight of each speaker´s speech.
Some of the insights include:
- Effectiveness
According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, 94% of YouTube viewers in South Africa alluded to YouTube helping them with new information.
“One of the key drivers of these stats is the fact that users can access YouTube on any screen- whether that’s on their mobile phones or TV. TV continues to be a preferred channel for a lot of users with over 5 million South Africans streaming YouTube on their TVs in May 2022 alone, ”Dr Alistair Mokoena, Google Country Director said.
In South Africa, where TV still plays a meaningful role in marketing strategy, research by Analytic Partners ROI Genome has shown that YouTube complements TV very effectively and sometimes, they even converge.
- Creators
YouTube is a platform that has the content people need, from the creators they love. South African creators come from an array of diverse backgrounds and have been empowered through different YouTube initiatives like the YouTube Black Voices Fund.
“Since launch, we’ve provided a platform for Africans to share their rich and diverse culture on a global stage, and also offer African users more relevant content. Over the years we have consistently built and nurtured great relationships with Africa’s storytellers, and supported their growth through direct partner support, capacity building and funding,” said Zeph Masote, YouTube Lead for Southern Africa.
Globally, creators now have ten different ways to make money on YouTube, and the number of first time creators using YouTube Shorts doubled between September 2020 and September 2021.
- Audience
South Africans, from Gen Z to 55 plus, are watching YouTube. A growing number of South Africans use Youtube when they’re searching for unique content that they love.
“The diversity of content on YouTube allows all viewers to have content that is relevant to them and that they can relate to. It doesn’t matter what their age, gender, race, or socio-economic background is, they can watch YouTube on any screen and at any time. Viewers enjoy YouTube because it has content they can’t find anywhere else,” Lorraine Landon, Specialist Lead for SSA.
Reach has also increased over the last decade, as cheaper smart devices in the market, video data bundles and growth of free wifi areas have become available.
“We are taking our mobile-first country status really seriously, as the We Are Social report states that 96% of South African internet users access the internet on their mobile phones,” Landon concluded.
