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Saudis Prefer Local Content on YouTube Platform

A 3D-printed YouTube icon is seen in front of a displayed YouTube logo in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
A 3D-printed YouTube icon is seen in front of a displayed YouTube logo in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
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Saudis Prefer Local Content on YouTube Platform

A 3D-printed YouTube icon is seen in front of a displayed YouTube logo in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
A 3D-printed YouTube icon is seen in front of a displayed YouTube logo in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. (Reuters)

A new YouTube study on the platform’s viewing rates in Saudi Arabia has revealed that the most popular content categories in the Kingdom are gaming, skill acquisition and sports. It noted that the most viewed content is locally produced.

The viewing rates of educational content, the report also revealed, has increased dramatically in the past year relative to other forms of content on the platform. A report published by Ipsos MORI and supported by YouTube showed that 94% of the Kingdom’s population used digital references to access and view educational content. The viewing rate of educational content (such as algebra) increased by 200%.

The study also showed that 95% of its users in the Kingdom viewed “Do It Yourself” instructional video presentations on its platform during the past year.

The search-percentage for gaming content in Arabic increased throughout the region amid the strict lockdowns in place to combat the Covid-19 virus.

Puzzle and adventure games were the most popular in 2020. Sports content’s viewing rates also rose drastically, largely driven by combat sports like boxing and wrestling, which took the lead in terms of viewership. Electronic sports, in turn, were also very popular.

Per the most recent figures made public, there were over 20 million YouTube users in Saudi Arabia (18 years of age or older) last August and they watch videos on the platform at an average of 55 minutes per day. Cultural links are a major factor for users and content creators in the Kingdom, with seven of every ten videos watched in the countries produced by Saudis.

Suhail Saeed, Google’s Director of Products and Advertising Solutions in the Middle East and North Africa, stressed that YouTube’s ability to reach audiences and present them with content tailored to their preferences, regardless of their location, is what makes the platform unique. Another factor is the rich and in-demand content and the options it presents users for searching for content in line with their local culture and interests.

In January, YouTube held its largest-ever virtual event for commercial activities, advertisers and agencies in the Middle East and North Africa region. “The YouTube Festival” provided new statistics on audiences, times and viewing rates in the Middle East and North Africa region and went over the new tools for providing support to advertisers.

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Technology

Samsung’s Preliminary Q4 Profit Falls Far Short of Estimates as Chip Issues Drag

Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Samsung’s Preliminary Q4 Profit Falls Far Short of Estimates as Chip Issues Drag

Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Samsung Electronics' preliminary fourth-quarter operating profit missed estimates by a large margin, with the South Korean tech giant hit hard by extra costs as it works towards providing high-end chips to Nvidia.

Its earnings were dented by rising research and development costs and the ramp-up of manufacturing capacity for advanced semiconductors, the company said in a statement. Slowing demand for conventional memory chips used in PCs and mobile phones also weighed on earnings, it added.

The world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker expects to log an operating profit of 6.5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) for the three months ended Dec. 31, well below an LSEG SmartEstimate of 7.7 trillion won.

The expected profit is 131% higher than the same period a year earlier, but down 29% from a disappointing third quarter. Preliminary revenue came in at 75 trillion won, slightly lower than analysts' estimates.

Rival SK Hynix is Nvidia's main supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence graphics processing units (GPUs) whereas Samsung has struggled to meet Nvidia's requirements.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday that Samsung has to "engineer a new design" to supply HBM chips to his company, adding that "they can do it and they are working very fast," Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

Samsung said at the time of its third-quarter earnings that it was making progress in supplying HBM chips to Nvidia but has not made any public updates since then.

Greg Noh, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said Samsung's profit was possibly eroded by one-off costs as well as disappointing chip and display earnings.

Samsung finished 3.4% higher with analysts attributing the gain to the sense that the company's woes had already been factored in and were unlikely to get worse.

"There are concerns about Samsung's major businesses continuing to lose competitiveness. But chip demand may have bottomed already," said Lee Min-hee, an analyst at BNK Investment & Securities, adding that smartphone demand in China may gradually improve.

Shares of Samsung, South Korea's biggest company by market value, slumped 32% last year, far more than a 10% decline for the wider market.

By contrast, SK Hynix is expected to post record earnings for the fourth quarter and its stock surged 23% last year.

Samsung will release detailed fourth-quarter results on Jan. 31.

RISING COMPETITION

Samsung said fourth-quarter earnings also fell for its division that designs and manufactures logic chips, hit by slower mobile phone demand, lower utilization rates at its factories and higher research and development costs.

The division may have widened losses to about $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter from about $960 million in the preceding quarter due to struggles to increase production yields, analysts said.

Earnings for its devices business, which includes mobile phones, TVs and household appliances, dropped as it has been some time since new mobile phone models were launched and because competition has increased, Samsung said.

Analysts said its mobile division earnings may have declined year on year due to lower sales for its premium foldable phones.

Slowing demand likely offset the positive impact of weakness in the local currency which boosts earnings from overseas.

The South Korean won dropped to its weakest level in 15 years in December after President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law decree triggered political turmoil. It was also hurt by US President-elect Donald Trump's pledges of higher tariffs on imports.