Video content is highly sought after in Armenia across all platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Each of these platforms caters to a different audience. Teenagers are particularly active on TikTok, while young and middle-aged individuals are more active on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Traffic across all platforms is similar. However, TikTok has a higher percentage of teenagers, resulting in more active browsing and commenting.

The creation and distribution of video content is a means of accumulating revenue over years worldwide. People work to create their own videos and earn money through advertisements.

For years, we have been experiencing issues with monetizing content created in Armenia as it is primarily in the Armenian language, which is not fully compatible with YouTube’s algorithm. Due to this, videos uploaded in Armenian are not entirely understandable by YouTube. Therefore, the algorithm cannot generate appropriate advertisements to be displayed in the video. While people earn some money through this platform, their earnings are limited.

YouTube is facing a significant issue with its advertising policy. The platform’s ability to choose the proper channels for advertising is a crucial part of its business model. However, due to the platform’s inability to accurately understand the content of videos, this function is performed poorly or incompletely. As a result, advertisers may be unable to reach the right audience for their products or services.

It seems that the problem has been resolved. The Armenian government has announced that monetization will soon be enabled for Armenian-language content on YouTube, and the revenue generated from it will increase.

To activate monetization on a YouTube channel, it must have accumulated 4,000 hours of watch time and at least 1,000 subscribers for regular videos within the past year. The channel must have obtained 10 million views and 1,000 subscribers for short videos within the last 90 days.

When it comes to online video content, there are several popular topics that people around the world enjoy watching.

These days, there are many popular vlogs on a variety of topics like news, cooking, fashion, and travel. However, some topics are more valuable than others, with a cost of up to 30-40 dollars for every 1000 views. These valuable topics include finances, such as how to make money, manage it, invest it, and save it, as well as non-traditional educational channels that teach skills like English, marketing, and real estate.

Nowadays, even channels with a specific topic are receiving a lot of views. Back in 2011-2014, it would have been difficult to believe that a YouTube channel solely dedicated to teas could be successful. However, when searching for information about teas today, you will come across dozens of channels covering this topic.

The situation, however, regarding YouTube content in Armenia differs from global trends. In Armenia, people tend to watch videos related to entertainment and politics. These videos often have sensational and emotional titles and may include incomplete or ambiguous information. The creators of such videos intentionally use emotional images or announcements to increase their views.

Simply put, they watch interviews with showbiz and political representatives, during which they get emotional and express their feelings. That’s why I create videos in English for non-Armenian audiences.

Armenian is spoken by only around 10 million people globally, which limits the market for Armenian language content. As a result, the audience tends to gravitate towards sensational stories, political dramas, and Armenian TV series.

The popularity of social networks like Facebook and YouTube in Armenia has increased significantly since the 2018 revolution. Television failed to provide the public with timely updates about the events, which were unfolding at a rapid pace. As a result, people turned to social media platforms to get quick and reliable information directly from the source. This explains why social media has become a primary source of news and information in Armenia.

I understand that Armenians have low media literacy and general education levels, leading to a preference for low-quality, easy-to-digest content. In contrast, in European countries and the USA, the internet is often used to gain new knowledge and information, as evidenced by the popularity of educational videos. Unfortunately, such videos are often overlooked in Armenia, with some receiving fewer than 100 views. Many users are drawn to sensational headlines and emotional content, making it difficult for them to engage with different types of content.

Television, once a primary entertainment source, has lost its audience. Initially, TV started airing comedy programs and sitcoms during prime time due to the high demand for such content. However, with the advent of Facebook and YouTube, television also lost its monopoly in this niche. Nowadays, even TV series ratings are at risk due to the presence of YouTube channels that produce series and websites that require a subscription fee. The only thing that keeps TV relevant is broadcasting sports games, particularly football games. Football fans prefer to watch the game on big screens with beer, and this tradition is still alive.

Eduard Baghdasaryan
Blogger, YouTube promotion specialist

The views expressed in the column are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Media.am.