Google Philippines country director Jackie Wang said on Tuesday they observed a notable increase in views during the month of June, when teasers on BINI’s “Cherry on Top” went public ahead of its July release.
“In the Philippines, watch time for videos with P-Pop in the title, in June 2024, grew over 180 percent compared to last year,” Wang said during a media preview of the YouTube Works Awards.
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“We’re really seeing how BINI redefined P-Pop culture in the Philippines and many parts of the world, and thanks to online platforms like YouTube, it has served as a tool to help them scale their content, start new trends, and connect with diehard fans,” Wang said.
How the internet changed the game
The biggest growth enabler has been the threefold jump in internet penetration since YouTube entered the Philippines 13 years ago.
“In fact, nine out of 10 online Filipinos use YouTube, and it’s not just the Metro cities. This is happening nationwide,” Wang said.
Bigger is better
Another interesting finding she shared is that viewers are shifting away from smaller devices to watch content, a trend that seems to have continued from the pandemic when people were locked down in their homes.
“YouTube views on smart TVs have more than doubled in the last three years in the Philippines, with each view averaging four hours per day, making YouTube the most-watched streaming service on smart TVs,” she said.
This is important to advertisers, who closely measure the quality and time viewers spend watching their products.
Ads are going strong
A study commissioned with Nielsen found that YouTube is, on average, the most effective media channel for advertising, delivering higher returns on ad spend compared to other media.
It is 3.86 times more effective, in term of return on investment, than traditional TV and 2.71 times more effective than other digital platforms, Wang said.
“Millions of Filipinos are going deep into content and discovering and engaging with creators they love,” she said.
“Whether they’re from the city, high-income households, or anywhere across the income segments nationwide, they are tuning into YouTube,” she added.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.