YouTube officially entered Taiwan in 2007 and, after operating for over 16 years, held its first YouTube Festival in Taiwan in the form of a physical exhibition. This event allowed the public to gain a deeper understanding of YouTube's current service status in Taiwan and how the online platform can help video creators attract more viewers. It also enabled more local brands to conduct digital marketing through the YouTube platform.
"With technological advancements and the proliferation of diverse content on the platform, viewers have more choices and their viewing behaviors are becoming more complex, whether in viewing devices, video formats, or niche content preferences," said Chen Rongxin, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for YouTube Greater China. "This year, we held our first interactive exhibition in Taiwan, allowing the public to experience the diverse landscape of YouTube firsthand. By highlighting Taiwanese viewing trends and sharing relevant case studies, we encourage brands and creators to explore the platform's endless possibilities, find their own niche, and connect with their audiences through YouTube."
Zhi-Chen Lee, Vice President of Client Solutions at Google Taiwan, said, "Audience behavior is becoming increasingly complex, and the relationship between viewers and creators is growing closer. Brands and businesses must adapt their strategies to seize the new opportunities presented by YouTube. In addition to using the data, tools, and programs we provide to target different viewing devices and creators, precisely reaching new potential audiences, they can also experiment with creating content, cultivating their own audiences and fans, and engaging with consumers more directly and deeply."
From the perspective of YouTube's development structure, it is actually still a matchmaking relationship between creators, audiences and advertisements, allowing creators to provide content, attract more viewers to watch, and then create more advertising benefits, so that creators have the motivation to continue to produce more content, thereby forming a positive cycle.
In recent years, YouTube has observed that more and more creators are attracting different audience groups through categorized content. At the same time, through the power of creation, many unpopular categories and industries have become known to more people. Rather than just sharing videos of interesting life content in the early days, there are now many specialized content presented in different interpretations through the YouTube platform. Even many brands are creating their own content to achieve greater marketing and promotional effects.
As for the audience groups, YouTube is no longer a service used by a specific group of users, but covers a wider age group, and almost everyone spends more than an hour watching it every day. The vehicles used have also expanded from mobile phones to smart connected TVs. It has become a service used in the daily lives of many people, and has even changed from being watched by individuals to being watched by the whole family.
YouTube statistics show that over 2000 YouTube channels in Taiwan have reached 10 subscribers this year, representing an annual growth rate exceeding 15%, demonstrating the continued growth of the community creating content through YouTube. At the end of last year, the number of Taiwanese channels generating revenue through fan donations also increased by over 40% year-on-year. To provide creators with greater room for growth and profitability, YouTube is not only continuously adjusting its algorithm to make recommended content more accessible, but is also increasing creators' content presentation options through YouTube Shorts, as well as increasing monetization potential through initiatives like Super Thanks and Premium Channels.
However, regarding algorithmic recommendations, Chen Rongxin explained that they won't specifically prioritize brand promotional content. Instead, they'll primarily consider factors like actual subscriber numbers and engagement, with recommendations based on users' actual click-through rates. Therefore, for channels that maintain a high frequency of filming and uploading videos while also generating significant comment and interaction, Chen Rongxin suggests using YouTube Studio backend data to identify which content is most popular with viewers. Adjusting creative direction based on this data may ultimately increase channel visibility.
In addition, regarding the fact that more and more creators in China or overseas are starting to move their content to the YouTube platform or add Chinese subtitles to attract more Chinese content viewers, Chen Rongxin said that he has indeed observed this phenomenon, but also emphasized that many Taiwanese creators are also starting to use the YouTube subtitle function or add English and other subtitles to allow more overseas audiences to watch their content.
Chen Rongxin explained that although YouTube versions vary by region, the content is essentially shared. Therefore, for creators, this can actually break regional restrictions and attract audiences from more regions. As a result, not only are many creators currently using different subtitles or uploading different creative content to attract overseas audiences, but many brand owners have also begun to transform themselves into creators, promoting their content to the global market through the YouTube platform and realizing the benefits of digital promotion through audio and video.
