Kaunda Selisho

By Kaunda Selisho

Journalist


MacG named among YouTube’s top creators 

According to YouTube, this year’s lists are reflective of the most talked about moments to unfold in 2022 on and offline.


YouTube unveiled lists ranking the top trending videos, music videos, Shorts and creators in South Africa today and creators like MacG, Ghost Hlubi, Birth of Stars, MrBeast and Wanitwa Mos were named across various lists. 

According to the online video sharing and social media platform, “this year’s lists are reflective of the most talked about moments to unfold in 2022 on and offline, such as the NFL halftime show, the moment actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, a dancing Pretoria school teacher and top South African musical talent like Wanitwa Mos”.

MacG topped the list of SA’s creators despite criticism surrounding a lot of the things he says, the views he holds and the things he chooses to lend his platform to.

What people in South Africa were most curious about

“Every year, the YouTube End-of-Year Top lists give us in South Africa a valuable glimpse into what people in South Africa were most curious about. YouTube is the place where everyone comes to see what is happening in the world, while participating in today’s culture. 

“Whether it’s Shorts creators fascinating millions such as the daring antics of Hingaflips, or iconic events such as that Will Smith slap, 2022 was an important year for us all and we cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us,” commented Zeph Masote YouTube Lead, South Africa. 

This year, the company released five lists in South Africa:

Top Shorts: A new list ranking the most viewed Shorts in 2022. 

Top trending YouTube shorts in 2022
Top trending YouTube shorts in 2022. Picture: Screengrab

Top Trending Videos: A list ranking the most viewed Trending videos in 2022. 

top-trending-youtube-videos
Top trending YouTube videos in 2022. Picture: Screengrab

Top Music Videos: A list ranking the most viewed music videos in 2022. 

Top trending YouTube music videos in 2022
Top trending YouTube music videos in 2022. Picture: Screengrab

Top Creators: Based on subscribers gained in 2022. This list includes long-form, Shorts, and multiformat Creators.

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Top trending YouTube creators in 2022
Top trending YouTube creators in 2022. Picture: Screengrab

Breakout Creators: Based on subscribers gained in 2022 and channel tripling in size when compared to 2021 (+200% year-over-year growth). This list includes long-form, Shorts, and multiformat creators.

Top trending YouTube Breakout Creators
Top trending YouTube Breakout Creators in 2022. Picture: Screengrab

How did YouTube compile these lists? 

The Top Trending Videos list is based on a range of factors – beyond just views – that indicate how “trending” a video really is. 

The YouTube Culture and Trends team also considers engagement and looks at signals like shares and likes of a certain video. 

The online video sharing and social media platform recently announced that Shorts has over 1.5 billion logged-in viewers every month and is averaging over 30 billion daily views. 

The company also announced that YouTube paid more than 50 billion (USD) to creators, artists, and media companies in the 3 years before June 2022.

“More than two million people participate in the company’s partnerships programme around the world. YouTube’s subscription services, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, now have more than 80 million users, including trailers, around the world.”

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