The next 20: Powering the future of entertainment together at Made on YouTube

Twenty years ago, YouTube launched with the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to create and find a global stage. Since then, we’ve seen creators shape culture and entertainment in ways we never thought possible. And these creators, artists, studios and brands have built vibrant companies that are powering a huge creator economy: we've now paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies globally over the last four years.

Today at Made on YouTube, we’re introducing new products and innovations to power the next decade of creation, connection, and business, on YouTube. Here is what is coming to the Middle East & North Africa.

Tell your story, your way

AI can help creative people everywhere share their stories, so we’re making creation on Shorts easier and more fun.

We’ve started integrating Google DeepMind’s Veo 3 Fast into YouTube Shorts so you can easily create video backgrounds or clips with sound, for free. And new capabilities powered by Veo allow you to apply motion, restyle videos, and add props to your scenes. Edit with AI will help turn your raw footage into a first draft video. Finally, Speech to song turns video dialogue into a funny soundtrack for your next Short. Learn more here. This is available to select countries and we hope to bring these features to MENA soon.

Streamlining the creative process

Creators already use YouTube Studio for deeper insights and inspiration for what to create next. We’re now adding a new suite of tools designed to be a true creative partner across every phase of the creation journey.

Create Collaborations with other creators to expand your reach. And get ready for A/B testing for titles, updates to the Inspiration Tab and upgrades to auto-dubbing.

Finally, we’re expanding our likeness detection tool, which allows creators to detect and manage videos made with AI using their facial likeness, coming soon to all YouTube Partner Program creators in an open beta.

Here’s a deeper dive into Studio.

Fostering connections between artists and their fans

Fandom moves music culture and powers artists careers, so we’re creating new opportunities to connect artists with their fans.

On YouTube Music, you’ll see the option to countdown to upcoming new releases and pre-save your favorites. And across YouTube, we’re building tools that let artists reward and connect with their top fans through exclusive merch, “thank you” videos, behind-the-scenes clips, and other just-for-fans content.

Building brand to creator relationships

We’re adding updates to brand deals and Shopping to make brand collaborations easier than ever. We're accelerating these deals through a new initiative and new product features to make sure those partnerships succeed - like the ability to add a link to a brand's site in Shorts and to dynamically insert brand segments to videos. Learn more about these updates here.

As we look ahead to the future we are committed to empowering creators, fostering community, and continuing to redefine how the world watches, listens, and connects. We can't wait to see what we create together in the next 20 years.

_{This is an amended version of YouTube's global Made on YouTube blog}