FACTOMETER
en
ру
հյ
The Armenian government, in particular Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, promised that in the first half of this year, YouTube monetization would finally start working in Armenia.
Moreover, such promises had been made since 2019, and last year, in 2023, the Prime Minister promised that in the first half of 2024, YouTube monetization would become a reality for Armenians. However, the year is already ending while YouTube monetization is still inactive for the Armenian public.
Back on November 24, 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, while answering live video questions from Armenian citizens and compatriots in the Diaspora, answered the question about YouTube monetization by saying that they had received a promise from the Ministry of High-Tech Industry that YouTube monetization would work in the first half of 2024.
“We have drawn out a promise from the Ministry of High-Tech Industry that YouTube monetization will work in the first half of 2024, we’ll see and attend to it,” the Prime Minister said, adding: “We hope that our partners who have given the answer recognize the responsibility, and with the support of our international partners, hopefully, we will make sure to do it.”
The mentioned deadlines have passed but YouTube monetization does not work in Armenia.
In order to clarify a number of issues on the matter, Fact Investigation Platform sent an inquiry to the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia.
Fip.am first inquired about the reasons why Armenia is not yet included in the YouTube Partner Program, which body has failed in this regard.
The Ministry informed in response that the activation of YouTube monetization services in Armenia is driven only by a private, and business decision of the YouTube company.
“The RA Ministry of High-Tech Industry is actively working on the implementation of the necessary steps to ensure the adoption of the aforementioned decision within a short period,” the letter from the Ministry of High-Tech Industry states.
Fip.am also inquired what work was being done to be included in the program, what mechanisms have been developed. The Ministry responded that taking into account the fact that the activation of YouTube monetization services in the Republic of Armenia is driven only by a private, business decision of the YouTube company, in January 2024, a meeting of the First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry Gevorg Mantashyan with the CEO of YouTube took place within the framework of the annual session of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland. The latter noted that they were considering all necessary changes according to the established schedule in order to activate the system as quickly as possible.
Then, in order to develop cooperation with YouTube, upon the invitation of the Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan received a delegation from Google (the owner of YouTube), who arrived in Armenia for the first time on a working visit. During the meeting, the parties discussed the issue of YouTube monetization, among others. It was also reported that the Ministry, along with other stakeholders, actively continues working meetings and discussions with representatives of various levels of YouTube.
It should be noted that back in 2019, former Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan announced at press conference that Armenia was working on three fronts to be included in the YouTube Partner Program.
“There is a YouTube Partner Program, which allows you to generate money from content posted on YouTube by becoming its partner. Armenia is not included in the list of countries that can be part of the YouTube Partner Program. You can generate money, but it is not possible to withdraw it with an Armenian bank card. Bloggers, companies that wish to make money from content, register their companies in other countries,” Arshakyan said, noting that they are “working on three fronts” toward this end.
The first of these is the official channels: at that time, Minister Arshakyan said that he had communicated a note asking for support. The second, according to Arshakyan, was the meeting he had with a group of Armenians working at Google and YouTube raising these issues. As a result, according to Arshakyan, they also tried to find mechanisms. On the third front mentioned by the former minister, Diaspora Armenians were trying to support.
What is monetization?
Fip.am-ի այն հարցին, թե ինչ կտա YouTube-ի դրամայնացումը Հայաստանին, նախարարությունից արձագանքել են, որ YouTube-ի դրամայնացման արդյունքում կարող է ստեղծվել ավելի մեծ հասանելիություն ստեղծագործ և այլ ոլորտների մասնակիցների համար՝ կապված YouTube-ի ընձեռնած հնարավորությունների հետ:
When asked by Fip.am what YouTube monetization will bring to Armenia, the Ministry responded that YouTube monetization could create greater access for creative and other stakeholders, due to the opportunities provided by YouTube. YouTube monetization is a dynamic process that allows content creators to earn revenue from their videos published on the platform. Monetization has made YouTube a lucrative space for both professionals and amateurs, offering the opportunity to earn money by publishing engaging content. Revenue is generated in various ways, mainly through advertisements that are displayed before, during, or after the video is played. To participate in YouTube’s monetization program, content creators should meet specific criteria set by the platform: follow YouTube’s monetization policy, accumulate at least 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months, have at least 1,000 subscribers, have an AdSense account linked to a YouTube channel, adhere to the Community Guidelines, and have two-step verification.
Syuzanna Hambardzumyan
