Campaign Middle East rounds up the latest updates on social media, and content and streaming platforms from January. Here are the key highlights:
YouTube:
YouTube launched YouTube Health in Arabic, an initiative designed to make it easier for users searching for health-related topics to find reliable and credible video content.
The rollout was introduced in phases, beginning in the UAE, with plans to expand to additional countries and regional partners over time.
As part of the initiative, searches for certain health conditions such as diabetes or breast cancer triggered dedicated health content shelves at the top of search results. These shelves featured videos produced by accredited health organisations and government entities. YouTube also introduced health source information panels, providing additional context about the organisations behind the videos.
Initial content partners included healthcare providers such as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, which produced Arabic-language content intended to be culturally relevant and medically reviewed.
Meta:
At the 1Billion Followers Summit, Meta hosted Ideas Unboxed, which invited creators to use their tool Meta AI. Through live examples, the tool was shown supporting tasks such as idea generation, storyline development and real-time editing. It’s all about pushing creativity further with AI tools.
LinkedIn:
Building professional connections can be challenging, and LinkedIn is introducing new features aimed at addressing this.
Within its in-app Games offering, the platform has launched a Connections Leaderboard, allowing members to view how they rank in LinkedIn Games against others in their professional network.
Recent updates add personalised insights, including progress indicators and contextual ranking information, intended to help users track their activity levels, including during periods of lower engagement. Members can also search for tailored “nudges” designed to encourage new connection moments.
Also, LinkedIn has fully rolled out Gmail contact sync as part of its Address Book Import feature, making it simpler for members to find and connect with people they already know.
These platform updates indicate a broader effort by LinkedIn to create more intuitive, motivating ways for professionals to grow their professional networks and stay connected.
Snapchat:
Snapchat has launched a new in-app video editing feature called Quick Cut, which is designed to simplify the process of creating short, edited videos from existing content.
The tool allows users to select multiple photos or video clips from Memories or their camera roll and automatically generate a beat-synced video preview, replacing Snapchat’s previous multi-step editing workflow. The feature is intended to speed up video creation by reducing the number of manual editing steps required.
The feature automatically applies music from Snapchat’s Sounds library and syncs it to selected clips. Users can further customise videos by choosing alternative tracks or applying Lenses through the Lens carousel.
The launch formed part of a broader set of platform updates, following earlier changes to Snapchat’s creator tools, including the introduction of the Timeline Editor in Director Mode, as the company continued to expand its in-app video editing capabilities.
