YouTube traffic increased by 44% and received almost 4 billion views in 2018, with U.S. visits doubled.
Xilam Animation, an independent producer and distributor of original animated content, is pleased to announce a major milestone in its digital growth, having reached 10 billion total views across its YouTube videos as of December 31, 2018.
This achievement underscores the rapid growth of Xilam’s digital offering, with a 44% increase in traffic (number of videos viewed) across its YouTube programming, resulting in an impressive total of almost four billion views in 2018 that was driven by strong momentum in the United States (+100%). This increased traffic is also reflected in the number of subscribers to Xilam channels, which grew 162% to reach 6.3 million at the end of 2018 (vs. 2.4 million at end 2017).
Revenue from YouTube is set to represent 10% of Xilam’s turnover for fiscal year 2018, a share that is expected to further expand in 2019. This income increased by 55% thanks to the U.S. market, which contributed close to 30% of Xilam’s YouTube revenue for the year. The global trendsetter when it comes to consumption of animated programming, the U.S. is a key source of the exploding market demand for cartoons. The U.S. represents a significant area of continued growth for Xilam, as does the Asian market, whose unrivalled expansion—in terms of both content volume and value—supports a solid growth outlook for the company over the next several years in the digital distribution market.
YouTube 2018 sales breakdown by region
For 2019, Xilam anticipates a significant increase in traffic to its YouTube channels, notably, due to:
- The launch of its dedicated Paprika channel aimed at a preschool audience (preschool programming is a key vehicle for children’s viewership on YouTube);
- Launch of a localised Oggy and the Cockroaches channel in India, where the show is hugely popular among children.
