Why YouTube monetization remains restricted in Uzbekistan?

Earlier, Ambassador Henick highlighted the issue of restricted YouTube monetization in Uzbekistan and said he could help facilitate talks with Google. To clarify the outcome of these discussions, Kun.uz contacted the US Embassy in Uzbekistan.

Ambassador Henick said that multiple regulatory and technical factors are affecting the availability of monetization.

“American technology companies continue to face challenges operating or expanding monetization features in Uzbekistan due to a combination of regulatory and technical factors. These can include requirements related to personal data localization, intellectual property rights protection, payment system regulations, and language support. Uzbekistan’s legal framework requires the personal data of its citizens to be stored on servers located within the country, which may also affect the availability of digital payment services provided by U.S. companies. In addition, mandatory registration requirements for personal data databases have been cited as administratively burdensome,” Henick said.

The ambassador added that the Uzbek government has stepped up efforts to strengthen engagement with US technology companies through public–private dialogue and has expressed interest in revisiting certain elements of the regulatory framework.

“The United States strongly supports continued engagement and reform efforts that improve the business climate and support expanded digital trade and broader U.S.–Uzbek economic cooperation,” Henick told Kun.uz.

According to estimates by the Center for Economic Research and Reforms, the launch of YouTube monetization could increase Uzbekistan’s gross domestic product by 0.05–0.1 percent. As a result of monetization, the annual income of local bloggers could rise to $30–50 million. The number of new content creators would grow, further driving the development of the creative industry.

It is noted that Uzbekistan has more than 26,000 active video bloggers, including around 1,000 large bloggers with more than 100,000 subscribers, 5,000 mid-sized bloggers with 10,000–100,000 subscribers, and 20,000 small bloggers with 1,000–10,000 subscribers.

If the verage CPM (cost per mille) is assumed to be $0.8–1.4 per 1,000 views and total annual views reach 36 billion, total revenue could range from $28.8 million to $50.4 million. By comparison, CPM rates are around $5–15 in the United States and about $0.8–2 in Kazakhstan.

Previously, Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, responding to a question about when YouTube monetization would be enabled in Uzbekistan, said that more English-language content needs to be produced. He noted that monetization potential is significantly higher due to the larger audience in that language. “How much can you earn producing content in Uzbek, and how much can you earn producing content in English? That is why we need to make greater use of the monetization mechanisms that are already in place,” the minister said.