YouTube To Invest Over Rs 850 Crore In Indian Creator Economy, Says CEO Neal Mohan
India has emerged as a “creator nation”, with more than 100 million Indian channels uploading content on YouTube in the past year, the YouTube CEO said.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan while speaking at the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) held in Mumbai on Thursday said the platform will invest over Rs 850 crore in India over the next two years to support the growth of creators, artists, and media companies.
“In the next two years, YouTube will invest over Rs 850 crore to accelerate the growth of Indian creators, artists, and media companies. And these aren't just numbers, they're tangible impact, forging countless career and business pathways for a vibrant new India,” Mohan said at a session on ‘Powering the Creator Economy in India.’
He said India has emerged as a “creator nation”, with more than 100 million Indian channels uploading content on YouTube in the past year. Of these, over 15,000 channels have crossed the one-million subscriber mark, up from 11,000 just a few months ago.
“In the last three years alone, we've paid more than Rs 21,000 crore to creators, artists, and media companies all across India,” he said, adding that YouTube has helped creators build loyal fandoms and turn their passion into full-fledged businesses.
Mohan also said content produced in India received 45 billion hours of watch time from viewers outside the country last year. “YouTube’s ability to connect a creator anywhere with audiences everywhere has made it a powerful engine of cultural export, and few nations have leveraged this as effectively as India,” he said.
He also pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has over 25 million subscribers on YouTube, making him the most-followed head of government on the platform globally.
(With inputs from PTI)
