“YouTube’s journey in the country, in many ways, mirrors India’s own digital transformation journey,” said Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, India, YouTube, on the occasion marking the platform’s 15th year since the launch of its localised version in India. The localised version of YouTube came to India in 2008, and ever since, the platform has witnessed phenomenal growth both in terms of its reach and the ever-evolving demography of users. On the occasion, the director shared his insights on the illustrious journey of the platform that has witnessed significant shifts in technology, creativity, and pop culture. “Digital video has always had the uncommon ability to break down literacy and geographical barriers. 15 years in, YouTube has taken on many avatars - a place of discovery for trends moving the world, and a reflection of a curious, connected and vibrant India, that has embraced video as its language,” said Chatterjee. The rapid expansion of the platform has been driven by the plethora of creative tools that has been enabling creators to bring their ingenious ideas to life. YouTube has not only bridged the gap between creators and viewers, but it has also been empowering individuals to embark on a creative entrepreneurial journey. This is largely owing to the platform's democratisation of content creation and monetisation programs. Nurturing creative entrepreneurs The democratisation of content creation is fueling a new league of creative entrepreneurs across India. The video-sharing platform is not only seeing a rise in the number of creators but is also enabling many by offering them new career pathways. "For example, we have a creator named Malar from Tamil Nadu who teaches English to Tamil-speaking communities. She has recently started her offline English-speaking business in Chennai. Another success story comes from the Village Cooking channel in Tamil Nadu, which has gained widespread popularity. Similarly, in West Bengal, Puspharani Sarkar is running a successful rural Bengali cooking channel," Chatterjee told Indianexpress.com. According to Chatterjee, the foundation for these ventures was laid with the launch of the YouTube Partner Program in 2011. "This program has enabled creators to monetise content that resonates with their audience. As a result, it has become possible to start businesses, irrespective of one's background or location." A space to discover and create The digital video landscape is witnessing significant shifts in terms of technology, creativity, and pop culture. While enabling creators to attract and manage newer audiences, YouTube is also offering a safe space to discover, create, and connect. While elaborating on YouTube’s journey, Chatterjee also shared some unique trends. According to a YouTube Trends Survey, 2023, as many as 69 per cent of Gen Z in India said that they liked it when their favourite creators offered content in different formats such as short form, long form, podcasts, live streams, etc. According to the platform, this creative expansion is helping them fuel popular and established genres such as comedy, gaming, cooking, tech, etc. Moreover, this has also led to the emergence of new genres like science facts or motivation. While videos were defined as a single format in the last decade, now it has evolved into a personalised experience merging a variety of formats to cater to different audiences. As many as 71 per cent of people said that they watch videos on a specific topic and that they are into viewing multiple formats. This has essentially made content consumption boundless and seamless. Riding the meme bandwagon Chatterjee said that while a decade ago, viral trends were mostly a monolithic pop culture - a shared experience by all. Now it has become more relatable, essentially turning viewers into amateur creators. The same survey stated that 49 per cent of respondents participated in a meme over the last year. Another interesting trend is the multi-layered rise of fandoms. As many as 48 per cent of Gen Z admitted that they have watched videos made by fans of specific content, artists, or public figures in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, YouTube has been embraced by more creators across the country. A survey by Oxford Economics in 2022 stated that 80 per cent of Indian creators who earn from the platform feel that it offers opportunities that they would not otherwise have gotten from traditional media. The democratisation and monetisation of content has certainly opened new doors for content creators. Besides, the company’s future plans also include introducing the power of artificial intelligence in a variety of use cases including subtitling and aspects of content moderation.
