YouTube’s India bet: INR 21,000 crore paid out to Indian creators, commits INR 850 crores to power India’s “Creator Nation”
At the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit [WAVES] in Mumbai, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan established India’s emergence as a “Creator Nation,” revealing that over 100 million channels in India uploaded content in the past year, with more than 15,000 of these surpassing one million subscribers. He underscored YouTube’s significant economic impact, stating that the platform has paid over INR 21,000 crore to Indian creators, artists, and media companies in the last three years alone.
Neal emphasized how YouTube has empowered these creators to transform their passions into successful businesses and cultivate loyal global fandoms. He announced a substantial investment of over INR 850 crore in the next two years to further accelerate the growth of India’s burgeoning creator economy. Last year, content produced in India racked up 45 billion hours of watch time from viewers outside the country.
Neal Mohan, CEO at YouTube, said, “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. Today, India isn’t just a world leader for film and music – it’s rapidly becoming what I’m excited to call a “Creator Nation.”