YouTube has solidified its position as the preferred online platform for four out of every five Indian internet users. Furthermore, its short-video creation tool, YouTube Shorts, has witnessed substantial growth, with 96 per cent of users aged 18 to 44 in India embracing the platform.
With a staggering average of 70 billion daily views worldwide, YouTube Shorts continues to surge in popularity in India. Its daily views have skyrocketed by over 120 per cent year-on-year (YoY) globally. This growth has transcended devices, with 88 per cent of Indian online users aged 18 to 44 consuming short-form video content on their television screens over the past year.
Notably, Indian viewers are diversifying their content preferences, dedicating just 21 per cent of their viewing time to a single format. These revelations were made during the recent 'YouTube Brandcast 2023' event.
Satya Raghavan, Director of Marketing Partners at Google India, noted the profound digital transformation in India over the past 15 years. YouTube has played a pivotal role in this transformation, becoming the preferred platform for the majority of online users.
YouTube remains the top choice for watching videos among Indian internet users, with the average user maintaining content from approximately five different platforms. In urban India, about 33 per cent of connected TV consumers no longer watch linear television, and logged-in viewers dedicate an average of 2.5 hours per day to watching YouTube.
The platform's influence is further evidenced by a growth of over 40 per cent in the hours of content uploaded to YouTube by Indian channels from June 2022 to June 2023. Adults aged 35 and above spent more than 70 minutes per day on YouTube in June 2023.
The integration of generative AI into content creation has also captured the audience's attention, with over 1.7 billion views of videos related to or utilizing generative AI tools worldwide this year. A significant 70 per cent of online viewers aged 18 to 44 are open to content created by AI-powered means.
YouTube also unveiled an array of tools within its Ads Creative Studio, enabling marketers to easily create multiple versions of display or video ads customized for different audiences, locations, languages, or contexts.
These developments underscore YouTube's enduring popularity and influence in India's digital landscape, offering opportunities for creators and advertisers alike.
