YouTube viewership on connected TV grows to 20 mn in India: Brandcast

Signaling the importance of online video amongst Indian internet users, YouTube today shared several significant shifts and emerging trends in user behaviour at its annual event Brandcast.

With people spending more time at home, more than 20 million Indians streamed their favorite YouTube content on their connected TVs , over 40 percent growth since May last year. Moreover, high growth in watch times of cricket, comedy, beauty, and educational content through Connected TV underscores the increasing preference of users to tune into YouTube from their living rooms. Overall, 85 percent viewers used the platform more than ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 . 93% of YouTube viewers prefer watching content in Indic languages .

YouTube’s growing use amongst both urban and rural audiences, subscriber engagement with the vibrant ecosystem of YouTube creators, and expanding content categories catering to the interests and language preferences of users across geographies are coming together to pave the way for brands to leverage the platform for incremental reach, creative collaborations, and localization for business impact.

With 85 percent of video viewers coming to YouTube to learn or improve their skills, and channels such as ‘StudyIQ’ and ‘Don’t Memorise’ among many others garnering sizable subscription bases, increasingly, YouTube is empowering one of the largest learner communities in the country. In line with this, watch times of career videos have also grown by more than 60% in May 2021 when compared to the same time last year. The platform is now experiencing the emergence and growth of several new verticals within learning such as farming, finance, food and engineering. Furthermore, existing verticals like technology, beauty and comedy are evolving to serve hyper-local content in regional languages. With YouTube users increasingly utilizing the platform for product awareness, research and demos, brands are tapping into this unique cross-section of demand and engagement to target their customers where they spend time.

Today, more than 140 YouTube channels have over 10 million subscribers - making the platform an asset in every marketer’s arsenal due to its reach and engagement. YouTube creators are also leveraging new formats of personalized video content, such as YouTube Shorts, to unlock imaginative ways to tell their stories. Marking a year since the YouTube Shorts Beta was first launched in India, the number of Indian channels using creation tools more than tripled since the beginning of December as creators continue to create engaging content and reach new audiences. As of July 2021, videos in our new Shorts player - which helps people around the world watch short videos on YouTube - are receiving over 15 billion daily views, driving greater discovery, fan engagement and monetisation opportunities for creators.