Satya Raghavan, Entertainment Head, Youtube India spills the beans on what videos the country likes to watch

Most often than not, our day isn’t complete without viewing some videos on Youtube- be it at work, on a day off or during an afternoon hangout with friends.

And, Satya Raghavan, Entertainment Head at Youtube India isn’t averse to that fact either. “India loves Youtube,” he says on the eve of Youtube’s signature Fan Fest in Mumbai, where over 35 YouTube content creators are participating.

Were we always this obsessed with videos?

Yes and no, according to Raghavan. “We were always consuming videos but today it’s not limited to generic music videos or repeats of our favourite TV shows. Now, the audience is using YouTube for much more than that,” he adds.

According to him, the success of homegrown Youtube creators such as All India Bakchod, Kanan Gill, Biswa Kalyan Rath as well as the massive following of Indo-Canadian comedian Lilly Singh aka IISuperwomanII has inspired thousands of Indian creators to launch their own channels on Youtube.

Youtube’s growth in India has been meteoric- with overall watchtime in India growing by 80% YoY and mobile watchtime increasing at a staggering 100%.

Moreover, what Indians are watching on Youtube has changed too.

At the moment, videos by the Youtube creators are the favour of the season, with Indian content creators giving a stiff competition to their western counterparts.

For instance, watchtime of independent musicians on YouTube grew over 92% while comedy and entertainment took the cake with 100% growth. Beauty and fashion videos is another category that has garnered an impressive following- growing over 138%.

Another surprising fact is a 75% spike in watchtime growth of Tamil and Telugu content. Remember this viral video?





Based on their YouTube channel subscribers, these are the fastest growing and most popular Youtube channel subscribers:


(Image credits: indiatimes)