Key Points
- YouTube has paid Indian creators, artists, and media companies over ₹21,000 crore in the last three years, fueling a booming digital economy.
- The platform will invest an additional ₹850 crore over the next two years to support India’s creator ecosystem with training, infrastructure, and business opportunities.
- Indian content is a global sensation: in 2023 alone, videos made in India were watched for 45 billion hours by international audiences.
- Over 100 million Indian YouTube channels uploaded content last year; more than 15,000 channels now have over 1 million subscribers.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the world’s most-followed government leader on YouTube, with 27.7 million subscribers.
New Delhi: India’s digital creators are rewriting the rules of fame and fortune, and YouTube is at the heart of this revolution. At the inaugural WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed that the platform has paid out a staggering ₹21,000 crore to Indian creators, artists, and media companies over the past three years-a testament to the explosive growth of India’s creator economy.
A Booming Creator Economy
YouTube’s impact in India is now global. In 2023 alone, content produced by Indian creators racked up 45 billion hours of watch time from viewers outside India, making local talent international stars. Mohan described India as a “Creator Nation,” saying, “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”.
Unprecedented Scale: Millions of Creators, Billions of Views
- Over 100 million Indian YouTube channels uploaded content in the last year alone.
- More than 15,000 Indian channels have surpassed the coveted 1 million subscriber mark-up from 11,000 just a few months ago.
- India is home to 476 million YouTube users, the largest audience for the platform worldwide[7].
Massive New Investment for the Next Generation
To further accelerate India’s digital growth, YouTube has committed an additional ₹850 crore over the next two years. This investment will focus on:
- Expanding infrastructure and partnerships in India
- Training and upskilling emerging creators
- Helping creators professionalize their content and build sustainable businesses
From Local to Global: Indian Creators Lead the Way
Indian YouTubers are not just local celebrities-they’re global ambassadors. Regional music, tech reviews, education, and lifestyle content from India are finding enthusiastic audiences around the world. The platform’s new tools, including multilingual dubbing and AI-powered translation, are making it even easier for creators to reach fans across borders.
India’s Top YouTube Stars
- T-Series, CarryMinati, and BB Ki Vines are among the most popular channels globally.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official channel boasts 27.7 million subscribers, making him the most-followed government leader on YouTube worldwide.
YouTube’s massive payouts and fresh investment are transforming India into a global digital powerhouse, empowering millions of creators to turn their passions into thriving businesses. With new tools, training, and international reach, the next wave of Indian digital stars is set to shine brighter than ever.
