YouTube Shorts, the short-form video feature that made its global debut from India, has crossed the trillion views mark in under four years. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO, highlighted the platform’s impressive reach and watch time in India and noted how local creators are setting global trends.
In addition to its success with Shorts, YouTube has become the top streaming service on Connected TVs in India, with viewership skyrocketing fourfold over the past three years. This shift illustrates YouTube’s expanding influence in the connected TV space.
With 11,000 Indian creators surpassing one million subscribers, YouTube leads in both reach and watch time among ad-supported online video platforms in the country.
In response to evolving market demands, YouTube has unveiled new ad formats for Shorts and Connected TV. For Connected TV, the new formats include pause ads that capture viewer attention during content breaks and branded QR codes designed to broaden ad reach through premium OTT platforms.
For Shorts, YouTube is rolling out interactive features such as stickers, gesture-based likes and swipes, and animated image ads. These updates aim to enhance viewer interaction and enrich the short-form video experience.
“YouTube is where India comes to connect, be entertained, and be inspired, regardless of whether it’s a Connected TV screen or a mobile one. TV viewing in India has undergone a fundamental shift. We’re committed to leading this change by providing the best Connected TV experience and creating ad formats that seamlessly connect marketers with their audiences, on any screen and any format. Every facet of India now finds expression on YouTube and it is decidedly the future of audience engagement,” Shekar Khosla, vice president, marketing, Google India, said.
As YouTube continues to innovate, it not only offers new opportunities for creators and advertisers but also delivers a diverse range of content to its growing audience.