YouTube to bring more original content properties

In the tenth year, YouTube has planned to serve a platter of special content to the South Indian market through their own language properties. It has partnered with Culture Machine, OML, Qyuki and TVF to launch original properties.

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | March 18, 2016

Yet another attempt by YouTube to fuel online video growth in India is their partnerships with Culture Machine, OML, Qyuki and The Viral Fever (TVF) to launch original properties on the platform.

In addition, YouTube is further planning to cater to a large audience in south India. They have tied up with Tamil and Telugu content creators to give content properties like Tamil Comedy Hunt with Vision Time, a Telugu Comedy Hunt with ETV, and Katha, a Tamil/Telugu web series property, later in the year.

Satya Raghavan, Head of Entertainment Content at YouTube India announced their plans for April 2016 and the year ahead. Raghavan announced the launch of #LaughterGames, an initiative where nine comedy creators will launch their own comedy web series. Some of the creators who are a part of this are East India Comedy, Put Chutney and Kenny Sebastian amongst others.

In the coming months, Culture Machine will also launch a Beauty Hunt, OML will launch the second season of Comedy Hunt, Qyuki will launch Jammin' and TVF to launch a Web Series Hunt for the next generation of content creators.

The success of homegrown YouTube creators like All India Bakchod, TVF, and Indian-Canadian comedian Lilly Singh aka Superwoman, has inspired thousands of young Indian creators to step forward to launch their own channels on YouTube. These creators and some of the new ones will be performing live at YouTube FanFest on Friday, March 18.

In the third year, the FanFest has four sponsors, Pepsi, Amazon India, Pantene and Clean & Clear, compared to last year's only sponsor Pepsi. It will also see thirty performers against last year's count of fourteen.

YouTube has grown in last ten years, while on the India front, there are about a billion views on YouTube every month. The watch time has grown by 80 per cent YoY with about 55 per cent watch time coming from mobile. The hours of video uploaded from India has increased at 90 per cent YoY. For instance, the Indian market has picked up in the segment beauty and fashion videos, which grew by 138 per cent YoY, while Comedy grew by 100 percent. Music saw a 92 percent growth and language driven content saw 75 percent growth.

Further to the announcement, Raghavan said, “India has undergone a content creator revolution. Over the last few years, Indian YouTube creators have gained millions of new subscribers and have taken over the imagination of the youth in India. In our view, 2015 was a breakout year for the young industry and the ecosystem has really evolved in India, with mobile driving massive growth for online video consumption. Now, we're seeing online creators break open the gates for a whole new kind of entertainment for Indians online, with advertisers looking to tap into this space in a meaningful way.”

When queried about FanFest being a good monetising model, Raghavan said, “Yes it is. Everyone wants a 360 degree approach. Brands want it, creators want it. While consumption happens digitally, the connect happens on-ground.”

According to the producers of the event, Jasper Donat, Co-founder and CEO at Branded Limited, said, “We are not looking at monetising the model as fans will connect with their digital stars without having to pay for it. When we opened our bookings for FanFest, the seats were booked in an hour's time. That is the kind of response we received from India. One has to register to be a part of the FanFest. They do not have to pay or do not need to buy a ticket.”

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