YouTube pledges Rs 850 crore to boost India’s ‘creator nation’ vision: Neal Mohan

Mumbai: At the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) in Mumbai, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan made a resounding pitch for India’s digital creator economy, announcing a Rs 850 crore investment over the next two years to deepen the platform’s commitment to what he called “the world’s leading Creator Nation.”

Addressing a packed gathering of industry leaders, policymakers, and creators from around the globe, Mohan said, “India isn't just a world leader for film and music, it's rapidly becoming what I'm excited to call a ‘Creator Nation’.”

Backed by numbers, Mohan laid out YouTube’s transformative impact on India's content economy. Over 100 million channels in India uploaded videos over the past year, with more than 15,000 channels crossing the one million subscriber mark. More importantly, he revealed that Indian creators, artists, and media companies earned more than Rs 21,000 crore from YouTube in just the last three years.

“From Patna to Pune, creators have built real businesses and global fanbases, all powered by video. Our ability to connect a creator anywhere with an audience everywhere is changing lives,” Mohan said.

He underscored YouTube’s growing role as a vehicle for India’s soft power. “Last year alone, content made in India generated over 45 billion hours of watch time from international audiences,” he said, calling YouTube a cultural export engine that has found resonance across borders.

Mohan’s announcement drew praise from Indian officials and industry leaders attending WAVES 2025, which aims to position India as a global media and entertainment powerhouse.

His speech echoed the broader message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who earlier in the day had invited global creators to “make India your playground” and build for the world from the country’s vast storytelling traditions.

The Rs 850 crore investment, Mohan said, will focus on training new creators, expanding monetisation pathways, and strengthening regional content ecosystems, particularly in non-metro and vernacular markets.

With India’s digital video landscape set to surpass half a billion users, YouTube’s commitment is a signal of where the next phase of global creator innovation may be headed, and it speaks in an Indian accent.