26-05-2025
5 Things YouTube CEO Shared on India's Booming Creator Economy
"About 15%, roughly 45 billion hours of watch time of Indian content happens outside India. So, it's not just a creator economy. It's a cultural export engine," says Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube
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With more people gaining access to the internet and digital platforms, India's creator economy is growing rapidly. In 2025, it was valued at around USD 1,457.4 million and is expected to rise to about USD 5,930.5 million by 2032, growing at an annual rate of 22.2 per cent, according to Coherent MI.
Popular platforms like YouTube and Instagram remain favourites among Indian content creators. These platforms offer great reach and earning opportunities, and they keep adding features that help creators grow.
India also has the world's largest YouTube user base, with over 491 million active users, according to GrabOn. The platform is estimated to bring in over USD 1 billion in yearly revenue from India alone.
During a conversation on Nikhil Kamath's podcast People, Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube shared five major insights about India's growing creator economy.
India, a global creator powerhouse
Mohan believes India is on the verge of leading the global creator economy, thanks to the sheer scale, energy, and entrepreneurial drive of its content ecosystem.
"India really is at the cusp of being a true creator nation. And I think the insight, at least for me, was the recognition that India's creator economy is not just important for India, but will have global implications," said Mohan.
"About 15 per cent, roughly 45 billion hours of watch time of Indian content happens outside India. So it's not just a creator economy. It's a cultural export engine."
YouTube's footprint in India is vast, 4 out of 5 Indians use the platform, with over 100 million channels and 15,000 creators now crossing the million-subscriber mark.
"When I was here last, just a few months ago, that number was, I think, 11,000. When I first started at YouTube, like, 10 years ago, that number was, like, four or five. So just this proliferation of amazing content, amazing creativity is what YouTube is today. And that's what you should expect it to be five, 10 years from now, too."
Creators are the new entrepreneurs
For Mohan, creators today are not just artists, they're startup founders, business owners, and global brand builders.
"Yes, you have to be a creative person, an authentic thought. You have to share it with yourself, but you also have to be an entrepreneur. What I mean by that is like truly entrepreneurial in the best sense—someone who's willing to work hard and really give into their passion kind of a thing."
He warned that if someone is only chasing sales (like selling T-shirts), they'll struggle to sustain success without genuine creative passion.
"If your only goal in life is to sell T-shirts, then you better also really care and have passion around creating content. It shouldn't be a means to an end. If you don't have passion around that, you're not going to be your authentic self, and fans will figure that out very, very quickly, and you're not going to build a fan base."
He added, "YouTube can be a bit of a slow burn… Build consistently, and let the audience discover you."
Youtube is a stage, not a gatekeeper
YouTube's approach, Mohan emphasised, is not about curating or programming content like a traditional media outlet. Instead, it builds the tools, infrastructure, and technology to empower creators and let them thrive independently.
"The analogy that I use that I think sort of works best is most of the people at YouTube are software engineers or technologists, and our job is to build the stage. And I want that to be the best possible stage in the world."
"When you come to this stage, to this theatre, the most comfortable seats, the best view lines, the most amasing effects or what have you, but that's it. That's what we do. The people that are on the stage are our creators. And so we have to create the tools and capabilities that make them shine, the best possible stage, and make viewers really want to keep coming back to that theatre."
On the platform's role in political or societal influence, he added, "YouTube really is a reflection of what is happening in the world. And precisely, it's actually meant to be a reflection of what's interesting to you in the moment… The algorithm is just a reflection of the audience."
AI will democratise creativity, not replace it
Mohan is excited about how AI can support creators rather than threaten their relevance. He views generative AI as a new creative toolset that will lower production barriers.
"The technology exists today, when you hit that plus camera on YouTube, to now within a few seconds give it a text prompt of, you know, let's change this set to one where we're sitting in a spring meadow and there's birds and flowers outside. And that's probably something that would have taken us days or weeks to put together… AI allows you to do that now in seconds."
"My view is that [AI] is really going to be a tool that enhances human creativity, never replacing it… It is your decision or my decision to come up with that creative idea, and now it's there."
He also highlighted creators' requests for more practical AI tools,"Why not just give me a translation of my video in 10 big languages? Why not give it to me in a thousand different languages? And why not do it in a way where it captures my tone, my inflection? AI will be able to do that and it will be magical too."
Mohan added how AI could impact education. "Some kid, you know, trying to learn algebra in a small Indian village. And that's like a profound impact on humanity." Another one that comes to mind that creators always talk to me about is, you know, one of their biggest challenges is sort of the blank screen problem. Like I have a video, I have no idea what to do next. And I'm a travel vlogger. Well, could I iterate with an AI to actually help me come up with ideas on, you know, the next, where should I take my next trip? And what sort of video should I produce around it? So those are the types of things where a lot of AI innovation is happening because that's what makes it actually practical for real users."
The creator economy is moving beyond ads
While advertising continues to be YouTube's primary revenue model, Mohan urged creators to explore other monetisation opportunities from fan funding and subscriptions to e-commerce and direct sales.
"Our fundamental business model is an advertising model, and that's because we're large-scale…But I also think that entrepreneurs should think about other types of monetisation models like SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand). We have a subscription business, right, with YouTube Premium, direct fan-funding models… Especially if you have niche content."
He added that creators like MrBeast have used YouTube not just as a revenue source, but as the foundation to build vast businesses.
"Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast, has these five pillars of focus in his studio, in his office. The very first one is YouTube first. Because he knows that everything that he has derived has come from that investment on YouTube." "If you have a clothing line, or if you have some other product that you're very excited about, YouTube can be the home base by which you build all of those businesses over and over."
By 2029, India's YouTube user base is projected to reach 859.26 million, marking five consecutive years of strong growth
