YouTube India Director Ishan John Chatterjee joins businessline’s Nabodita Ganguly to discuss the notable trends observed on YouTube in the past year. The conversation covers the rise of short-form videos, with casual creation flourishing across the country, particularly in non-metro areas and diverse languages.

The discussion explores the growing consumption of YouTube on living room screens, marking a significant trend in the platform’s evolution. Chatterjee emphasises the diversity in content creation and viewership, spanning various languages, genres, and verticals across the nation.

Delving into news consumption trends, Chatterjee reveals that video has become the most preferred format for consuming news content in India. This shift transcends literacy barriers, enabling users from non-urban areas to access news content on YouTube.

Talking about the monetisation of YouTube Shorts, Chatterjee discusses the positive trajectory of short-form video revenue, emphasising its potential contribution to the creator economy.

Addressing concerns about fake news, Chatterjee details YouTube’s multi-pronged approach to ensuring platform safety. The discussion covers community guidelines, content removal, promoting authoritative sources, and upcoming measures to address synthetic content created through AI tools.

Chatterjee also sheds light on YouTube’s use of AI to enhance user experiences. He highlights recent features like YouTube Create, which leverages generative AI to unlock new creative expressions and streamline the content creation process.

Chatterjee previews upcoming trends, including YouTube’s focus on branded content through Brand Connect and advancements in podcasting experiences on YouTube Music. He also mentions YouTube’s global milestone of 80 million paid subscribers, showcasing its popularity in the music and premium content spaces. Listen in.