YouTube Shorts Hits Trillion Views, Indian Creators Lauded

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) YouTube Shorts, a 60-second video format which made its global debut in India in 2020, has surpassed a trillion views, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced on Wednesday as he highlighted the global impact of Indian content creators.

Mohan, who was speaking at the YouTube Brandcast 2024 event here, said YouTube has become a platform that enables people to tell their stories.

"Indian creators are making videos inspired by local trends that go on to define global culture. YouTube is number one in reach and watch time in India. And we just passed a huge milestone. Shorts, which we first launched in India, now have trillions of views here," he said.

YouTube is the most streamed service on Connected TVs (cTV) in India with viewership growing 4x in the last three years, he added.

"These creators and artists have business strategies, writers' rooms, and production teams. They're creating programs that people love to watch. And along the way, they're redefining entertainment, news, and education. And they're driving growth on YouTube. YouTube is the most watched streaming service on cTVs here," Mohan further said.

YouTube unveiled a range of new ad formats for cTV and Shorts, in an effort to enhance engagement and augment results for brands.

It introduced interactive stickers and gestures, and animated image ads for YouTube shorts.

It also launched Pause Ads and Branded QR codes for cTV.

While Pause Ads enable non-intrusive viewer engagement during content pauses on the big screen, Branded QR codes extend reach beyond YouTube to premium broadcasters on OTTs via DV360, YouTube said.

"These new ad formats will enable brands to harness the influence, cultural impact and interactive potential of Shorts and Connected TV, while catering to the evolving needs of advertisers," a company statement said.

"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," Shekar Khosla, Vice President, Marketing, Google India, said.