Mumbai — YouTube today recognised the fastest growing online creators in India on the eve of fourth edition of YouTube FanFest in Mumbai, presented by Be Beautiful, 5 Star, Gionee and Maruti Ignis. With over 14 independent creators hitting the one million subscribers mark across Entertainment, Music, Tech and Food, YouTube is continuing to see massive growth in online video viewership in India, reaching over 180 million users per month in India on mobile alone, according to App Annie.

With over 300 million smartphone users now in the country, creators are finding audiences beyond the top metros thanks to improved access to the Internet, as well as more Indians coming online in tier 2 cities who are discovering new content in their languages. This demand is driving more hunger for YouTube content across all genres. These trends are driving YouTube’s massive growth in watch time, with mobile contributing to 80% of YouTube’s total watch time in India. That mobile watch time is growing at a staggering 400% year on year. Earlier this year, YouTube announced that its 1+ billion users worldwide are now watching 1 billion hours of video daily.

Another big factor driving YouTube’s success in India is the rise of independent online creators. 2016 saw the fastest growth of creators’ subscriber base, with now over ten creators across the country boasting more than 1 million subscribers. YouTube has been consistently investing in boosting creators’ success, with initiatives such as the NextUp development program as well as holding more than 50 events and workshops across India.

At its pre-YouTube FanFest press conference today, YouTube congratulated Bhuvam Bam, otherwise known as BB Ki Vines, as the fastest creator ever in India to hit the 2 million subscriber mark — he had attained the 1 million milestone just a few months prior. YouTube also awarded a Gold Play Button to celebrate the 1 million subscriber milestone to Technical Guruji and Shirley Setia. Amongst other top creators, Being Indian, Kabita’s Kitchen, Nisha Madhulika, SANAM, and Vidya Vox also emerged as the next generations of stars who are defining a new form of entertainment for millions of Indians with their entry into the 1 million subscribers club.

Talking about YouTube’s plans to further grow the content creator ecosystem in India, David Powell, Director of Online Partnerships and Development, YouTube, APAC said, “With more people coming online especially in tier 2 cities, we’re seeing more hunger for YouTube content across all genres. In 2016, we saw over 500 creators across India get over 100k subscribers, meaning at least one channel is crossing this threshold every day. This meteoric rise of content creators across the country is at the heart of YouTube’s popularity in India, and we are significantly ramping up our efforts to make India one of the most vibrant and successful content creator communities in Asia. We will ramp up our efforts in creator community events across the country with a big focus on the south of India, and will continue to put the spotlight on creators as with our recent #SeeSomethingNew campaign.”