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YouTube, in its latest policy update announced that it has initiated a global crackdown on gambling content. It is worth noting that Twitch, a rival game-streaming platform, still allows gambling content. In India, due to a lack of monitoring, multiple live streamers broadcast gambling content of illegal betting platforms.

YouTube announced that from March 19, it will no longer permit content that directs users to “unapproved” gambling websites through links, images, text, logos, or verbal references. The platform defines unapproved gambling sites as those that do not meet local legal requirements and have not been reviewed by YouTube or its parent company, Google.

This update builds on YouTube’s existing policy prohibiting links to external sites that violate its rules, including unapproved gambling websites. With this change, users under the age of 18 and those who are not logged in will no longer be able to view content that depicts or promotes online betting sites.

The Real Money Gaming industry is applauding the YouTube's crackdown on illegal gambling and betting platforms which lure Indian users by misleading claims via videos and live streams. 

Jay Sayta, Technology & Gaming Lawyer said, “YouTube’s change in policy to restrict logos and links of unauthorised gambling websites and not allow content promising guaranteed returns is a welcome step that will help to a great extent in preventing gullible Indian users from getting lured into participating on illegal offshore betting websites. One hopes that YouTube will vigilantly enforce any breach of these new guidelines and take down content trying to circumvent this new policy immediately.”

A real-money gaming operator, speaking anonymously, stated, “Lately, we have been noticing and reporting live streams featuring illegal betting and gambling content in India. YouTube’s crackdown is yet another blow to offshore gambling platforms operating illegally in the country. This will significantly impact gambling websites’ ability to penetrate the Indian market.”

In a recent crackdown by Indian law enforcement agencies, the Visakhapatnam Cybercrime Police arrested YouTuber and fisherman Vasupalli Nani following a complaint that he had promoted online betting apps through live streaming on YouTube. 

Similarly, the Kerala Police took strict action on Tuesday against social media influencers promoting illegal betting apps, resulting in the removal of several Instagram accounts. Influencers such as Mallu Family Sujin, Wayanadan Vlogger, and Fazmina Zakiir allegedly shared misleading videos claiming users could earn easy money through online gaming.

The operator added, “However, we expect YouTube to remove existing gambling content from its platform. YouTube should also issue an advisory to influencers, warning them to refrain from promoting gambling and betting websites or risk shadow bans and financial penalties, which would limit their content’s reach.”

A top gaming industry policy expert said, “Multiple illegal gambling companies entice mid-sized influencers to promote illegal betting and gambling websites, offering compensation ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 depending on the deliverables. While YouTube’s crackdown is commendable, the platform should also focus on raising awareness within the community to ensure a complete eradication of such content.”

In 2022, Twitch restricted streams showcasing gambling sites offering slots, roulette, or dice games, reflecting a growing concern over unregulated gambling content on streaming platforms.

RMG industry welcomes YouTube's crackdown on illegal gambling content

A Russian court has fined Alphabet’s Google 3.8 million roubles (£32,700) for allowing a YouTube video that gave instructions to Russian soldiers on how to surrender, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Crackdown on Online Content
For years, Russia has been pressuring foreign tech platforms to remove content it considers illegal. This includes what it calls “false information” about the war in Ukraine. When companies do not comply, Russia issues repeated fines, though they remain relatively small.

Disruptions and Allegations
Google has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

According to the Reuters report, critics claim Russian authorities are slowing down YouTube to make it harder for citizens to access content critical of President Vladimir Putin and his government. However, Russia denies this, instead blaming Google for failing to upgrade its technology – a claim the company and tech experts reject.

In December, President Vladimir Putin accused Google of being a tool used by the U.S. government to push its own political agenda.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/fake-apps-duping-indians-how-scammers-are-leveraging-ai-for-malicious-activities-56731.htm">Read More: Fake apps duping Indians: How scammers are leveraging AI for malicious activities</a>

Russia fines Google for YouTube video on surrendering soldiers

A new report by Red Lab, powered by data from SYNC Pulse, sheds light on how leading brands are performing on YouTube in India’s top six metropolitan cities. SYNC Pulse, India’s only verified cross-media exposure analysis platform, offers an accurate and detailed understanding of audience engagement. The report reveals key insights into the competitive landscape, highlighting how digital advertising strategies are shaping brand visibility and recall.

Zepto, Blinkit, and Flipkart emerged as prominent players, leveraging YouTube as a core platform to connect with their target audiences. The analysis focuses on impressions, reach, and audience dynamics, providing a clear picture of their campaign strategies and performance.

Zepto Leads the Quick Commerce Space
Zepto outperformed Blinkit on all key metrics, cementing its position as the leader in the quick commerce category. According to the report, Zepto garnered 2.9 times more impressions than Blinkit, significantly enhancing its visibility. Zepto reached 1.7 times more people, ensuring its campaigns resonated with a broader audience. Zepto delivered campaigns 1.85 times more frequently, reinforcing strong brand recall among its viewers.
Zepto’s well-rounded campaigns appealed to a diverse demographic, achieving universal visibility across age groups and maintaining equal engagement among males and females. This inclusive approach has helped the brand strengthen its leadership in the market.

Flipkart Dominates E-commerce Advertising
Flipkart continued to dominate the e-commerce segment, driven by its high-profile festive campaigns such as the Big Billion Days and year-end sales. The platform maintained strong visibility across all demographics, with notable traction among older audiences.

Interestingly, Flipkart showed a slight skew towards female engagement, highlighting the success of its campaigns in this demographic. The brand could further expand its reach by creating targeted initiatives for male audiences, thereby achieving a more balanced appeal.

Blinkit’s Focused Approach Shows Potential
Despite its narrower targeting, Blinkit ranked among the top three brands in visibility, reflecting its focus on younger audiences and its core promise of quick deliveries. The report noted that Blinkit achieved near-equal engagement between males and females, demonstrating versatility in its campaign strategies.

However, its restricted audience base may be limiting critical metrics like impressions and recall. A broader, higher-frequency campaign approach could help Blinkit compete more effectively with rivals like Zepto.

Audience Dynamics Across Brands
The report also provided a detailed analysis of age and gender dynamics across leading brands:

Age Groups: Brands like Flipkart, Uber, and Country Delight demonstrated strong visibility among older audiences, while Blinkit and Myntra resonated more with younger demographics.
Gender Engagement: Zepto and Blinkit achieved balanced reach across genders, while Myntra led in female engagement. Swiggy Dineout and Country Delight displayed slight biases towards female and male audiences, respectively.
Myntra continued to excel with women-centric campaigns, reinforcing its dominance in the fashion space. However, expanding its portfolio to include more options for men’s fashion could help the brand achieve more balanced impressions.

<a href="https://cms.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/zepto-relocates-hq-from-singapore-to-india-in-pre-ipo-move-54793.html">Also Read: Zepto relocates HQ from Singapore to India in pre-IPO move</a>

Key Insights and Opportunities
The report has highlighted that Zepto’s broad-based, high-frequency campaigns were instrumental in amplifying its visibility and engagement. By targeting a larger audience base and delivering consistent messaging, Zepto has set a benchmark for other brands to follow.

On the other hand, Blinkit’s precise but limited targeting approach may be constraining its potential reach. Expanding its audience focus while maintaining its strong brand message could enhance its visibility and recall.

For Flipkart, the challenge lies in achieving greater parity across genders. By tailoring campaigns to appeal equally to male and female audiences, the e-commerce giant could further strengthen its position.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/blinkit-to-drive-growth-in-smaller-cities-says-ceo-albinder-dhindsa-54727.htm">Also Read: Blinkit to drive growth in smaller cities, says CEO Albinder Dhindsa</a>

Zepto outshines Blinkit in YouTube campaign reach, achieves 2.9x more impressions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in their study, has claimed that nine companies, including Meta, YouTube, and TikTok, engaged in extensive surveillance of consumers, including minors, collecting and sharing more personal information than most users realised.

The report states that the sites, which mostly offer free services, profited from the data by using it for advertising that targets specific users based on demographics. The companies also failed to adequately protect users, especially children and teenagers.

The FTC said it began its study nearly four years ago to provide the first comprehensive look into the opaque business practices of some of the biggest online platforms that have built multibillion-dollar advertising businesses using consumer data. “Surveillance practices can endanger people’s privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking,” said Lina Kahn, the FTC’s chair, in a statement.

Efforts by the companies to regulate themselves have also failed, the FTC concluded in its report. “Self-regulation has been a failure,” it added.

According to a New York Times report, Google, which owns YouTube, stated, “We have the strictest privacy policy in our industry. We never sell people’s personal information, and we don’t use sensitive information to serve ads,” said José Castañeda, a spokesman for Google. He added, “We prohibit ad personalisation for users under 18, and we don’t personalise ads to anyone watching ‘made for kid content’ on YouTube.”

In December 2020, the agency opened its inquiry into the nine companies that operate 13 platforms. The FTC requested data from each company for operations between 2019 and 2020 and then studied how the companies had collected, used, and retained that data.

The FTC found that the companies voraciously consumed data about users and often purchased information about people who weren’t users through data brokers. They also gathered information from accounts linked to other services.

Most of the companies collected users' age, gender, and the language they spoke. Many platforms also obtained information on education, income, and marital status. The companies didn’t provide users with easy ways to opt out of data collection and often retained sensitive information for much longer than consumers would expect, the agency said.

The companies used data to create profiles of users, often merging the information they gathered with details about habits collected on other sites, to serve targeted advertisements.

The agency also found that many sites claimed they restricted access to users under the age of 13, yet many children remained on the platforms. Teenagers were also treated like adults on many of the apps, subjecting them to the same data collection as adults. Many of the companies couldn’t tell the FTC how much data they were collecting, according to the study.

'Meta, YouTube and TikTok engaged in vast surveillance', says FTC

On Friday, the Supreme Court of India’s official YouTube channel was hacked and was seen promoting XRP, a cryptocurrency developed by Ripple Labs. This hacking incident comes at a time when senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing West Bengal government requested to halt live proceedings of the RG Kar medical college rape and murder case. 

The hackers have made previous videos of the SC hearings as private. Replacing the usual content, a live video titled “Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC’s $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION” was broadcasted.

According to The Verge, these scammers have manipulated the system by taking over channels from well-known YouTubers, thereby leveraging hundreds of thousands of subscribers to propagate fraudulent schemes promising lucrative XRP rewards for initial monetary contributions.

The Supreme Court administration has started an enquiry into the hacking of the channel. Multiple law enforcement agencies are retrieving the channel and have launched a high priority investigation into the matter. 

This breach underscores the ongoing challenges and vulnerabilities inherent in maintaining the security of digital platforms, even for high-stature entities like the Supreme Court of India.

This is the first time that the Supreme Court's YouTube channel has been hacked after the top court decided to live-stream proceedings of all constitution bench hearings in 2018.

Recently, the Supreme Court's hearings on the suo muto case on the rape and murder of a Kolkata trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital were streamed live on YouTube.

In 2020, Ripple sued YouTube for failing to stop hackers from impersonating its CEO Brad Garlinghouse. The US firm runs an exchange network for the cryptocurrency XRP, which is aimed at people who want to send money internationally.


Miscreants hack Supreme Court's official YouTube channel

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is looking into YouTube for allegedly violating content policies.

Under Section 69A of the IT Act, the central government is legally empowered to "block public access to any information generated, transmitted, received, stored, or hosted in any computer resource" by issuing directives to intermediaries to protect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, maintaining public order, and preventing incitement to commit any cognizable offense related to the above.

A source familiar with the matter claimed that multiple requests were made by MIB to take down certain content which were violating content policy norms and laws in the country. Despite that the Google-owned platform failed to take down or restrict certain content, claiming that YouTube's community guidelines were not violated. 

In a response to questions sent by Storyboard18, YouTube said, "We have clear policies for removal requests from governments around the world. We review government removal requests when notified through the correct legal processes, and also review flagged content for violations of our Community Guidelines. And, where appropriate, we restrict or remove content in keeping with local laws and our Terms of Service after a thorough review. All of these requests are tracked and included in our Transparency Report."

In March 2024, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed YouTube to block a CBC News documentary that focused on the Indian government's alleged role in the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. X (formerly Twitter) was also reportedly ordered by MeitY to disable posts related to the documentary.

Since January to June, 2023, Google received 2191 content removal requests from the government while from July to December 2023, 1677 content removal requests were made from the government. 

Over the past ten years, the Indian government has requested Google to remove approximately 115,500 pieces of content from its platforms, including YouTube, web browser, etc. According to a Surfshark study, India is now the third-highest country in terms of content removal requests sent to Google.

"Most of the content India requested to remove was from YouTube (8.8k), Google Play Apps (4.3k), and Web Search (1.4k)," the report stated.

Between 2013 and 2022, Indian government agencies requested Google to take down content over 19,600 times. The analysis showed that 'defamation' was one of the most frequent reasons for these requests. 

EXCLUSIVE: YouTube under MIB’s scrutiny for violating content policy

On Thursday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that Google-owned YouTube will establish an academy in Amaravati. The academy will focus on artificial intelligence, content development, and skill development, to turn Andhra Pradesh into India's digital epicentre.

Naidu wrote on X: “Delighted to connect with @YouTube Global CEO, Mr @nealmohan, and @Google APAC Head, Mr Sanjay Gupta online today. We discussed setting up a YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with local partners, to foster AI, content development, skill development and certification programmes. Furthermore, we explored avenues for providing technical support for the Media City initiative in our capital, Amaravati.”

The virtual meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YouTube’s CEO Neal Mohan and Google’s president of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, Sanjay Gupta, YouTube vice president Leslie Miller, Google India's managing director for government affairs and public policy Sreenivasa Reddy and Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu will now lead to formally signing of an MoU. 

Naidu has also revealed plans for a comprehensive partnership with Google under the 'AI for Andhra Pradesh, Powered by Google' initiative.

This comprehensive partnership will encompass AI applications in agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability, as well as skill development, startup ecosystems, AI workforce cultivation, MSME support through digital credit and AI-driven governance," the government said.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/youtube-keeps-a-close-watch-on-broadcasting-bill-analysing-it-says-neal-mohan-ceo-39113.htm">Read more: YouTube keeps a close watch on Broadcasting Bill, ‘analysing it’, says Neal Mohan, CEO</a>

Google leadership discusses setting up YouTube Academy in Andhra Pradesh

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently released the second draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2024, which brings OTT platforms like YouTube under its scope. Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, stated that the YouTube team is part of the consultative process and is currently analyzing the Bill.

According to the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2024, the new law will apply to content creators, both large and small, with a threshold of more than 1 million subscribers, including news and non-news, and both Indian and non-Indian citizens. India being one of the largest market for YouTube, has 11,000 Indian channels with over a million subscribers. 

Additionally, platforms such as YouTube and other OTT platforms must keep the government informed about their subscriber base by registering with self-regulatory bodies and ensuring that content is screened before publishing. Both platforms and content creators need to have a Grievance Redressal Mechanism and provide sign-language content. Non-compliance could result in fines of up to ₹1 crore and up to five years in jail.

Speaking about the recent Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2024, which the Indian government is seeking to replace the thirty-year-old Cable TV Networks Act 1995 with, Neal Mohan told CNBC TV18 that it is still too early to comment and that the YouTube team is reviewing the bill.

"We are looking forward to the consultative process with the government and continuing those conversations. So that's probably the most I would be able to say about that. My team is obviously going through the analysis of it as well," Mohan added.

He said that YouTube will continue to abide by the laws of any country and if there is a certain law that requires compliance, the platform will do so. YouTube, as a platform, has always been a pioneer in moderating its content and maintaining high standards of authenticity.

Elaborating on the platform's Ethical Code of Conduct, Mohan said, "We are an open platform, a place where there are all kinds of opinions and all types of speech. We have always had community guidelines, and it's our job, our responsibility at YouTube, to make sure that our community guidelines stay up to date."

He further said, "Every quarter, the video-sharing platform takes down millions of videos that violate its community guidelines."

In its latest report, YouTube stated that it had taken down over 9 million videos in the December 2023 quarter, of which over 8 million were in violation.

"We pride ourselves on being very efficient in terms of removal because they clutter the experience and get in the way of the viewer and creator experiences," Mohan added.

Neal Mohan also spoke about the platform's participation with the governments and other stakeholders, saying, "I do think what happens in the world happens on YouTube, and what happens on YouTube does influence what happens in the world, and that is why living up to our responsibility is my top priority. It is a shared goal between the company and the governments of the countries in which YouTube operates."

The platform works in tandem with all regulators and stakeholders to ensure that users get the most benefit while also ensuring that those users are protected, he added.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/youtube-will-continue-to-develop-ai-technology-for-creative-expression-neal-mohan-youtube-ceo-39048.htm">Read more: YouTube will continue to develop AI technology for creative expression: Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO</a>

YouTube keeps a close watch on Broadcasting Bill, ‘analysing it’, says Neal Mohan, CEO



YouTube is extending its battle against ad blockers to mobile devices by implementing measures to counter the use of ad-blocking software on smartphones and tablets. In a community post on Monday, they said they are strengthening their enforcement on third-party apps that violate YouTube’s terms of service, specifically ad-blocking apps. 
 

Viewers who are using these third-party apps may experience buffering issues or see the error “The following content is not available on this app” when trying to watch a video. 


“We want to emphasize that our terms don’t allow third-party apps to turn off ads because that prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership, and Ads on YouTube help support creators and let billions of people around the world use the streaming service. We also understand that some people prefer an entirely ad-free experience, which is why we offer YouTube Premium," they said in the post. 
 

The post made it clear that YouTube only allow third-party apps to use their API when they follow their 'API Services Terms of Service', and when they find an app that violates these terms, they take appropriate action to protect the platform, creators, and viewers.
 

YouTube steps up crackdown on ad blockers for mobile devices

Two years ago, YouTube introduced Shorts in India. Today, Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day, which is four times more than one year ago. Ajay Vidyasagar, Regional Director, APAC, YouTube Partnerships, says the language platter and the content genre is only growing in the market and Shorts is fueling the growth. He also talks about monetization on the platform and more. 

Edited excerpts.

Shorts completed two years in India. How has it been? And what has the growth story been like from where you started to where you are now? 

YouTube as a platform is over 14 years old in India. When we got started, our primary mission was to democratize video creation. Until that point, the world really saw storytelling as being the forte of a few. Our goal was to really, truly, truly democratize this in a manner that anyone who is interested in sharing a story should be able to share it. Our role in that was to use technology to take out all the friction in the operationalization of it and help good stories to be discovered, consumed and engaged with. That is really what we’ve been able to do in scale over these many years.

YouTube Shorts was announced two years ago; we flagged that off in India. The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) program was only available and enabled for long form and mid form content. So, we launched a YouTube Shorts fund, in which we worked closely with content creators to help them see a line of revenue for their work.

While we see a lot of entertaining content on the platform, what is the kind of interest you have seen brands? Are brands using Shorts like they are using other UGC platforms for integrations? Help us understand with some examples.

YouTube has enabled so many different formats to co-exist and speak to one another: long form videos, snappy Shorts, livestreams and deep dive podcasts. Advertisers can, therefore, choose to talk to their target audiences- in as many forms of stories, across as many devices, as many languages and as many times a day - effectively and at scale. 

YouTube Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day globally. India was the first country where we launched Shorts and we’re proud of how quickly YouTube Shorts have become popular in India. Brands are starting to see results too. For instance, Oreo, which started its very first Shorts Challenge in Tamil Nadu with 10 of our top creators in the market to launch Oreo Double Stuf during Pongal last year. With 8 million views on their content, the brand was able to build salience in the market, improving branded searches and household penetration in a key market for them. 

How important is India as a market for YouTube when it comes to Shorts? How does it compare to other markers?

We saw the great potential and engagement short form content has for today’s increasingly mobile viewer. That’s why two years ago, we introduced YouTube Shorts, first in India, to make it easier to watch and create short-form content on YouTube. It was where our journey began, and it’s encouraging to see the adoption and excitement the product brings to both creators and viewers. 

We truly believe that what moves India, has the potential to shape the world. Digital video has become a gateway to the world for millions of Indians. In particular, short form video, which is easy to consume and create, represents opportunity like no other - to be entertained and inspired, to learn and earn, to connect and grow. 

When we introduced Shorts, we knew that we were bringing an important new format for creators and that our creators are leveraging Shorts to help breathe new life into their existing channels or inform a new content and engagement strategy is testament to their creativity.

We’re constantly impressed that creators are getting really innovative with how they use the full breadth of video formats that YouTube offers to meet their personal and business goals: from growing views and subscribers, reaching out to new audiences and growing their earning potential. 

Shorts has helped capture the interest and imagination of mobile-first creators and viewers who from whom a smartphone is a window to a world of opportunity. In India, Shorts is lowering the barriers for under-represented voices to come to the fore and pursue their passions; many of whom may otherwise have not had a platform to do so. We’re seeing creators across languages, socio-economic backgrounds and even India’s hinterlands turn to Shorts to share their passions, grow their channels and build successful careers.

Shorts has introduced a new monetization format. Please help us understand how it will benefit the platform and the creators?

We recently unveiled the next chapter in rewarding creativity on the platform by expanding the platform’s monetization system, YPP, to allow more creators to join the program, introducing new ways for creators to earn revenue through Shorts, and re-imagining the music industry and creator dynamic by opening up ads monetization for those who feature music in their videos. 

Starting in early 2023, Shorts-focused creators can apply to YPP by meeting a threshold of 1000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. These new partners will enjoy all the benefits YPP offers, including ads monetization across Shorts and long-form YouTube videos. This is another option to the existing criteria where long-form creators can still apply to YPP when they reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Creators can choose the one option that best fits their channel while YouTube maintains the same level of brand safety for advertisers. To support creators who are early in their YouTube journey, YouTube will also introduce a new level of YPP with lower requirements that will offer earlier access to Fan Funding features like Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Channel Memberships. 

To reward the new creative class, beginning in early 2023, we’ll be moving away from a fixed fund and doubling down on a unique revenue sharing model for Shorts for both current and future YPP creators. Because ads run between videos in the Shorts Feed, every month, revenue from these ads will be added together and used to reward Shorts creators and help cover costs of music licensing. From the overall amount allocated to creators, they will keep 45 percent of the revenue, distributed based on their share of total Shorts views. The revenue share remains the same, no matter if they use music or not. 

YouTube Shorts came to India at a very opportune time. It came right when UGC was becoming very popular and the market was expanding beyond metros. Throw some light on how you managed to gain footing in the Bharat market?

When you look at all of the digital platforms in the country, YouTube is fueled by voice, video and vernacular. So, because of that, the innate ability for the platform to go to every nook and corner of the country, and be understood, be loved, and be engaged, is very natural. It actually is the easiest form of communication that somebody can get on the digital connected platform.

We started off with a predominantly English language journey and then Hindi language content started to take off from India’s metro cities. If you remember, back in the day a lot of our creators were comedy centric and from urban centers.

Now in the last five to seven years, two very big things have happened with YouTube. The content creation has gone into the heartland of Hindi speaking markets. Hindi has become far more reflective of the evolving user base that has happened. Now it’s no longer a metro phenomenon.

We’re also seeing a host of other languages also doing very well on YouTube. Telugu and Tamil continue to be heavy-use cohorts for us. The richness of the language space has been unbelievable for us. From Punjabi, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, to Marathi, Gujarati, there is just an extraordinary breadth of languages. Shorts has helped these markets as well. We have seen extraordinary volume from these language markets.

Ours is a journey that is really about going wider and deeper and Shorts is helping us fuel that in even more in a significant manner.

Platforms that offer both long form and short format content often see the latter stealing all the limelight. Have you noticed any such pattern?

No creator says that I want to be a short-form creator or a long-form creator. They want to be storytellers and they want to express themselves and tell their stories in different forms. We might think about telling a story today that may need 10 or 20 minutes but tomorrow, we may have a story that may shine in 30 seconds.

Our role as a platform is to give a very versatile toolkit that can help a creator succeed in every format. That’s the core of what we do. When you think about video creation, our job is to give a toolkit that helps any video creator, do what they want to do, and express themselves with the least amount of friction. We do believe that both creators and users do not ever say that I’ll only consume a story, if it is, of this size or this form. They actually want a powerful story. The ability to have that sort of freedom with scale and the best technology is really what we do. That’s what we’re focused on. That’s what we’ll always be focused on.

What are your future plans for the offering? What are the top priorities when it comes to new plans for Shorts in India in FY-23?

Shorts is a natural evolution for us: YouTube Shorts is a new way to create and watch short, mobile videos. If you think about YouTube’s earliest days, we launched with a short 18-second video, ‘Me at the Zoo’. What changed since then is how easy it’s become to create and watch short-form videos. We wanted to make it even easier for people to create short videos on YouTube using their phones, so Shorts is a natural evolution for us. 

We’re building features that are unique to YouTube. We’re bringing all short-form video to YouTube, and all of YouTube to short-form video in a really significant way. There are billions of videos on YouTube - by unlocking those videos for features like remixing so people can sample from those in their own Shorts, we’re creating a real playground of creativity like never before. We have the ability to connect multiple ecosystems - YouTube as we know it today, YouTube Music, and now YouTube Shorts. You can imagine what this might look like in the future - it will allow people to connect more deeply with the content, creators, and artists they’re most interested in. This truly is just the beginning.

YOUTUBE