YouTube looks to double user base in India, take it to 400 mn from 200 mn

YouTube, the video platform of Google, said on Tuesday it expects its user base in India to double to over 400 million as more consumers, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas, get access to affordable internet that would help them access videos on their mobile phones.

India has a base of more than 930 million mobile subscribers, of which over 300 million use smartphones that allows them to access internet on the go. For YouTube, 85 per cent of the content streamed on its video channels is consumed on mobile phones, which has seen a fourfold increase over the past year.

"India is one of the most exciting markets and the global leadership is interested in India," said Ajay Vidyasagar, regional director-Google Asia Pacific. "The growth will be led by rural markets, which have been growing more than urban market."

Reliance Jio, which launched last year, has seen its user base at nearly 110 million. Its push to target low-income users with a feature phone that allows users to access video content is expected to increase video consumption in the country.

For the online video platform, YouTube India is the one of the fastest-growing markets globally and already in the top 10. The company which started with English content, went to Hindi and now it sees good traction from regional languages. Read More