'Bollywood box office outcomes directly linked to content put on YouTube'

Box office outcomes of big Bollywood productions are directly linked to associated content put on video-sharing website YouTube by the studios, an official of the digital platform said here on Tuesday.

"In established film industries like Bollywood, there is a direct co-relation between the kind of content they (some of the big studios) put on YouTube and the ultimate box office results, so we are seeing 30 to 50 videos even before the launch," Satya Raghavan, head, entertainment content YouTube India, told reporters here.

"After theatrical, they typically tend to release it on satellite or they go and put it on platforms like YouTube where you can pay and buy," he said.

Observing that the Hindi film industry is the "most organised", Raghavan revealed the platform hopes to work with the regional counterparts.

"The Hindi film industry is the most organised. We want to spend a lot more time with the smaller industries, whether it is Bengali or Malayali etc.," he said.

With a year-on-year growth rate of 90 per cent in India and with regional content between 30 to 40 per cent, Raghavan asserted the website is a "mainstream entertainment destination."

"We are not competing with anyone specifically. We have reached a time where literally all of us are consuming multiple content on multiple devices. It is less about a single competitor but more about how you give consumers a great entertainment experience. We are literally growing on a YoY basis at about 90 per cent as of now. We are almost doubling on a yearly basis,a he said.

Across 10 to 12 verticals like comedy, food, kids, music, beauty, technology, sports, Raghavan said, web series and short films are the new forms of content.

"Hindi and regional languages are growing faster. North-eastern languages are also emerging," he said.

Sharing insights into the latest trends, Raghavan said myriad opportunities open up for a lot of people when they become famous on YouTube.

"For example, music or comedy creators who do well on YouTube have sell-out shows. We are now seeing advertisers do branded content work with some of these popular stars," he added.

--IANS

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