YouTube creators contributed over Rs 10,000 cr to India's GDP in 2021

YouTube's creative ecosystem contributed over Rs 10,000 crore to the Indian GDP and supported more than 750,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the country in 2021, the Google-owned company said on Monday.

The company also announced that Courses, a new product to bring a richer learning experience for viewers and a new way to monetise for creators, would begin rolling out in beta in 2023.

"We are delighted that YouTube's creative ecosystem continues to power India's creator economy, supporting new jobs and opportunities across the length and breadth of the country," said Ajay Vidyasagar, Director-South, SouthEast Asia and APAC Emerging Markets, YouTube.

Today, billions of people consume the content powered by YouTube creators in India the world over, according to the findings of the latest Oxford Economics study by YouTube.

This has helped creators unlock monetisation opportunities, allowing many to convert their passions into sustainable careers.

"We continue investing in ways to enable our viewers to learn valuable skills and gain access to knowledge that helps them achieve their potential and follow their dreams," said Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, India, YouTube.

YouTube announced that it would expand efforts to work with more healthcare institutions -- including Narayana, Manipal, Medanta, and Shalby -- to create and amplify credible content, covering more than 100 medical conditions, across Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Bengali and English.

The company said it will also support partners to achieve scale and efficiency in creating multilingual content.

Next year, qualified creators in India can begin offering free or paid Courses to provide in-depth, structured learning experiences for viewers. Courses will not only support richer learning experiences for audiences but also offer creators a new monetisation option.

LearnoHub, Speak English With Aishwarya, and Telusko, among others, will develop courses across academic and vocational subjects in various Indian languages in the beta phase, said YouTube.