Neal’s Remarks at Brandcast India

Welcome to Brandcast! If you would’ve told me when I was a kid that I would be back in Delhi but this time on a stage, I couldn’t have imagined it. See, this is a bit of a homecoming for me. When I was in high school, my family moved from the U.S. to the city where my parents grew up: Lucknow. As you can imagine, being a kid at a brand new school where I knew no one… I fit in just great. In all seriousness, it was incredible to have an opportunity to connect with my heritage. I soaked up as much as I could. I was a voracious reader, movie watcher, and news junkie.

And I discovered, in a profound way, the power of storytelling. It started me on a journey that defined my career. Now, I have the privilege of leading a company that enables people to tell their stories and share them with audiences around the globe.

Every day, I talk to creators who are telling extraordinary stories. They’re reimagining what we listen to, how we learn, and what we love to watch. And let me tell you, that’s happening in this country more than anywhere else. In fact, creators in this country are doing more than just sharing stories - they’re exporting Indian culture to the world. More than 11 thousand Indian channels have over a million subscribers. That’s a 50% increase year over year! ¹

When I think back to when I started at YouTube nine years ago, that number is even more impressive. Today, there are 11 thousand, but when I joined YouTube, only 11 channels had more than a million subscribers!

Times have changed. Now, creators are the new A-listers. Like Prajakta Koli, whose comedy journey on YouTube led to a starring role in a Netflix series and her Bollywood debut. And Diljit Dosanjh, the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella. I was lucky enough to be there in person when he wowed audiences last year and brought Indian music to the global stage.

These creators and artists have business strategies, writers’ rooms, and production teams. They’re creating programs that people love to watch. And along the way, they’re redefining entertainment, news, and education. And they’re driving growth on YouTube. We’re number one in reach and watchtime in India. ²

And we just passed a huge milestone. Shorts, which we first launched in India, now has trillions of views here. ³ Indian creators are making videos inspired by local trends that go on to define global culture.

We see this in so many ways. Like how millions of fans come to YouTube to watch their favorite comedians in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and more. They start with Shorts and then watch full sets, from comedic roasts to poetry showdowns and everything in between.

Fans aren’t just tuning in, they’re showing up and buying tickets to watch comedians perform on stages around the world. These channels started in India, and now they’re global… finding audiences everywhere from Australia to the U.S.

Fans come together on YouTube to celebrate what they love…like cricket! Cricket videos had more than 50 billion views over the last year. ⁴ That’s amazing! This includes all the moments that build community around cricket, like livestream watchalongs of the T20 World Cup win, creators reenacting big IPL matches, and videos that show players’ lives off the field, like a wedding proposal!

Fans are making cultural moments even bigger on YouTube. Because from the very beginning, we’ve been the home for fans. We see this every day across YouTube. Fans come to channels like T-Series not just to tune in. They’re jumping into their favorite moments in chart-topping hits like Teri Baaton Mein and Pushpa 2 - from recreating the best looks to filming reaction videos.

The momentum of fandom continues to drive growth on YouTube. And more and more, fans want to watch creators making exceptional programming not just on their computers or their phones, but also on the biggest screen in their house.

YouTube is the most watched streaming service on cTVs here. ⁵ And our views on connected TVs in India have quadrupled in the last 3 years ⁶ !

This phenomenal growth is just one reason I’m excited about what’s coming next at YouTube. Everything from creation to fandom is about to get even bigger. In the past year you've heard a lot about generative AI. At first, it was mostly just a concept. And today, I’m here to tell you the future has arrived.

We’ve launched AI tools that empower human creativity. Just last month, we started to roll out Dream Screen here. It lets you create AI-generated backgrounds for Shorts just by typing an idea. It’s pretty awesome.

This is just the beginning. We’ll continue to develop AI technology that builds on our track record of responsibility and pushes the boundaries of creative expression at a scale we can only dream about right now.

My childhood showed me that no matter where you live, no matter what country you call home… everyone has a story. YouTube gives creators a home to share their stories with the world. And they’re creating connections with fans that span continents and cross oceans.

Whether you love to watch your favorite cricket team, or the comedian who always makes you laugh… you’re part of a community that’s found something to celebrate.

And those connections are the magic of YouTube. It isn’t about our scale, or our captivating content, or viral hits. There’s only one place you can tap into the unique connections between creators and their fans. There's only one place where you can be a part of the universe of content that's reshaping culture. There’s only one YouTube.

Thank you for welcoming me back to Delhi tonight.