India's top YouTube channels and big moneyspinners

Sharp growth in internet connections, a surge in smartphone sales and the emergence of YouTube role models like AIB and TVF worked as a catalyst.

Year: 2014. City: Mumbai. Event: YouTube Fan Fest; Shah Rukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, is on the dais and the crowd is cheering. Fans are fawning as Khan winds them up. Suddenly, the gears shift. The cheering gets louder. The hysteria rises a few notches.

The gaze of the crowd shifts from Khan. From behind him emerges YouTube star Lilly Singh. Unlike Khan, figuratively, Singh barely has a presence. Shorn of any glamour, she has a red cap, a clownish ear-to-ear grin and over-the-top gestures. Yet, the audience, mostly millennials, is ecstatic. Echoes of "Lilly Singh" fill the venue (the Bandra Amphitheatre in suburban Mumbai).

The fans wave placards bearing her name. Some are in tears. "It was an eye-opening experience. On the dais it was as if Khan, the superstar, was a nobody," recalls a bewildered Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands, who witnessed the frenzy. The virtual world has created a parallel universe. Inhabited mostly by young digital natives, it is now building its own stars.

YouTube - which has emerged as the world's second most popular search engine besides being a video-sharing Goliath - is a good window. The US-based Singh, also known as Superwoman, is one of YouTube's most popular stars, with 8.6 million subscribers. India is spawning its own YouTube celebs.

Among individuals, All India Backchod's (AIB) Tanmay Bhat leads the pack. Most of the biggest YouTube stars are from comedy/pranks, food, music and DIY genres. Not surprisingly for a young nation, among category channels, kid's entertainment (ChuChu TV, CVS 3D Rhymes) dominate, says Subrat Kar, cofounder, Vidooly, a video analytics firm.

YouTube stardom is a new phenomenon in India. "2014 was the tipping point. The year of a perfect storm," says Satya Raghavan, head (content creations), YouTube India. Sharp growth in internet connections, a surge in smartphone sales and the emergence of YouTube role models like AIB and The Viral Factory (TVF) worked as a catalyst.

According to Convergence Catalyst, a tech research firm, the active internet user base in India nearly trebled from 120 million in 2012 to 343 million in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of smartphones rose from 42 million to 240 million even as prices of the cheapest smartphones dipped from $75 (Rs 4,950) to $45 (Rs 2,970). YouTube has felt the growth first-hand.

According to Vidooly, in India, every month some 20,000 active YouTube channels upload 3.8 lakh videos, get 9.48 billion views and attract 1.1 crore new subscribers. The average Indian viewer spent 475 minutes watching 79 videos a month in 2015. This surge is reshaping content and viewership and creating an alternate universe of stars and fans.

Some trends are emerging. While it was dominated by traditional media (Bollywood, TV), change has been afoot since 2014. There is a surge in regional, non-Bollywood content. Original content has gone up in genres like comedy, cooking, kids entertainment, alternative music, beauty, short films and web series. In the US, in contrast, gaming dominates. YouTube India is doing its bit to catalyse growth. It conducts workshops for creators, organises talent hunts and creates new shows. YouTube Space in Mumbai offers studios for creators to meet, network and collaborate.

Virtual vs Real World

There are some differences between the stars from the two worlds. In the physical world, it takes time to create a star. Fans slowly join the journey up. As stars turn superstars, they often become distant, elitist and inaccessible to fans. Virtualworld stars are different. "Here, stars are built by fans. Stardom is dependent on fans' likes and dislikes," says Samir Bangara, cofounder, Qyuki, an artist-focused network founded by Shekhar Kapur, AR Rahman and Samir Bangara. Virtual-world stars often have modest beginnings and keep their roots alive.

Delhi-based Bhuvan Bam or Moradabadbased Dr Vikram Yadav, among the top 10, are one-man shows operating out of their bedrooms/clinics. "They look and feel real, do not have airs and are chilled out," says Ajay Nair, director, Only Much Louder, an artiste management firm. From offline to online platforms like Snapchat and Facebook, they work hard to connect with their fans. "A live Q&A with a boy in a hostel creates a buzz.

On a tiring day I just start doing video calls with my fans. It feels amazing," says Tanmay Bhat of AIB. In the physical world (think Bollywood), a few people and platforms (from filmmakers to mainstream media) have amplified powers to decide who will be a star. There is a certain process of revealing them to the public, says Desai. The virtual world is non-linear and democratic, with fewer controls.

Anyone with an internet connection has the powers to create and become a star. Stars in the virtual world cut across class and geographies in carving out fan base. As a result, virtual world stars could be big in their niches but unknown to the outside world. It also offers room for edgy experiments. "I wanted to experiment, do short films, documentaries. But everywhere I encountered creative feudalism.

Nobody wanted to experiment. YouTube allows that," says Arunabh Kumar of TVF. The power of data analytics is such that you can track and target your following to a T. Some, like Bhat of AIB, break out and join the real-world stardom. But to massify their appeal, they may have to smoothen their edginess (think AIB Roast backlash) and manoeuvre a deft online-offline presence. Perhaps, that's where the real and virtual worlds meet. For more on India's top 10 YouTube stars, read on:

Bhat Naturally: He is India's top YouTube star. But there is nothing star-like about Tanmay Bhat, cofounder of All India Bakchod (AIB). An oversized body, a wicked grin, an unfussed look and naughty eyes make for a man who could be easily confused for the big bully in school. "Unlike the real world, stardom in the virtual world is very different.

It is all about how real and accessible you are," he says with a laugh. The Mumbai boy figured out his comedic talent early on and since 2009 has been playing the circuit. He was part of Weirdass Comedy founded by Vir Das, was one of the comedians at The Comedy Store and has performed at many stand-up comedy shows besides doing cameos in movies like Ragini MMS2. The thrust was mostly on live gigs.

"Getting even 50 people was a huge deal. We would beg people to come. Our biggest dream was to get 500 people," he recalls. Joining YouTube in 2012 provided the spur Bhat needed. The turning point came in 2014 when Bhat cofounded AIB with Gursimran Khamba and was later joined by Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya.

Now their shows easily fill auditoriums seating 4,000 people. That was also the year they signed up Only Much Louder (OML) as their management and production partner. "It has helped us think long-term; they also took charge of the logistical issues efficiently, allowing us to focus on the creative," Bhat says.

Their growing popularity ensured that AIB and Bhat moved swiftly from the fringes to the mainstream, courting controversies (AIB Roast), making headlines (Kalki Koechlin's video on rape culture) and spoofing Bollywood (Alia Bhat's video). As if in recognition, Bhat made it to the latest Forbes' Richest Celebrity of the Year, rubbing shoulders with silver-screen stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

"The growth has been sudden. It feels great. Who wouldn't relish it?" he says. But stardom in the virtual world is different. "We don't feel like stars," he adds. AIB has ambitious new plans, from web series to feature films, growing its ad agency (Vigyapanti) and setting up an AIB School to teach comedy. The thread running across these initiatives will be bold and edgy content with a streak of AIB humour.

The challenge ahead is to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive space, and which constantly demands one to go outside one's comfort zone. "We are attempting our most ambitious project (he isn't telling what it is). There is too much nervousness-excitement around; that's what keeps us on our toes," he says.

Being Khattar: For Sahil Khattar, success came early. At 17, he became Chandigarh's top radio jockey with his programme Love Guru. Early success puffed him up: "Mujhe tab hawa lag gayi thi," he says with a laugh. He started living life king-size. "Then life happened to me," he says. In 2011, Khattar decided to venture out to Mumbai.

"I knew that if I had to find success in the entertainment industry, I had to bring my bag to Mumbai and go through the grind." At home, all hell broke loose. An emotional mother wanted him to be around her. His father wanted him to join his business.

The master of storytelling spun a lie - that he is "going to Mumbai for a reality show. Will be back in a month". Five years later, the reality show isn't over yet! It began when, thanks to a friend, he got an audition and his break in Date Trap, a UTV Bindass programme. The next break was in Comedy ka Maha Muqabla on Star Plus.

A sportsman in school, he also anchored for Manchester United on a digital platform around 2012. Unable to get steady work, he started writing dialogue and exploring acting. It was a period of struggle. While living in a chawl, he would lie to his parents that he was in a two-bedroom flat in the suburb of Bandra. To save a few bucks, he would walk rather than take an auto or bus.

The hard work paid off in 2014. Culture Machine, a digital media company, signed him up for a programme they were exploring. They were vetting a format where one would pose questions to people on the streets. For Khattar, used to theatre and theatrics, it was a perfect fit. "It is a symbiotic relationship. They come up with a draft and we work together to execute it," he says.

The channel Being Indian is owned by Culture Machine and the latter takes charge of all the production logistics. Khattar does one video a week. Khattar recalls the early days of Being Indian. "Once my mom called and wouldn't stop laughing," he recalls. When she mentioned the programme, Khattar was taken aback as he hadn't told his parents about it yet. "Sara Chandigarh dekh raha hai," he recalls her saying proudly. People now recognise him on the streets. "Stardom stuns you.

But I have learnt my lessons early and remain grounded," he says. He engages with his fans on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Sometimes he goes live on Facebook. He does get trolled and he has learnt to tackle them. Once someone told him on a live Q&A "You are a chu***a?"

Prompt came his reply: How do I become un-chu***a. "You become smart in dealing with them," he says. What next after Being Indian? Alongside the programme, Khattar wants to start his own production house and create content for TV. From YouTube to the Boob Tube isn't that unnatural a progression.

Wham, Bam: For Bhuvan Bam, the YouTube journey started serendipitously. Last May, while watching a news channel's coverage of the Kashmir floods, the anchor chose to ask a mother who had lost her child some insensitive questions: A livid Bam felt he had to do something ("khiili udana hoga"). He uploaded a video on Facebook that lampooned the anchor.

Overnight, his video went viral. Waking up to the power of his videos, he debuted on YouTube in June 2015. He hasn't looked back since. Today, Bam is among the fastest growing YouTube stars in India. His target audience is above 18 years. Initially, his parents - and on occasion Bam himself - wondered if he actually had an audience. His early fans came from Pakistan. But now the numbers are rising in India too. His videos are mostly satirical, making fun of people or situations and are loaded with cuss words.

"Seeing my videos, fans presume I am like that character. But in real life I am just the opposite - gentle and soft-spoken, who does not smoke or drink. No vices," he says. He receives about 100 fan mail a day. Trolls too abound. "But I am not that obsessed. I respond once a week to the ones I feel like responding to," he says. Bam's is a solo operation.

He works mostly out of his messy room in Delhi's Malviya Nagar where he stays with his parents. He uses his Nexus 5 to shoot videos and uploads them twice a month. "With fans and expectations, I have become conscious about content quality," he says. On the streets, people recognise him. "My parents feel proud," he says. But at home nothing much has changed. "I still have to fill that water bottle and eat tinda-roti when my mom makes them," he says. But he's got the Maximum City in his sights - yes, Bollywood beckons.

Cooking up a Storm: In 2008, Sanjay Thumma decided to reboot his life. A trained chef, he was running his own restaurants in the US. "I love to cook. But in my restaurants I had little time to do that," he says. So he sold his restaurants to introspect on what to do next.

His patrons and friends, though, were already beginning to miss his trademark dishes. Many would call for recipes. Then, one day, he decided to upload a few recipe videos on YouTube so that his friends could readily access them. Turned out that it wasn't just his friends who accessed them. The videos went viral, after which YouTube called him to suggest he should upload more videos and get paid as well. "It suddenly opened up a new opportunity that would bring in constant income," says Thumma. He moved back to India in 2008 with his family and began uploading his recipes on YouTube.

It was mostly a family affair, with Thumma and his wife running the show. Today, he claims, he has become the most watched chef in the world on YouTube. He has landed some brand endorsement deals too, has two cooking shows on TV and is about to sign up with another big national channel. He now has a 30-member company. "For me YouTube is more than about making money. It has helped me connect with so many people," he says.

The going has been great, but Thumma says he is now "dealing with some sort of mid-life crisis". He is aware that inevitably somebody will become bigger and more popular than him on YouTube. So differentiation is an imperative. "I want my show to be a stress-buster, where people come not just to learn cooking but to unwind and get entertained." What will that be? Watch this space - or, rather, Thumma's YouTube channel vahrehvah.com.

On the Gravy Train: In 2007, Nisha Madhulika was grappling with the empty nest syndrome. The children had grown up and moved out. She had stopped helping out with her husband's information technology business. "I was restless. There was an emptiness. I wanted to do something that kept me busy," she says. She came across a recipe on the internet. In 2007, she started a blog.

Her husband helped her get started online. By 2011, she had written over 100 recipes. Her blog was getting a lot of traction and often her fans would request her to put out a video. There were initial glitches. Her kitchen as a setting did not work. Then they set up a room with the required props and lighting, with her husband chipping in during shooting, editing and uploading.

With her fan base growing, Madhulika now puts out three recipes a week. She reserves two days of the week for shoots; four days are set aside to research, engage with her followers, and respond to their emails. "My emphasis is on giving recipes that are easy and quick to make," she says. Four-five months after she began actively uploading her videos on YouTube her first cheque arrived. "The income is very good. And fame too comes with it. Often people walk up to me and say Nishaji, hum aapke fan hai," she says. Clearly, Madhulika is eating her cake and having it, too.

Calling the Tune: Sanam Puri's affair with music began when he was six. But it didn't get serious until 2010. That's when he, along with his brother Samar and two friends Venkat Subramaniyam and Keshav Dhanraj, came to audition for the Times Music Supastars hunt for a pop band.

They nailed it and thus SQS Supastars band was born. Soon they moved to Mumbai, renamed their band SQS Project. In 2013, the band signed up Ben Thomas, who has managed pop stars like Sonu Nigam and Vishal-Shekhar, as manager. Thanks to Thomas, the same year, they got their Bollywood break with the song Dhatt teri ki from Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.

Their YouTube rise was an accident, recalls Thomas. He had recorded some videos to be pitched to a few agents for live concerts globally. He put them on YouTube, too. A few months later, the band got a cheque from Google of $800. "For us it was a big amount. We thought it was a mistake," says Puri, the lead singer. By 2014, they had rebranded the band to the more catchy Sanam. "This (entertainment) is a difficult and closed industry. I know everybody is waiting for a call from music directors. YouTube is making it democratic," says Thomas.

It is the algorithm and fans that make stars, not someone's biases, whims and fancies, he explains. The best thing about digital media is that it is easy to pinpoint who the audience is, where the buzz is and how to react to it. "We want to be the world's greatest band," Thomas says.

Puri, who is giving many old songs like Gulabi aankhen and Lag jaa gale a 21st century makeover, would like to rewind to the '50s and '60s. "Their songs are connecting three generations," Thomas says. Besides their YouTube videos, they do about 15 live shows every month. Their ambition is to revive the indie music culture in India, once shaped by bands like Silk Route.

Beauty Queen: It all started in 2010 when techie Shruti Anand, 30, was in Washington DC, US. On her 90-minute commute to work, she would catch up with a load of "How to" videos on YouTube - how to cook, apply make-up, style hair and the like. "Personally, I am not much interested in make-up. But I liked it as an art where one could transform oneself and experiment with different looks," she says.

Anand bought make-up kits and began educating herself on technicalities but soon realised most of the products and tips on YouTube were not for Indian skin tones. In 2011, while in between jobs, she filmed a video and uploaded it on YouTube for a lark. She soon made it a weekly habit.

By 2013, Anand and her husband had moved back to India; her YouTube uploads continued, and her popularity was slowly but surely growing. "People began to recognise me in public places," she says. She recalls her first brush with fame just before returning to India. A girl walked up to her to ask: "Are you Shruti"? For an introvert like Anand, the question rattled her, and she promptly scooted. But when the same girl bumped into her once again and mentioned her YouTube videos, "that's when I realised the power of YouTube. Now I am more chilled out".

Her techie husband recently quit his job to build her YouTube channel, and they also have a five-member team. "The point is to take away all the non-core work from Shruti and let her focus on the most important thing - new ideas," says hubby Sahu. They upload her videos twice a week. In the works are various initiatives to grow the fan base and move beyond YouTube and get more brand endorsements; her website will soon be up and running. "This year the focus is to build Shruti as a brand," says Sahu. In future, they want to tap into the user base to launch their own product lines and accessories.

Gill Fills the Bill: In college, Kanan Gill kept himself busy writing funny lyrics and singing silly songs for the comedy rock bands he was a part of. "I was dabbling in different kinds of content," Gill recalls. For a career, though, he chose something far more removed from the crazy college days: software engineering. But the interest in comedy persisted and, when working as a techie, he participated in, and won, competitions like Punchline Bangalore and at the Comedy Store, Mumbai. In 2013, he gave a shot at comedy sketches by quizzing people on the street.

He tried his hand at music videos, too. "But I wasn't sure if this could be a viable career option." In 2014, all doubts were put to rest when he got a chance to work in an improvised sketch comedy show, The Living Room, on Comedy Central. His new project which he did along with YouTuber Biswa Kalyan Rath - Pretentious Movie Reviews, satirical takes on Bollywood - was well received. The same year, Only Much Louder (OML), which managed just AIB then, reached out to him. "It was a perfect alignment for both of us," he says.

Gill soon quit his job and plunged headlong into his new venture. Today, Gill does a range of work, evenly split between online and offline. "Most people on the creative side are bad on the business side. Working with OML has helped," he says. For example, it pushed him to plan for the long term.

By taking charge of logistical tasks like editing, uploading and tying up with brands, OML provides him the mind space to focus on what he does best - creating satirical content. Yes, he has become famous and people recognise him, but Gill contends that YouTube stars are different. "They are more real, not expected to have airs or wear glasses." Not for long, perhaps.

Gadget Geek: In 2007, Hyderabad-based Ranjit Kumar was a programmer who, like most of his tribe, was earning well and leading a more than comfortable life. The only problem? He was bored to death. To relieve the ennui, he started reviewing gadgets. What started as textbased reviews evolved into videos, which he duly uploaded on You-Tube.

In the first year, he hardly got any views and just 1,600 subscribers. He persevered, uploading six videos a week. Things started to change around 2014, recalls the 38-year-old. Now, he adds 800-900 subscribers a month. Doing everything by himself, he spends 10-14 hours a day working on his videos and engaging with his followers.

It took him roughly two years to break even and about three years to start making money. "Money is good here, although I used to make a lot more as a programmer. But this is far more interesting. I am passionate about technology and like the user interaction," he says. There are times his followers ask him questions or request him for advice or suggest a topic or area on which he should focus in his next video. "The engagement is constant. You have to be interactive. Your users must feel connected," he says.

Every Saturday at 7 pm, he has live Q&A sessions, with his followers tweeting questions to him. Most of his followers are college students and young, tech-savvy professionals who want to buy gadgets. Kumar's growing following has been noticed by tech product firms. When he started, he used to buy 90% of the products that he reviewed. "Now, about 40% of them are sent by companies for reviews," he says. Kumar isn't too enthused about joining a multi-channel network, which would help him scale up and grow faster. "What I have seen is they promise a lot but under-deliver. I just want to focus on producing good content."

Dr Feel Good: While studying medicine around 2007, Vikram Yadav would often use the internet and online forums to seek answers and understand issues from global experts. In 2009, when he graduated, he felt it was payback time. So he began to upload videos on YouTube about stuff he had researched or a medical problem he had encountered, along with treatments and outcomes.

source: techgig.com