The third edition of YouTube Fan Fest at NSCI, Worli, last weekend, was indeed the talk of the town. Here’s a snapshot…
It was an evening like no other as thousands gathered at the NSCI indoor stadium, Worli, on March 18, for the third edition of YouTube Fan Fest 2016. The popularity of the live show can be gauged from the fact that all general admission tickets were snapped up within an hour’s time. The Mumbai edition was termed “insane” by international beauty sensation, Kaushal, who was one of the YouTube stars to sashay down the red carpet.Speaking of the red carpet, fan frenzy reached its peak when Indian-Canadian comedian, Lilly Singh, aka ||Superwoman|| walked down the red carpet; several fans were seen shedding tears on meeting and clicking selfies with their much-loved icon.
Star-studded performances
Stand-up comedian and host Abish Mathew kept the entertainment quotient high by being…well, himself. There was hardly a dull moment on stage aspopular YouTubers packed in one super performance after another. The domains of comedy and music have, undoubtedly, ruled the roost on YouTube, and this was proven once again as the crowds cheered for stars such as All India Bakchod, East India Comedy, Put Chutney, Being Indian and Kenny Sebastian, in addition to Kurt Hugo Schneider, Connor Franta, Arjun, Sanam, Shirley Setia and more.
Spawning a generation of YouTubers
The success of desi, yet global, YouTube creators such as All India Bakchod, as well as the massive following seen for Indian-Canadian comedian Lilly Singh, has inspired thousands of young Indians to step forward and launch their own channels on YouTube.YouTube’s growth in India has seen a meteoric rise. Statistically speaking, the overall watchtime in India has grown by 80 per cent year-on-year, with 55 per cent of that watchtime originating on mobiles. For instance, the watchtime of independent musicians grew over 92 per cent year-on-year; comedy and entertainment grew 100 per cent year-on-year; and beauty and fashion videos have grown over 138 per cent year-on-year. Satya Raghavan, Head of Entertainment Content at YouTube India, said, “India has undergone a content creator revolution. Now, we’re seeing online creators break open the gates for a whole new kind of entertainment for Indians online, with advertisers looking to tap into this space in a meaningful way.”
For those who missed the live show, YouTube FanFest will be livestreamed at http://www.youtube.com/fanfest.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "AIB performing at YouTube Fan Fest")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}