Manju Latha Kalanidhi By Express News Service HYDERABAD : Good news for all aspiring YouTubers in Hyderabad and the Telugu states. Firstly, Telugu language content is being consumed than ever before. There are 80+ channels with 500K to 1 million subscribers in Telugu alone. Secondly, the video sharing channel’s Telugu cup is half fulleth, leaving scope and space for talented ones. Giving hope to thousands of teenagers who hope to become like SuperWoman (Lilly Singh, a famous YouTuber she was ranked tenth on the Forbes list of the world’s highest paid YouTube stars, earning a reported $10.5 million.) or our very own Mahatalli (Jahnavi Dasetty, 1.3 million subs), comes the announcement from Satya Raghavan, Director, Content Partnerships, YouTube in India. “You don’t have to trust us. You can see the numbers for yourself,” he says as the medium celebrates Telugu Day in the Google office premises in Kondapur on Monday. Until 2014, the medium mainly had feeds from traditional news media with videos of their news shows, chat shows or other feature content. In 2014-15, thanks to the availability of recording-quality smart phones, 4G networks that can overcome buffering, a widespread Telugu diaspora and of course increase in creativity has contributed to the surge in Telugu content, says Satya. “We want youngsters to use this amazing cauldron called Telugu Youtube and produce content from the hub called Hyderabad.” So what’s the content that sells? Comedy, films, personalities. What about competition from 10-second videos such as those from other mediums like TikTok? He says that the medium provides users to be able to say all that they want to say without the pressure of any time limit. Strictly, no preaching: Talking about the change of content scenario, actor Niharika Konidela (from Pink Elephant Pictures) and her colleague Rahul Raghavendra (from Infinitum) talk about their new 100-episode web series, the first in India with that kind of a run, called Mad House. Niharika, the 1st creator from South India to produce a web series on YouTube named ‘Mudda Pappu Avakai’, also happens to be Megastar Chiranjeevi’s niece. She says that the show is styled on the lines of professional shows such as The Big Bang Theory (although not with a live audience) and tracks down the lives of four youngsters based in Hyderabad. “These are 15-minute entertainment capsules that one can watch while taking a coffee break. Plus, this is relatable content, not like the daily soaps that you see on TV. The content of course is for millennials, therefore strictly no preaching. Released every Friday at 5 pm, the show is currently available on YouTube. Getting upclose and personal: Says Jahnavi Dasetty aka Mahathalli, the quirky and opinionated Telugu girl with 1.3 million subscribers in South India, “In 2020, I am diversifying into another new entity called Leo and Fam, about my dogs Leo and Bailey, my life, my take on things etc. It’s also going to be about travel, food, fashion etc. Every time I share a photograph, people message me asking where I bought it where I am holidaying. I might as well make this official and share the information,” she says. Nice advice, from me to you Meanwhile, Morla Swapna is the rising star with her own channel called Smart Telugu Housewife with 283k subs. A homemaker in her 20s, she says this is the first time she is actually out in the open to talk about her venture. “I was wary of telling my own family that I was running this YouTube channel as I wasn’t sure what kind of a reception they would give me. But now that I have a few thousands subscribers, I am confident about my content”, she says. Swapna’s content is about Andam, Arogyam and Aaharam. Does she earn enough from her channel? “As much as I would earn if I were to be a software engineer in Hyderabad,” she indicates. Currently she is enjoying the perks of the job. “I have brands asking me to wear their brand sarees, jewellery and my house is filled with kitchen appliances. Although I started with a simple smart phone and a basic Gorilla tripod in 2018, today many women take my advice seriously.” Movies, masti, magic Guru Prasad owner of Volga Videos is the first channel in South India to cross 10 million subs, one of the largest movie content aggregators in the South as well and Aditya Music are two Hyderabad-based movie and music companies that got onto the online band wagon and are among the top players today. “Being able to foresee the future and being future-ready is what helped me stay in the race,” says Prasad. Aditya Gupta seconds it. While Volga is the go-to channel for old Telugu classic movies, Aditya Music is where the movie trailers of the top movies release.

Stay updated with all the Hyderabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.