AI-Powered YouTube Channel ‘Bandar Apna Dost’ Earns ₹38 Crore a Year: Report

Ever thought about the possibility of making crores of rupees without an expensive camera and script? India’s YouTube Channel “Bandar Apna Dost” has achieved the same. According to a recent report by the video editing platform Kapwing, this channel has reached the top of the list of channels creating videos with AI. The report states that this channel is earning a whopping $4.25 million, or approximately ₹38 crore, annually.

“The videos on the channel are slightly odd, yet very colorful and entertaining. The videos mostly involve an animated monkey and a superhero character. The most important thing to note is that the videos do not have any deep message or story; instead, the videos solely revolve around the concept of ‘action, comedy, and fun.’ This kind of content is recognized on the internet as an ‘AI slop’ or content created using the power of artificial intelligence.”

Notably, despite the hard work of key content providers to produce videos, the monkey named Apna Dost has managed to accumulate more than 2 billion views purely based on AI. For the purposes of the Kapwing report, an investigation of almost 15,000 channels identified 278 channels that operate purely through the use of AI, with more than 220 million total subscribers. Despite the monetization policy of YouTube being somewhat contentious, the identified channels still manage to make substantial revenue.