The social media giant, YouTube started in 2005 and since then, it has shown no signs of slowing down. Initially launched as a video-sharing platform for entertainment purposes, it has now become a mecca of learning and earning a side income for the youth. Currently, it has 38 million active channels and more than 2.6 billion active viewers who create and consume content related to music, movies, education, comedy, etc. People who have an active YouTube channel with a large number of subscribers are known as established YouTubers. While anyone with a Gmail account can view content on YouTube, only those who subscribe to certain channels will get regular content updates in their notifications. Considering that about 1 billion hours of videos are watched every day, it’s not hard to chart out that YouTube indeed is an integral part of its viewers’ daily lives. This article lists the most subscribed YouTube channels as of 2022.
T-series (215M subscribers):
T-series is an Indian music label founded by Gulshan Kumar, and owned by Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited. It occupies a huge chunk of the Indian music space, with over 35% share. Their YouTube channel publishes music videos related to Bollywood and other Indian independent artists. It holds the record as the most viewed (187 billion) and most subscribed (215 million) YouTube channel, as of 12th May 2022.
CoComelon (135M subscribers):
Founded in 2005, Cocomelon is an American YouTube channel owned by Moonbug Entertainment. The channel publishes 3D animated videos of traditional nursery rhymes along with making its own original children’s songs. It is the most-viewed YouTube channel in the US and the first educational channel to hit 100 million subscribers. It also has 11 other channels that publish content in different languages, thus making it a worldwide hit.
SET India (132M subscribers):
SET India, which expands as Sony Entertainment Television India, is a YouTube channel of the Indian television network of the same name, owned by Sony Pictures Networks. The channel publishes content related to Hindi drama and reality shows streamed on its television network. It is currently the third most viewed YouTube channel (111 billion) and one of the fastest-growing channels on the platform.
PewDiePie (111M subscribers):
PewDiePie is a YouTube channel started and owned by a Swedish comedian and gamer named Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. He holds the record of having the most number of subscribers for a YouTube channel owned and operated by an individual. Starting with in-game reaction videos, his content later expanded to include vlogs, news recaps, and funny skits. His channel then became the most subscribed channel in 2013. In August 2018, as T-series was close to crossing PewDiePie’s subscriber count, Felix started a satirical war with T-series, that got wrapped in controversies, and PewDiePie ultimately lost to T-series.
MrBeast (95M subscribers):
MrBeast is a YouTube channel started by Jimmy Donaldson, who is an American video creator and philanthropist. Initially, he posted gaming and informational content on his channel. He is now known for creating videos related to him doing challenges and arduous tasks for a long period of time. He has also made several donations, involving millions of dollars, towards various important causes.
✿ Kids Diana Show (94.9M subscribers):
Kids Diana Show is a YouTube channel featuring Eva Diana Kidiskyuk, a Ukrainian-American child (8 years old, as of March 2022) based in Miami, United States. Together with her brother and parents, she creates videos like children’s songs, role-plays, toy unboxings, and children’s educational content. The videos are shot and managed by her parents, who left their full-time jobs to focus on making YouTube content.
Like Nastya (93M subscribers):
Like Nastya is a YouTube channel that revolves around Anastasia Radzinskaya, a Russian-American child based in Miami, United States. Together with her parents, she creates original stories and roleplays focused on children. In many of her videos, she can be seen going on adventures outside her home or role-playing different professions. Her channel is the 5th highest in terms of the total number of views. It has been dubbed into various languages like German, Hindi, French, Korean, etc.
WWE (88.1M subscribers):
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is the YouTube channel of an American entertainment company of the same name that deals with professional wrestling. The company was founded in 1952 and joined YouTube in 2007. Considered the ruler of the wrestling space, it is the world’s largest promoter of wrestling. The channel publishes videos of original WWE shows and gives its viewers show exclusives and backstage sneak peeks.
Zee Music Company (83.8M subscribers):
Zee Music Company is a YouTube channel maintained by an Indian entertainment company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. It holds a large space in the Indian music industry, preceding T-series. The channel publishes music from Bollywood movies as well as music produced by independent artists. Claimed to have a strong global presence, it holds a total viewership of more than 1 billion people.
Vlad and Niki (81.5M subscribers):
Vlad and Niki is a YouTube channel featuring two Russian-American siblings, Vladislav Vashketov and Nikita Vashketov. Residing in Miami and Dubai occasionally, their parents manage their channel. They publish videos where the siblings can be seen going out on an adventure or playing with new toys or role-playing various professions. Their channel is dubbed in 18 different languages, thus garnering audiences from all over the world.
CONCLUSION:
These were all the top subscribed channels on YouTube, as of 2022. The channels are based on diverse fields like music, wrestling, news & information, gaming, and children’s entertainment. Three of the top 10 channels are of Indian origin and are primarily based in the Hindi language. Four out of the 10 make videos focused on children’s entertainment and education. All the channels are also high ranking in terms of total revenue generated on YouTube. The video-sharing platform seems to be a lucrative professional option for those who like creating video-based content. One should take cues from the above YouTubers to identify their strategies for reaching a position of impact and value while earning handsomely alongside.