Whether you’re an established creator or just thinking about starting your own YouTube channel, it always helps to know what the big players are doing. Watching your competition can help you understand what audiences like, how you can improve your content, and how to grow your YouTube channel. In this article, we break down the 10 biggest YouTube channels and explain why they’re so popular.
1. T-Series (258 Million Subscribers)
T-Series is a YouTube channel and Indian music company that has gained immense popularity due to its focus on producing and promoting music content. Founded in 1983 by Gulshan Kumar, T-Series boasts a vast catalog of music videos, film songs, music albums, and entertainment-related content.
What sets T-Series apart is its close affiliation with Bollywood, the heart of the Indian film industry. The channel consistently releases music videos and songs from popular movies. This taps into the massive Bollywood fan base, both in India and Indians all over the world.
T-Series’ success can also be attributed to its commitment to high-quality production, featuring top-tier talent and visually appealing content. The channel maintains its popularity by consistently uploading new, engaging content, which keeps its audience coming back for more. Its rise to prominence was further fueled by a highly publicized subscriber race with PewDiePie, drawing international attention.
2. Mr. Beast (236 Million Subscribers)
Mr. Beast is Jimmy Donaldson, a massive YouTube success story. He gained immense popularity for his unique and philanthropic approach to content creation. Mr. Beast is known for his extravagant stunts, challenges, and acts of generosity.
What sets Mr. Beast apart is his willingness to spend big bucks on his videos, often giving away enormous sums of money to strangers or funding ambitious projects. This combination of entertainment and altruism has resonated with viewers and earned him a dedicated fanbase.
Mr. Beast’s meteoric rise can also be attributed to his consistency and innovation. He constantly pushes the boundaries of what’s possible on YouTube, from planting millions of trees to hosting massive real-life battles.
You should take note of Mr. Beast’s commitment to delivering unique and positive content that leaves a lasting impact, all while keeping viewers entertained and engaged. His channel proves that creativity, generosity, and hard work can lead to extraordinary success on YouTube.
3. Cocomelon (171 Million Subscribers)
Cocomelon is a wildly popular YouTube channel that specializes in creating educational and entertaining content for children. It features colorful animated videos with nursery rhymes, kids’ songs, and educational themes.
What makes Cocomelon stand out is its ability to engage and captivate a young audience, making it a go-to channel for parents seeking age-appropriate and engaging content for their kids.
The channel’s success can be attributed to several factors: consistent uploads, high-quality animations, catchy music, and simple, repetitive themes that are appealing to young children. Cocomelon also prioritizes safety, ensuring that parents can trust the content as a safe and educational option for their kids.
4. SET India (168 Million Subscribers)
SET India is the official YouTube channel of Sony Entertainment Television, one of India’s leading television networks. It’s become incredibly popular due to its extensive collection of Indian television shows, dramas, and reality programs. SET India offers viewers the opportunity to watch full episodes, clips, and exclusive content from their favorite shows.
What makes SET India stand out is its timely uploads of episodes, keeping viewers up-to-date with the latest television content. The channel also provides a platform for fans to engage with their favorite shows and characters through comments and discussions.
5. Kids Diana Show (118 Million Subscribers)
The Kids Diana Show is one of the biggest YouTube channels known for its family-friendly content centered around a young girl named Diana and her adventures. The channel features vlogs, challenges, toy reviews, and imaginative playtime scenarios that resonate with a young audience.
What sets it apart is its focus on creating relatable and entertaining content for children, with Diana as the central character. The show’s success can be attributed to its simplicity, consistency, and understanding of its target audience.
The channel consistently uploads new and engaging content that captures the attention of children, keeping them entertained and coming back for more. Additionally, it maintains a positive and child-friendly atmosphere, which is essential for parents looking for safe online content for their kids.
6. Like Nastya – (112 Million Subscribers)
The Like Nastya YouTube channel is a massive hit known for its family-friendly and kid-oriented content. It features a young girl named Anastasia Radzinskaya (Nastya) and her adventures, playtime scenarios, educational content, and toy unboxings. The channel’s popularity arises from its ability to connect with young viewers and keep them engaged.
What sets Like Nastya apart is its consistency in delivering new, captivating videos that cater to the interests of children. It also incorporates educational elements, making it appealing to parents looking for both entertaining and instructive content for their kids.
The channel’s success hinges on understanding its target audience, maintaining a child-friendly atmosphere, and staying current with trends and interests that resonate with young viewers. Keep in mind that kids aren’t the audience segment here. A channel like this has to please parents as well, even if the parents don’t watch much of it.
7. PewDiePie – (111 Million Subscribers)
The PewDiePie YouTube channel, run by Felix Kjellberg, was one of the most popular and influential channels on the platform in YouTube’s early days. It gained fame through its early content focused on gaming, with PewDiePie providing humorous commentary. His energetic style appealed to a younger audience.
What made PewDiePie one of the biggest YouTube channels? His ability to evolve and diversify his content over time. He didn’t stick solely to gaming; he expanded into vlogs, challenges, and meme-related content, keeping his channel fresh and engaging.
PewDiePie’s popularity also stemmed from his authenticity and relatability. He connected with his audience on a personal level, sharing aspects of his life and opinions. His fans felt like they knew him, fostering a strong sense of community.
If you want to be a popular YouTuber, follow PewDiePie’s lead by embracing change, staying true to your personality, and building a genuine connection with your audience.
8. Vlad and Niki – (109 Million Subscribers)
The Vlad and Niki YouTube channel is a sensation among young audiences, featuring two brothers, Vlad and Niki, engaging in various imaginative playtime scenarios, challenges, and toy unboxings. The channel’s popularity stems from its ability to capture the attention of kids with relatable and entertaining content.
What sets Vlad and Niki apart is their brotherly dynamic, which adds an element of authenticity to their videos. The channel consistently delivers child-friendly content that mirrors the interests and playfulness of their target audience.
Vlad and Niki’s success underscores the importance of understanding and catering to a specific age group, maintaining a child-friendly atmosphere, and embracing imaginative play as a central theme.
9. Zee Music Company (104 Million Subscribers)
The Zee Music Company YouTube channel is an Indian music label that offers an extensive collection of music videos, film songs, and music-related content. It is associated with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, a massive media conglomerate in India.
Zee Music Company’s popularity is primarily driven by its focus on delivering the latest and most popular Bollywood music. Bollywood songs have a massive fan base not only in India but also among the global Indian audience. The channel consistently uploads high-quality music videos and songs, ensuring that it remains a go-to destination for fans of Indian music.
As an aspiring YouTuber you should take inspiration from Zee Music Company’s success by recognizing the importance of catering to a specific niche, maintaining a regular content schedule, and delivering high-quality content that resonates with their target audience.
10. WWE – (99 Million Subscribers)
The WWE YouTube channel is the official channel of one of the world’s most prominent professional wrestling organizations: World Wrestling Entertainment. WWE’s YouTube channel features a wide range of content, including highlights from their televised shows, exclusive backstage interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and promotional videos for their pay-per-view events.
What sets WWE apart is its ability to engage its passionate fan base, known as the “WWE Universe.” The channel caters to wrestling enthusiasts by providing easy access to key moments and matches, creating anticipation and excitement for upcoming events. It also entices their audience to purchase their pay-per-view content.
WWE’s success on YouTube is a testament to the power of catering to a dedicated and enthusiastic fan base, regularly uploading engaging content, and leveraging the platform to enhance the overall wrestling experience.
Lessons From the Biggest YouTube Channels
Now that you’ve seen the biggest YouTube channels and understand why they’re so popular, let’s break down the key lessons you should learn to build a YouTube brand and grow your audience.
- Focus on a specific audience. You don’t have to make content for everyone.
- Improve your production value as much as possible. People love a spectacle.
- Publish new content consistently so there’s always something new to watch.
- Be genuine and authentic. Viewers want to connect to real people.
- Don’t be afraid to change over time as your audience changes.
- Use YouTube to push your audience toward your paid content (if you have any).
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