MrBeast overtakes T-Series for most YouTube subscribers
MrBeast has surpassed T-Series to become the largest YouTube channel in terms of subscribers, ending a long-standing competition.
The Indian music label T-Series, known for uploading trailers and music videos, held the title for the largest YouTube channel for five years until it was overtaken on Sunday.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, already had the largest individual following on YouTube. However, the 26-year-old has now made history on the platform with an impressive 269 million subscribers, dethroning T-Series and placing him far ahead of other channels.
MrBeast has gained fame through nearly 800 videos featuring massive stunts, such as giving away private islands, being buried alive, and staging a real-life version of the Netflix hit Squid Game.
In a post on X, MrBeast mentioned he had finally “avenged” YouTube star Felix Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie, by surpassing T-Series’ 266 million subscriber count.
In a follow-up post, MrBeast revealed that his channel achieved the record with its largest ever daily increase in subscribers, gaining more than 2 million on Saturday.
T-Series had originally set the record in 2019 by overtaking PewDiePie, who responded in a music video, saying, “all it took was a massive corporate entity with every song in Bollywood” to explain his defeat.
After 6 years we have finally avenged Pewdiepie 🥹 pic.twitter.com/V1znbyqw27
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 2, 2024
MrBeast becoming the most subscribed-to individual and channel on YouTube has further solidified his influence and wealth on the platform.
In addition to his main channel, he has several other channels dedicated to gaming, philanthropy, and reactions to other content, each boasting tens of millions of subscribers.
“Do not email me asking for money, I give away money because it makes me happy,” his channel’s description tells viewers, referring to the sheer amount of cash – measured in the millions – he has distributed during his YouTube career.
A video he posted in April saw one person win $250,000 (£196,000).
In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth to be around $500m and ranked him first on its list of the 50 top creators in 2023.
Elon Musk, who has encouraged MrBeast and other video creators to post on his platform X (formerly Twitter), was among those congratulating him.
Making X more appealing for creators is a key part of Musk’s strategy to make the platform profitable. MrBeast revealed in January that he earned $250,000 from his first video posted on X.
Additionally, MrBeast’s new record is good news for Amazon, which has reportedly signed him to a TV deal worth as much as $100 million.