The biggest YouTube channels

If you’re just now checking out YouTube, the sheer volume of content can seem overwhelming, and it can be hard to choose what to watch first.

But looking at subscriber numbers for the streaming site’s channels can actually help refine your options. Sometimes, high-quality content and entertaining videos can be found on channels that have millions of subscribers.

Just curious about all the hype surrounding the popular streaming site’s content? We can help satisfy that curiosity a bit with our list of the 10 most-subscribed-to channels currently on YouTube. We’ll also discuss what to expect in terms of the kind of content featured on each channel.

From YouTube’s own themed channels to gaming to children’s programming and more, here are the 10 most-subscribed-to YouTube channels to date.

10. Gaming (92.6 million subscribers)

The Gaming channel appears to be another auto-generated channel by YouTube. In this case, the Gaming channel curates and pulls together gaming-related content from other YouTube channels. Such content includes live games and other trending gaming videos. According to Social Blade, this channel was created on December 15, 2013.

9. Like Nastya (97.5 million subscribers)

Like Nastya is a show for children (similar to Kids Diana Show below) that revolves around a young girl named Nastya. Nastya’s videos are usually about learning new things, singing songs, and exploring the world around her. Sometimes her parents are featured in the videos as well. This channel began on December 6, 2016.

8. Kids Diana Show (97.6 million subscribers)

Kids Diana Show is essentially a children’s show hosted by a child named Diana. Diana’s videos often involve activities such as unboxing toys, vlogs, songs, playing with her brother, Roma, and various educational topics. The channel first began on May 12, 2015, and has received over 77 billion views since then.

7. MrBeast (98.5 million subscribers)

The MrBeast channel, features MrBeast (also known as Jimmy Donaldson). Donaldson’s videos often involve him taking on extreme stunts and challenges and there are also videos of him hosting cash and prize giveaways and contests. This channel began on February 19, 2012, and has racked up over 16 billion views since.

6. PewDiePie (111 million subscribers)

After a long time on top, PewDiePie is now only the sixth most-subscribed-to YouTube channel, with 111 million subscribers. Viewers describe his content as goofy, obnoxious, and filled with profanity. He could also be considered quite a controversial figure.

Created in 2010 by Swedish comedian Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, the PewDiePie YouTube channel is best known for its Let’s Play videos and blogs, as well as Kjellberg’s following.

After dropping out of college to focus on creating content, PewDiePie surpassed 1 million subscribers just two years after his channel’s creation. Kjellberg’s influence on the social network has also had a positive effect on the sales of indie video games, particularly Goat Simulator and McPixel.

He maintained a feud with the now most-subscribed-to channel, T-Series, throughout much of 2018. They stole the top position from each other multiple times, but Kjellberg eventually capitulated and has now fallen far enough behind that it would take something quite special for him to retake the top spot.

That said, his subscriber numbers are still strong. They remain at a steady 111 million subscribers as of July 2022.

5. Music (116 million subscribers)

This is yet another YouTube auto-generated channel that pulls and aggregates content from other channels under a theme. Here, you can find music videos and song playlists. This channel was created on September 24, 2013.

4. SET India (137 million subscribers)

Moving to the No. 4 slot is Sony Entertainment Television India, a 24-hour, Hindi-specific channel with 137 million subscribers. SET India launched as a station in 1995 and entered the YouTube space in 2006, according to its YouTube channel About page.

This channel originally played top-10 artists like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Now, it has a library of thousands of videos, including comedy specials like The Kapil Sharma Show and police docudramas like Crime Patrol 2.0.

3. Cocomelon — Nursery Rhymes (138 million subscribers)

Cocomelon — Nursery Rhymes is a channel focused almost entirely on nursery rhymes and original songs for children set to 3D animation.

Originally called ABCkidTV, Cocomelon is one of the longest-running top channels on YouTube. It published its first video in September 2006, and while it experienced steady growth over the years, its popularity exploded in 2017. That’s when it began garnering more than 100,000 new subscribers a month.

2. YouTube Movies (153 million subscribers)

This is less an aggregator for YouTube content and more of a hub for YouTube’s movie rental/purchase service. On this page, you can rent or purchase a variety of movies, or you can choose to watch movies or some shows with ads for free. According to Social Blade, this channel was created on June 10, 2015.

1. T-Series (220 million subscribers)

Finally, eclipsing the former longtime YouTube king is T-Series. It’s a popular Indian music channel with 220 million subscribers and more than 196 billion views since its beginning.

T-Series is best known for its Bollywood music soundtracks. It’s the most-subscribed-to Hindi-language and Indian YouTube channel. It’s also the first channel to reach 100 million subscribers.

Although the T-Series channel launched in 2006 (YouTube started in 2005), the T-Series company, which runs the channel, opened its doors in the 1980s. The company’s breakthrough came in 1990, with the film soundtrack album Aashiqui. The soundtrack sold more than 20 million units in India, making it the bestselling Bollywood album of all time.

Rankings are based on Social Blade findings and subscription statistics listed on YouTube channels as of July 2022.