The Most-Subscribed and Most-Viewed YouTube Channels in 2023

Whether you’re starting out on YouTube or looking to expand, you’ll have certain aspirations. Goalposts. So, why not dream big? Let’s look at the ten most-subscribed and -viewed channels on YouTube,* and what you can learn from them. 

What are the most-subscribed YouTube channels in 2023?

The most-subscribed YouTube channel in 2023 is T-Series. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, check out our list to get all the details.

• 1. T-Series – India – 254 million subscribers
• 2. MrBeast – United States – 215 million subscribers
• 3. CocoMelon – United States – 168 million subscribers
• 4. SET India – India – 165 million subscribers
• 5. Kids Diana Show – Ukraine/United States – 116 million subscribers
• 6. PewDiePie – Sweden – 111 million subscribers
• 7. Like Nastya – Russia/United States – 110 million subscribers
• 8. Vlad and Niki – Russia – 105 million subscribers
• 9. Zee Music Company – India – 102 million subscribers
• 10. WWE – United States – 98.2 million subscribers

1. T-Series

As of August 2023, India-based T-Series is the most-subscribed channel on YouTube. What’s their secret? It’s not much of a secret, to be honest: T-Series is a record label specializing in Hindi film soundtracks and Indi-pop music.

It’s the biggest record label and film studio in the country… and with a population exceeding 1.3 billion people, India’s a pretty big country. And that’s not counting all the subscribers outside of India.

T-Series post a mix of music videos, lyric videos, remixes, and film trailers. It’s the usual stuff, but what makes it the most-subscribed YouTube channel? It helps that they’re a legacy brand. They’ve been around since the 1980s, and as a well-established cog in the Bollywood machine, they pump out multiple videos every day.

2. MrBeast

At some point, MrBeast has probably offered to buy you a new house or a Lamborghini, right? The one-man content machine became popular in the mid-2010s, staging elaborate giveaways and jaw-dropping challenges. As of 2023, he’s the highest-paid YouTuber out there. Why?

Well, MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson to his parents – is just fun. The American content creator first caught people’s attention with novelty YouTube stunts, like reading the entire dictionary and counting to 100,000. He’s since branched out, and now people subscribe to see what he’ll do next.

Sometimes, he does heart-warming videos, like paying for people’s surgery. Other times, he does things so outlandish you can’t help but scoff, like giving his 100,000,000th subscriber an actual island. It’s aspirational, larger-than-life content you can’t get anywhere else. He’s unique!

3. CoComelon

People love using YouTube for education, but that doesn’t exclusively mean adults. American channel CoComelon helps kids learn foundational skills in bite-sized, entertaining chunks. It’s all delivered in the CGI style of the day, tapping into the kind of TV children might watch on their own.

CoComelon’s YouTube content is a mixture of traditional nursery rhymes, original songs, and livestreams. By tapping into the 3D animation that’s so popular with today’s kids and angling it toward education, CoComelon have struck a winning formula. So much so that they’ve even sold content to Netflix!

Do you make content like CoComelon? Check out our Kids Trailers playlist below and find all the bubbly, sugary music you need. 

4. Sony Entertainment Television India

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is our second entry from the country. They’re packing full episodes, trailers, and highlights, but how did they build such a following? You could put it down to the sheer volume of content they produce – somewhere between 30 and 40 videos per day – and the size of the country in which they broadcast. 

The Sony brand recognition helps a lot, too. Couple that with top-quality programming and an audience that’s not just bound to terrestrial television, and you’re bound to rack up the views.

5. Kids Diana Show

Ukranian-American Eva Diana Kidisyuk was born in 2014. She’s also the fifth most-subscribed YouTuber on the planet. Alongside her brother, Roma, Eva learns new things, undertakes challenges, and teaches other kids along the way. It’s all done under the Kids Diana Show banner, set up by her parents. 

Eva’s adventures are naturally aimed at other kids, and they give parents someone to hold up as a role model for their own children.

6. PewDiePie

Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie, was once the YouTube’s most-subscribed channel. Sixth on the list still isn’t bad, especially since he’s scaled back operations to focus on his personal life and, in 2023, becoming a father for the first time.

PewDiePie made his name with playthrough videos on games like Minecraft and Call Of Duty, offering commentary along the way. His content has caused controversy in the past, too, regarding some of the language he used.

These days, he’s much more mellow and often just vlogs about life in Japan with his wife, Marzia Kjellberg. Trawl through any of his new videos and you’ll see comments from people who’ve followed him and watched him grow since they were teenagers – his early content helped secure him subscribers for life.

7. Like Nastya

Similar to Kids Diana Show, Russian-American Like Nastya is a show for kids, by kids. Also like Eva from Kids Diana Show, ​​Anastasia Sergeyevna Radzinskaya – Nastya for short – was born in 2014. Alongside her parents and friends, she plays, learns, sings, and more. 

The reason for her huge pocket of subscribers boils down to her content being educational, inspiring, and relatable to other kids – her following is so strong that she’s even bagged herself a movie role! It also helps that her videos are dubbed in multiple languages, making them accessible for even more viewers.

8. Vlad and Niki

Noticing a trend here? Another of the most-subscribed YouTube channels is for kids: Vlad and Niki Vashketov are Russian-American siblings born in the mid-2010s. Together, they get up to loads of fun things, including brand-related content featuring kids’ favorites like Paw Patrol. 

Vlad and Niki’s content isn’t as education-based as the other kids’ channels we’ve mentioned, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, children just want to watch people their own age having a ton of fun. That’s what Vlad and Niki offer.

9. Zee Music Company

Here’s our third entry from India: Zee Music Company. Despite only starting up in 2014, Zee owns a large share of the Bollywood music market. This is, in no small part, aided by its parent company, the media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

While Zee Music Company don’t post as often as T-Series or Sony Entertainment Television India, they own the rights to some of Bollywood’s hottest, most popular tracks. That itself gives viewers enough reason to hit the subscribe button.

10. WWE

Turns out people love watching wrestling online. The WWE’s YouTube channel offers a bicep-curling mix of classic matches, new fights, highlights, interviews, and more. Wrestling does massive numbers both in the live arena and on pay-per-view, but there’s still plenty of value in the free-for YouTube version. 

At the end of the day, professional wrestling is entertainment. The fighters are incredible athletes and actors, selling every slam and hit; it’s something you can enjoy in tiny chunks on YouTube, or sat on the sofa watching live on pay-per-view. WWE is a huge company in its own right, so its appearance as one of the most-subscribed YouTube channels isn’t surprising.

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What are the most-viewed YouTube channels in 2023?

The most-viewed YouTube channel in 2023 is also T-Series. A bunch of other channels from the most-subscribed list naturally made their way into the most-viewed ranking, too. Let’s have a look!

• 1. T-Series – India – 239.25 billion views
• 2. CocoMelon – United States – 172.12 billion views
• 3. SET India – India – 154.50 billion views
• 4. Sony SAB – India – 107.30 billion views
• 5. Kids Diana Show – Ukraine/United States – 97.56 billion views
• 6. Like Nastya – Russia/United States – 95.40 billion views
• 7. Zee TV – India – 83.39 billion views
• 8. Vlad and Niki – Russia – 82.02 billion views
• 9. WWE – United States – 80.17 billion views
• 10. Colors TV – India – 66.18 billion views

1. T-Series

T-Series tops the list as the most-viewed YouTube channel, too. Their breadth of content, level of quality, frequency of posting, and legacy status all contribute to this staggering achievement.

2. CoComelon

CoComelon aren’t quite at the top of the tree regarding views, but second place is mighty fine for content aimed specifically at children. Pumping out videos at a consistent rate, linking it to education, and keeping the animation up-to-date and fresh helps keep CoComelon on kids’ screens.

3. Sony Entertainment Television India

SET India’s back again, jumping up to the third most-viewed YouTube channel in the world. Like T-Series, they just churn out high-quality content.

4. Sony SAB

Sony SAB sit under Culver Max Entertainment: the company that owns SET India. Similar to SET India, Sony SAB specialize in full episodes, trailers, and recaps. They post at an equally high rate, which helps account for all of those views – 30 videos per day is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting. 

5. Kids Diana Show

Eva’s adventures have clearly struck a chord. Not only is she one of the most-subscribed YouTubers, but Kids Diana Show is the fifth most-viewed YouTube channel in 2023. Parents who subscribe to channels like Kids Diana Show can watch their kids grow up and learn alongside Eva. It’s a special thing, and it resonates with people.

6. Like Nastya

Nastya’s just behind Eva when it comes to most-viewed YouTube channels, coming in at sixth. Aside from the top-notch content, we’ll go out on a limb and say the multi-lingual dubbing helps Nastya’s channel grab views.

7. ZEE TV

Zee TV were the first privately owned TV channel in India. For this reason, they command a certain pedigree – people respect them. Given they mainly focus on family programming and coming-of-age TV, there’s an audience and appetite for their content. Plus, they upload videos at an extraordinary rate. 

8. Vlad and Niki

Just like on the most-subscribed list, Vlad and Niki sit at number eight for the most-watched YouTube channel. Guess it proves that having fun can get you a long way!

9. WWE

Wrestling is still super popular, and the WWE’s YouTube channel does a great job curating for all needs. Want to catch up on new matches? That’s there. Want to reminisce about something the Rock did twenty years ago? There’s that, too.

10. Colors TV

Colors TV are yet another Indian broadcaster, their remit covering everything from family dramas and reality TV to crime. Like the other India-based channels on this list, Colors TV’s strategy is all about quantity – sometimes they’ll upload 10 videos within an hour! 

What do all of those channels have in common? They all cater to wide demographics: MrBeast and PewDiePie made their fortunes appealing to young men; the mega-successful Indian TV channels cast their nets across, well, pretty much everyone who follows those shows; and the kids’ channels’ audiences will never dry up!

They also use music to set the mood and draw viewers in. Whether it’s Triple H walking into the ring with Motörhead blaring, a new Bollywood banger erupting from a tense scene, or gentle acoustica soundtracking a Swedish YouTuber holding his newborn son, music makes moments that matter.

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• YouTube Shorts Monetization: How to Make Money From YouTube Shorts
• How to Use Copyrighted Music on YouTube Legally

*Data and rankings updated November 30, 2023