After years of hyped-up competition, the two most subscribed channels are coming together to end their subscription race.
Is the battle for the most subscribers between American creator MrBeast and Indian music and film label T-Series finally coming to an end?
MrBeast recently hit the milestone of 331 million subscribers, placing him in the lead globally. Some could assume that the competition is over.
However, it wouldn’t be MrBeast if he didn’t use this rivalry for some publicity.
In a recent YouTube Short titled "I Got T-Series to Subscribe to Me," Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson travels to India to meet his rival.
Company vs. Influencer?
When PewDiePie was the most successful YouTuber, small rivalries and social media jabs were frequent.
At first glance, the comparison seems odd: an Indian music and film label versus the most successful individual creator on the internet? It doesn’t seem fair.
MrBeast & T-Series Lafda Officially Over! pic.twitter.com/Y2kWs9tMOk
— Neon Man Tweets (@neonmantweets__) December 10, 2024
While Donaldson and PewDiePie built their channels on self-produced content, the Indian competitor simply showcases pre-produced content from musicians and filmmakers on the T-Series channel.
This direct comparison is flawed: on one side, you have creative, original productions, and on the other, professional uploads of existing works by Indian artists.
Whether T-Series can truly claim success entirely on its own remains uncertain. Of course, MrBeast also works with a large team, but the scale is not comparable.
T-Series and MrBeast subscribe to each other
In the Short, released on December 9, MrBeast meets Bhushan Kumar, the head of T-Series, in India. The two decide to subscribe to each other’s channels.
Kumar makes the first move, prompting MrBeast to joke:
"It looks like my phone died"
But of course, he’s prepared and quickly pulls out his phone to subscribe to T-Series as well.
"After all the years the sub race is over"
says Donaldson at the end of the video, and they shake hands.
The moment feels friendly rather than competitive. The clip garnered over 12 million views and more than 1 million likes, quite a response.
Community reaction
The YouTube community was surprised by this collaboration. Comments with over 50,000 likes speak for themselves:
"This year truly is the year of unexpected collabs..." or "We got T-Series and MrBeast collaboration before GTA 6."
Some see the move as a betrayal of his friend and fellow creator PewDiePie, especially since MrBeast supported him during the 2022 Super Bowl campaign to surpass T-Series and become the most-subscribed channel.
Pewdiepie passing the torch to Mr. Beast to defeat t series pic.twitter.com/It3RRdUeTU
— Chris (@enforcerchris_) June 2, 2024
But after PewDiePie was overtaken first by T-Series and then by MrBeast, it seems MrBeast cares less about public support.
Could this shift be due to PewDiePie’s declining relevance?
Perfect timing
This high-profile meeting with T-Series couldn’t have come at a better time for MrBeast. His new show, Beast Games, premieres on December 18, 2024, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
A good reason, perhaps, to quickly meet with T-Series and draw attention from potential viewers in India?
Beast Games Official Trailer! 1,000 contestants, $5,000,000 prize, biggest sets ever, this show will blow your mind! Drops December 19th pic.twitter.com/CnQRHhle3A
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) December 6, 2024
The show features 1,000 participants competing for the largest cash prize in game show history: $5 million.
MrBeast has promised that the show will not only feature spectacular challenges but will also break over 28 Guinness World Records, including for the highest prize and the most cameras in a single production.
After the premiere, new episodes will be released weekly and will be available in over 240 countries, including India.
What do you think of the collaboration? Promo move or honest commitment? Let us know in the comments!