It started a good four months ago, when PewDiePie, a foul mouthed comedian and video game commentator found himself on his backside, as he was dethroned from the position of the number one YouTube channel. When he tried to see who pushed him off the pedestal, he discovered T-Series. What has been going on since, is an odd battle where one is fighting tooth and nail, while the other has simply turned his back to the criticism and is basking in the glory.
Given being the top YouTuber is the only claim to fame for the 29-year-old Swedish comedian Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg aka PewDiePie, dissing T-Series has evidently become his life’s mission. September onwards, the man has been trying everything to bring back his honour and make T-Series lose in the bargain. From making crude videos on his channel to having a live-countdown charting subscribers between T-Series to singing off-key songs to run down T-Series. Yes, the song Bitch Lasagna (better known as a diss track for T-Series) alone has got 99,999,650 views and counting.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: PewDiePie attends the European Premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at Leicester Square on December 16, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
In fact, PewDiePie’s desperate moves have gain momentum, and now T-Series finds itself on the crude pages of Urban Dictionary too, being called everything unseemly from a ‘shitty channel from a third world country’ to ‘Satan’s work’ but the only meaning that seems to scream from these posts is that PewDiePie is threatened and his biggest nightmare being, T-Series has nothing to lose!
As I type, Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series is reigning over YouTube with a subscriber count of *hold your breath* 80,898,058 subscribers. PewDiePie is very close with his 80,482,911 but clearly, he has no clue what he is up against. Unfortunately for PDP, the T-Series PR is not giving him any hints. They are not bothered to chart their little success when there are too many big fish that they are chunking in the sea.
When international press finally managed to get in touch with Bhushan Kumar, here is what he said, “I don’t really look into all this (YouTube subscribers) I spend most of my time making content with my team. I was not really keeping a track, but when these articles started coming in, then I started following it up. That’s when I learnt there is a countdown going on… primarily it is a proud moment for T-Series, everyone is congratulating me from over the world…
“Rishi Kapoorji, who is currently recuperating from his illness in New York, read about this in NYTimes and buzzed me, saying you are making India proud. It was a great moment for me. I am glad that everyone from across the globe is noticing it and giving us their appreciation.”
While Bhushan Kumar humbly accepts the proud India moment, he vehemently denies that it is the cheap data plans that are helping the numbers. The T-Series head honcho claims it is the content alone that is swelling the subscriber base. And while he is monitoring the content, he doesn’t need to keep track of the subscriber lists. His boast certainly rings true but now the burning question remains: why is the T-Series PR not going hammer and tongs, blowing their trumpet about this achievement?