PewDiePie/YouTube
PewDiePie released a video "congratulating" T-Series.
- YouTuber PewDiePie appears to have admitted defeat to rival YouTube channel T-Series in a music video mocking the Bollywood music video company.
- PewDiePie and T-Series have been neck-and-neck for months in the battle to be the subscribed-to channel on YouTube, with T-Series pulling ahead this weekend.
- In his video, PewDiePie made reference to various news scandals surrounding T-Series.
PewDiePie (real name Felix Kjellberg) has intensified his battle for YouTube dominance with Bollywood music company T-Series by releasing a video "congratulating" the rival channel.
PewDiePie and T-Series have been neck-and-neck for months in the battle to be the subscribed-to channel on YouTube. PewDiePie had previously held the number one spot since 2013.
Read more: PewDiePie's huge campaign to swat away T-Series and keep his YouTube crown is slowing down
T-Series has edged ahead a few times, and this weekend overtook PewDiePie once again. On March 31, PewDiePie released a music video entitled "Congratulations" mocking the Bollywood channel.
In the video, PewDiePie made reference to a Times of India article from December last year about T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar being questioned over tax evasion. It also alluded to a sexual harassment accusation levelled against Kumar in October. Kumar denied the allegation.
The song also references an issue that has been at the heart of the competition: That PewDiePie as an independent vlogger represents the soul of YouTube, while T-Series is a corporate interloper.
"Yeah, you did it, very nice. And all it took was a massive corporate entity with every song in Bollywood," PewDiePie raps on the diss track. It's why he has garnered support from other YouTubers, like Logan Paul.
PewDiePie's campaign to guard his title against T-Series was also endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who went on PewDiePie's show with "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland in February in a bid to win more subscribers.
The campaign was also referred to by the suspected gunman of the New Zealand mosque attacks in March, who said "Subscribe to PewDiePie" during a Facebook live stream of the attack. PewDiePie said he was "sickened" by the reference.
In another video commenting on the battle for subs, PewDiePie joked: "Who cares about sub count anyway? It was just a troll, it was just a big troll."