A Look Back At The Most Viewed YouTube Channels Of 2020

Social Blade's updated list of the top 100 YouTube channels in 2020, ranked by viewership count, reveals some amazing stats. While top 100 definitely seems like too big of a mouthful, we can easily delve into the top channels this year, and note down some highlights.

T-Series

Starting off the list is, to no particular surprise, the India-based record label T-Series. Standing at over 137 billion views, the label has attracted a lot of recent attention. Other than Bollywood music having its niches spread out not just over the subcontinent, but expanding to other corners of Asia, the label's videos have found appeal in a massive audience. The feud it had with PewDiePie over subscriber counts probably gave the company a very healthy boost in coverage, making its placement at the top of this list a no-brainer.

Cocomelon

Child-related content has also established very firm footing in the top 10 list. Cocomelon kicks us off strong by hoisting the number 2 slot on this list. Showcasing renditions of classic nursery rhymes with 3D animation shorts, the channel has raked in 88 billion views total. Due to their long compilation videos keeping children occupied for hours at a time, this earns its number 2 on the shoulders of sleepy and exhausted parents.

SET India

On the topic of T-Series, Indian channels have firmly established themselves across 2020 as a force to be reckoned with. They comprise 4 of the top 10. What's interesting to note, however, is that other than our number 1 T-Series, all of the other Indian channels revolve around re-airings of popular TV dramas. The growth such channels have seen across this year can easily be attributed to the pandemic. With the production of newer episodes and series on lock, and people confined to their homes, one would naturally be inclined towards constantly watching reruns on a free-to-stream popular shows. On that note, SET India takes our number 3 spot, singling out 74 billion view airing shows such as CID, Indian Idol, and Crime Patrol.

Zee TV

One of our afore-mentioned Indian channel his, Zee TV clasps a comfortable number 4, owing to both original dramas and, in a much larger part, reality TV reruns, such as Dance India Dance. The channel has raked in over 56 billion views which, while being a significant drop from 3rd place's 74 billion, is still an all-too respectable amount.

WWE

WWE holds a reasonable position on the rankings, with an impressive number 5 slot. The company also very effectively used video-chatting technology to let fans interact with the fights live, with pandemic restrictions still in effect. Which also goes to show that be it sunshine or rain, wrestling entertainment and its rabid horde of fans refuse to retreat into irrelevancy.

LikeNastya

Cocomelon isn’t the only channel gaining traction in children entertainment. The Russian channel LikeNastya has generated 49 billion views over its challenge-style vlogs, which are an instant hit with younger audiences. Featuring the Anastasia Radzinskaya, between this channel and the rest of our Indian hits, there’s a healthy amount of diversity being spotted.

KidsDianaShow

KidsDianaShow, another children entertainment channel with a total of over 47.9 billion views, revolves around the titular Ukrainian child Eva Diana reviewing toys and other youth-oriented merchandise with a vlog-style framing.

Movieclips

If this channel hasn’t popped up in someone’s recommended at least once, they are completely tone-deaf to popular culture and media. All jokes aside, however, Movieclips sit at number 7 with a cumulative viewership of over 46 billion. Honestly, when it’s one of the easiest ways to view famous and iconic movie scenes on YouTube, its position feels deserved.

Ryan's World

While the lowest of all children-related content on our top 10, Ryan Kaji is doing incredibly well for himself. Sitting at over 44 billion views is impressive in it’s own right, but overshadowed by Forbes listing him as the most earning YouTuber of 2020, besting an impressive list of industry veterans such as Mr. Beast and Markiplier.

Sony SAB

Being at the bottom of such an impressive list is no small feat. Sony SAB, with a total viewership count of slightly over 43 billion, the channel marks the second entry of a Sony-owned property on this list (SET being the first). Featuring hit TV shows such as Taarak Mehta and Baalveer, this Indian channel finishes the list that, appropriately, also began with an Indian channel.

H/T: SB.