Written by: Kiana Palacios
Studies show that 87% of internet users watch online videos, and that includes the Philippines. In the country, we have homegrown Youtubers such as Ranz and Niana, AC Bonifacio, to name a few.
But, along with the fame and the attention, controversies can’t help but arise around those who have gained a name for themselves. The ongoing feud between the top two most subscribed channels, Pewdipie and T-Series, has taken a huge turn, with several attempts of the former to poke at the latter for competing against the coveted title and slot.
Here’s a little recap of everything you need to know about the Pewdipie-T-Series Youtube controversy.
Pewdipie
Pewdiepie, or Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is a Swedish Youtuber whose account started off as a gaming channel. Over the years, he has incorporated podcasts, reaction videos, comedy skits, and even collaborations with other online video content creators. He’s had his own share of controversy throughout the years, though. Viewers have accused him of creating videos with mention to white supremacy, racial slurs, and insulting comments to certain minorities. Additionally, viewers have been calling him anti-Semitic as well, as they’ve accused some of his videos to reference Nazis. A petition was even created online to remove Pewdipie from the platform, but seemingly to no avail. Pewdipie has a total of more than 95 million subscribers, increasing the number of people who are on the platform on a daily basis.
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But the influence of Pewdipie extends from being seen in videos on a screen. In the recent past, the phrase “Subscribe to Pewdipie” was seen everywhere. Students carving and writing it on walls, desks, chairs, and even floors, and last March, two mosques in New Zealand faced mass shootings with the shooter live-streaming the tragedy and ending it with that very phrase. In the Philippines, GLOCO, a Filipino YouTuber who has been dubbed the Filipino Pewdipie, was seen in EDSA holding up a sign with the same phrase. GLOCO has been recognized by Pewdipie in the past, citing him in one of his videos.
T-Series
India’s largest music label and movie studio, T-Series has been in the music industry for almost three decades. Based in India, their channel compromises of several Bollywood music videos and short clips.
So…what’s the feud about?
For almost five years, Pewdipie kept the title of Most Subscribed Channel on Youtube, so when T-Series threatened this, quickly gaining subscribers of his own, the feud began. Pewdipie released a parody diss track entitled “B**** Lasagna” which started off with reference to comments put on some of his videos. However, the song also gives light reference to T-Series, mentioning the channel explicitly throughout the whole song, stating why T-Series can never be the most subscribed channel out there.
In more recent years, Pewdipie released yet another parody diss track to the song “Congratulations”. What seemed to be a playful song evolved to have such deep meanings with references to mafias, legal documents, and the work ethics of T-Series. While at first listen, it seems like a genuine congratulations to the latter for beating his spot and getting the title, the burns and roasts are clearly evident as you progress down the song. He then ends the song by saying thank you to those who stuck by his side despite the wild ride, capping it all off with a last “brofist”.
Does it mean the feud’s over?
Not quite yet. Some sources say that in eight minutes after T-Series took the number one slot in February, Pewdipie claimed it back. But when you check subscriber counters online, T-Series still seems to be in the lead with currently 98 million subscribers. This could only mean that the two are continuously still going head-to-head, and no one can keep the slot for quite a long period of time.
T-Series hasn’t commented or created any public message towards the feud. What we do know though is that the two are still creating videos, with T-Series sticking to its original content, and Pewdipie expanding to now talking about other YouTube scandals and controversies, such as the deal between Tati Westbrook and James Charles, as well as the scandal behind ProJared.
What do you think about this feud? Let us know in the comments down below!
