[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by GospelStats. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given time frame. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]
Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart. 👇
As August draws to a close, our Global Top 50 ranking has a new leader for the third week in a row. This time, Sierra & Rhia FAM took a turn in the top spot. The Canadian hub leveraged its family-friendly library of short-form videos to the tune of 1.4 billion weekly views.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
Only three other channels got at least one billion YouTube views over our most recent seven-day measurement period. Many of the top-ranked hubs provide children’s entertainment, but halfway around the world from Sierra & Rhia’s home base, a political explosion is changing the makeup of our charts.
As TikTok falters, YouTube steps in with coverage of Indonesian protests
In the world’s fourth-most populous country, widespread dissatisfaction with political leaders has triggered a rash of protests. Indonesians took to the streets to express their discontent regarding President Prabowo Subianto and a controversial policy that grants bonus allowances to members of Parliament. The death of a delivery driver at the hands of the police further fueled the flames.
Initially, the protests were streamed widely on TikTok, but that changed last week. The ByteDance-owned platform, perhaps partially motivated by the strength of its ecommerce operation in Indonesia, chose to play nice with the national government by temporarily suspending its live video service.
In response, Indonesians have turned to YouTube to find updates of the unrest. Local organizations like Tribunnews — which owns more than 20 newspapers across Indonesia — have earned millions of views with wall-to-wall coverage. Tribunnews topped out in 47th place in the Global Top 50 after collecting 425.2 million weekly views. Some pieces of its protest footage has claimed millions of views all on their own.
Compared to TikTok, YouTube has a long history of partnerships with news organizations, and that track record is putting the Google-owned platform in a prominent position. Even if Indonesians return to TikTok LIVE after the suspension ends, they’ll still be able to find more thorough reporting on YouTube.
Breaking news organizations like Tribunnews have been able to consolidate gains on YouTube even after major political moments fall out of the news cycle. Consider News18 India, which came onto our radar amid violence in the Kashmir region. News18’s traffic has decreased since the most heated moments of that recent conflict, but it’s still in the Global Top 50, reaching 34th place with more than 494.1 million weekly views.
Data via Gospel Stats
Once upon a time, the Indonesian section of YouTube was best known for amusing short-form videos that make liberal use of special effects and generative AI. One of those channels, Rbrain Project, is in the Top 50 this week, but Indonesians are also showing that their YouTube habits offer more than just fun and games. A pivotal moment in Indonesian history is playing out right now, and YouTube-based reporters are prepared to meet it.
Channel Distribution
Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:
- India: 18
- United States: 10
- Hong Kong: 6
- Indonesia: 3
- Australia, Spain, and South Korea: 2
- Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, and Russia: 1
This week, 41 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.
As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all our news by subscribing to our newsletter. You’re going to love it. 👉 Newsletter.Tubefilter.com.
