[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.]
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Four channels earned between 700 million and 900 million weekly views during the final full week of October. How spooky is that? Well, there’s a drop of more than 200 million views between fourth place and eighth, so this week’s Chart Toppers are a bunch of big deals.
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This Indian family channel is not throwing away its shot
The family channels that show up in our Global Top 50 tend to fall into two categories. There are longtime chart entrants like Toys and Colors (#4) and Super Max (#28). Then there are channels that have shown up in the rankings in recent months and carved out placements for themselves. Looking at you, J house jr. (#2)
I’m making this distinction just so that I can immediately complicate it: KL BRO Biju Rithvik falls into both of those groups. Once upon a time, the Malayalam-language family channel was a newcomer in the Top 50. It burst onto the YouTube scene suddenly and immediately vaulted to the top of the charts thanks to the charm and wholesomeness of its vertical videos.
KL BRO’s ascent was no surprise, given the channel’s ability to pay attention to ongoing trends. The shocking part of the story is KL BRO’s longevity. More than two years after its initial rise, it has moved into the category of chart perennials, and its viewership shows no signs of abatement.
Data via Gospel Stats
A Top 50 channel is only a surprise for a few months. Eventually, we learn which creators have staying power on Shorts, and which ones are flashes in the pan.
Is YouTube Shorts comedy changing?
Since the advent of YouTube Shorts, comedy has been one of its most consistent chart-topping categories. Even today, some of the first funnypeople to conquer Shorts are still going strong. Just look at Alan Chikin Chow (#37) and the humorous magician Justin Flom (#35).
But an analysis of another channel with a long history on Shorts shows that short-form comedy might not hit the same way it used to. Don’t get me wrong: ToRung is still a big deal, currently ranking in 23rd place in the Global Top 50. But the Vietnamese channel has been up and down the past few months. Could it be that the Shorts audience is growing tired of salacious thumbnails that only kinda sorta pay off in the actual videos?
Data via Gospel Stats
ToRung may need to switch up its thumbnail strategy to remain relevant in the Global Top 50, but even if it doesn’t, its current approach is a path to hundreds of millions of weekly views. There’s something about the vertical video format that’s just perfect for comedy. You can fit a setup, escalation, and punchline into a minute-long upload, and many creators do exactly that.
Don’t watch this on an empty stomach
The hot new cooking channel on YouTube Shorts is serving up delicious recipes, and you don’t need an industrial kitchen to try them out. Kutty Irfan is a precocious kid who uses bite-sized Shorts uploads to try out regional classics from India’s street food scene.
In one sense, Kutty Irfan is similar to a channel we discussed in this column last week. Like Bobby Parrish, Irfan subscribes to a simple equation for Shorts success: Food + cute kid = views. That formula led Irfan to 363.1 million weekly views and a 17th place finish in the Global Top 50.
But there’s something extra clever about Irfan’s recipe videos. They’re not just hosted by a kid; they’re simple enough that a kid watching at home could try to recreate them. Such is the magic of street food: All you need to make it is a fire, a handful of ingredients, and an aptitude for proper seasoning.
Whether you’re into fish fries or coconut chutney, Irfan has a quick-and-easy dish for you. All you need to do is watch his videos. If you’re feeling extra complicated, you can travel to India to locate the street vendors from which he sources his recipes.
Channel Distribution
Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:
- India: 16
- United States: 13
- Pakistan and Vietnam: 3
- Hong Kong and Indonesia: 2
- Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, El Salvador, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and Ukraine: 1
This week, 30 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.
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