iWorld
How T-Series hit a Billion views on YouTube
It’s India’s No 1 music company. Now it has also got the nametag of becoming a YouTube billionaire. T-Series‘ Youtube channel crossed the billion views milestone in just a span of two years since it took the digital route. Some 2.3 million subscribers helped it get there.
So what is it with T-Series’ YouTube initiative that has struck a chord with the digital generation? Let’s take a look:
It’s content, content, content
For starters, its got the most massy content – music of the biggest films out there on its mainstream Bollywood Channel, Take a look at what visitors get to consume on the T-Series home page: the music, trailers of Aashiqui 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Fukrey, Lootera, Chennai Express, Policegiri and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobaara. Can you get more popular content than that?
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| India‘s music king Bhushan Kumar has a billion reasons to celebrate |
T-Series has over the 30 years of its existence spent top-dollar to acquire the rights to the music of some of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters. The music of this huge catalogue has also been ported on to its YouTube channels, making for a treasure trove for music lovers.
Then the T-Series Youtube presence is marked by many sub-channels like Apna Punjab for Punjabi Pop, Hamaar Bhojpuri for Bhojpuri content, Bhakti Sagar for spiritual music, Pop Chartbusters for Indipop videos, Shabad for Punjabi Devotional content, Bollywood Classics for 1980‘s and 1990‘s content, regional music channels and channels dedicated to full length Bollywood movies and Indian classical music.
Though some of these channels don’t get humungous views, they go to service the long tail of consumers and cumulatively add up to large numbers.
“These are targeted at niche audiences and we are really happy the way they have panned out. Hamaar Bhojpuri has seen really exciting numbers and has been getting views from as far as Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Middle East,” explains T Series president Neeraj Kalyan who looks after the label’s digital initiatives.
Ok, it’s not just the content, it’s what you do with it, that counts
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“We experiment with our content and try to learn from our audiences which in turn help us improve ourselves,” explains Kalyan. “Nothing is fixed like a normal brand page of a mobile company or a cosmetic product, our product is music which is very personal and has the highest level of emotional connect with the consumers. Content programming on social media is as important as it is for television or radio.”
T-Series’ endeavor with YouTube has always been to improve consumer interaction and make it it more interesting and engaging. Hence, it has innovative concepts like Audio and Video Jukeboxes, Bollywood Twisters, Lyrical Videos, Song of the Day and Fan of the week, which lures consumers into coming back.
What else does it focus on? “Metadata building, tags, annotations, SEO are all standard procedures and needs constant focus to succeed in this space,” says Kalyan.
“These require tremendous perseverance and have to be build up step by step.”
Ok, you have played with the content. Now you have to promote it like hell using other social media where you have diehard fans.
T-Series has a strong presence on other social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and G+. Its official Facebook page has 608,436 likes and hundreds of thousands of visitors at any time talking about the channel and its music. On Twitter, T-Series has around 19,627 active followers. @TSeries is buzzing with tweets and re-tweets every couple of hours. The numerous fan-driven handles of its popular movies are busy re-tweeting and sharing every update, thus adding to the social buzz – and the traffic thereof. Then it has 1.5 million people in its G+ circles, a sizeable number no doubt.
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“Social media is not like old school media, it’s a more personal medium which is primarily driven by peer activities, their likes and dislikes and if one has to enter their personal space one has to become their friends instead of a brand page. The prime focus of our strategy is to make friends instead of likes, subscriber or followers on our social media accounts.” Kalyan reveals.
Then the T-Series digital team changes its social messaging strategy as per its content offerings. And it uses the entire strength of its social media to promote each major piece of content. For example, for a Salman Khan film, the entire social plan revolves around Salman Khan. And the zillions of tweets, updates, pictures, videos all cumulatively work to create even more buzz adding to the views.
Work with Youtube, and get it to push your content
By virtue of its being one of the larger players on YouTube in India, T-Series content, from time to time gets the nudge from the latter’s content team led by Manan Singhi in India. What that means is that, when visitors log on to the YouTube home page they are given prompts to visit the T Series channel as it is listed as among the more viewed ones.
Build a digital team
Kalyan personally supervises T-Series’ dedicated in-house digital team – though small – of around eight to 10 people. The average age is about 25-26 years, while Neeraj is 44. Says he: “T-Series’ digital team has been the winning mantra for us and will always
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| The T-Series digital team is constantly on the go to keep visitors and viewers of its social media outlets engaged |
remain at the core of this success. We have genre specific experts managing all our channels and are currently busy with audience building for the niche channels. Our team interacts with fans on an every day basis; gives regular response to their queries, accepts criticism. We reward fans and recognize them online, which adds to their pride and improves interaction and helps in building a strong brand – consumer relationship.”
The one billion views achievement has already got him praise from an effervescent T-Series chairman & managing director Bhushan Kumar.
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| T-Series‘ digital driver Neeraj Kalyan |
“I would like to dedicate this success to all our fans all over the world that have helped us reach this milestone. I would like to congratulate my entire in-house digital team and the YouTube team for this tremendous feat. We look forward to achieving greater heights with our dedication and passion to offer quality content and experience to our discerning consumers worldwide,” says he.
Kalyan says the past two years of T-Series’ association with YouTube have been a great learning and he hopes to put those learnings to help T-Series leapfrog further. “We will get to our next billion in double quick time,” he says. “I am sure we will.”
With that kind of confidence, he well might.
iWorld
ITSA 2026: India’s streaming revolution gets its grandest night yet
Black Warrant sweeps the technical categories, Manoj Bajpayee and Huma Qureshi bag multiple honours at the fourth edition of ITSA.
MUMBAI: They came, they streamed, they conquered. India’s OTT universe descended on NESCO, Goregaon in full star-dusted fury on 27 February for the fourth edition of the Indian Telly Streaming Awards (ITSA) 2026 and the evening made plain, in glittering, unmistakable terms, that the country’s digital entertainment industry has long since stopped being a footnote to Bollywood. It is the main event.
Hosted by Nakuul Mehta and Mukti Mohan, the ceremony drew the biggest turnout in ITSA’s four-year history. Manoj Bajpayee, Huma Qureshi, Ali Fazal, Ishaan Khatter, Boman Irani, Rasika Dugal, Imtiaz Ali, Soha Ali Khan and Munawar Faruqui led a red carpet that sparkled without apology. Behind them surged a second wave of talent: Tanya Maniktala, Anand Tiwari, Vineet Kumar Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Harman Baweja, Surya Sharma, Rahul Bhat, Sufi Motiwala, Rajat Bedi, Abhishek Sharma and dozens more, making the night feel less like an awards show and more like a census of the people reshaping what India watches.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, ZEE5 and Amazon MX Player carved up the major categories between them, their logos flickering across a room packed with directors, writers, editors, cinematographers and production-house bosses: Abundantia Entertainment, Applause Entertainment, hoichoi, Pocket Aces, Pritish Nandy Communications, Ultra, Shemaroo and many more. Regional-language content held its own with strong representation from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Odia and Gujarati fare, a sign that ITSA’s ambitions stretch well beyond the Hindi heartland.
The big winners
If the night had a single star, it was Black Warrant, Applause Entertainment’s taut Netflix series about Tihar jail, which swept the technical categories: best director (series), best cinematography (series), best background score, best story (series), best ensemble cast, best supporting actor in a series (Rahul Bhat) and best crime series. Vikramaditya Motwane and his co-directors took the directing honour in a category that acknowledged the collaborative nature of modern prestige television.
Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, the Netflix biopic of Punjab’s doomed folk star, proved almost as dominant in the film categories: best drama OTT film, best OTT film, best director (OTT film), best cinematography OTT film (Sylvester Fonseca) and best original song (Vida Karo). It was a night that confirmed Ali’s return to form.
Manoj Bajpayee won the jury’s best actor prize for OTT film for his performance in Despatch on ZEE5, while also claiming the fan favourite male award for The Family Man season 3 on Prime Video, a double that speaks to his rare ability to straddle critical esteem and popular affection. Huma Qureshi was equally feted: the editorial choice jury named her best actress (series) for Maharani season 4 on Sony LIV and best actor in a negative role (female) for Delhi Crime season 3 on Netflix. Playing heroes and villains in the same season, and winning for both, is not a bad night’s work.
Munawar Faruqui, the stand-up comedian turned streaming star, scooped two prizes: fan favourite OTT personality of the year (male) and the editorial choice best male debut (series) for First Copy on Amazon MX Player. In a room full of veterans, his trajectory from reality television to a full-blown streaming career was perhaps the most discussed subplot of the evening.
The night’s most eyebrow-raising moment came when Aryan Khan collected the editorial choice best directorial debut award for The Ba***ds of Bollywood on Netflix. The eldest son of Shah Rukh Khan said nothing publicly, but the prize and the ripple of applause that accompanied it suggested that the streaming world is willing to judge on merit what tabloid culture has long judged on bloodline.
Ishaan Khatter won the editorial choice best actor (male, series) for The Royals on Netflix; Ali Fazal took the most impactful performance of the year prize for Mirzapur season 3 on Prime Video. Rasika Dugal, his co-star in that series, claimed the editorial choice best supporting actress (series) for the same show. It was a sweep for Mirzapur’s Lucknow chaos.
Sanya Malhotra took the jury’s best actress prize for OTT film for Mrs. on ZEE5, a quiet, devastating performance that has been gathering awards-season momentum since the film dropped. The fan favourite vote for Hindi OTT film also went to Mrs., produced by Harman Baweja.
Vikrant Massey won a jury best actor prize for OTT film for Sector 36 on Netflix, joining Bajpayee in that category, a rare decision by the jury to hand the award jointly. Deepak Dobriyal won best supporting actor (OTT film) for the same film.
On the comedy front, Pratik Gandhi and Yami Gautam both won jury acting prizes for the Netflix caper Dhoom Dhaam: he for best actor (comedy, OTT film) and she for best actress (comedy, OTT film). Sunil Grover took the comedy series equivalent for Sunflower season 2 on ZEE5, a reminder that the veteran performer’s second act on streaming has been thoroughly successful.
Boman Irani won the editorial choice best director (OTT film) for The Mehta Boys, the family drama he directed for Prime Video, another instance of a Bollywood stalwart finding fresh purpose on streaming. Pooja Sarup, who stars in the same film, took the breakthrough performance prize.
Nakuul Mehta, who hosted the evening, also left with a prize: the editorial choice outstanding performance (comedy/drama series) for Do You Wanna Partner on Prime Video. Hosting and winning in the same night is the kind of feat ITSA’s producers will be dining out on for some time.
Scale, sponsorship and what it all means
The event was presented by Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers, with DS Spice as official spice partner. The IP is owned by Anil Wanvari, founder of the ITV group, with Mishaal Wanvari and Prerna Wanvari overseeing the operational execution of the fourth edition. National television networks, leading digital publishers and top paparazzi agencies ensured that the red carpet’s glow reached well beyond NESCO’s walls.
What ITSA has understood, in a way that older Indian awards ceremonies have sometimes struggled to, is that streaming is not a lesser form of cinema or television. It is a category unto itself, with its own economics, its own aesthetics and its own stars. The industry’s most influential platforms have taken note: their presence at ITSA, and the seriousness with which they treat its results, is now a matter of record.
The awards also honoured the invisible workforce of OTT: editors, art directors, composers, hair and make-up artists, casting directors, showrunners and VFX supervisors. Kanika Dhillon won best story for an OTT film for Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba on Netflix. Pushkar Gayatri took best showrunner (Tamil series) for Suzhal: The Vortex on Prime Video. These are the prizes that the industry notices most, even if they don’t make the tabloids.
India’s streaming boom, it turns out, has found its awards ceremony. After four editions, ITSA has done what it set out to do: it has made winning matter. The fifth edition, whenever it comes, will have a hard act to follow.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
JURY: PERFORMANCE
- Best actress, OTT film: Sanya Malhotra, Mrs. (ZEE5)
- Best actress, series: Tanya Maniktala, Loot Kaand (Amazon MX Player)
- Best actor, OTT film (Odia): Devesh Ranjan, Jajabara 2.0 (Kaustav Dreamworks)
- Best actor, OTT film: Manoj Bajpayee, Despatch (ZEE5)
- Best actor, OTT film: Vikrant Massey, Sector 36 (Netflix)
- Best actor, series: Bobby Deol, Ek Badnaam Aashram season 3 part 2 (Amazon MX Player)
- Best actress comedy, OTT film: Yami Gautam, Dhoom Dhaam (Netflix)
- Best actress comedy, series: Grusha Kapoor, Half Love Half Arranged season 2 (Amazon MX Player / Dice Media)
- Best actor comedy, OTT film: Pratik Gandhi, Dhoom Dhaam (Netflix)
- Best actor comedy, series: Sunil Grover, Sunflower season 2 (ZEE5)
- Best actress negative, OTT film: Soha Ali Khan, Chhorii 2 (Abundantia Entertainment)
- Best actress negative, series: Sonakshi Sinha, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (Netflix)
- Best actor negative, OTT film: Shaheer Sheikh, Do Patti (Netflix)
- Best actor negative, series: Surya Sharma, Undekhi season 3 (Applause Entertainment)
- Best supporting actress, OTT film: Shalini Pandey, Maharaj (Netflix)
- Best supporting actress, series: Aditi Rao Hydari, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (Netflix)
- Best supporting actor, OTT film: Deepak Dobriyal, Sector 36 (Netflix)
- Best supporting actor, series: Rahul Bhat, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best debut actress, OTT film: Arrchita Agarwaal, Despatch (ZEE5)
- Best debut actress, series: Riva Arora, Power of Paanch (JioHotstar)
- Best debut actor, OTT film: Junaid Khan, Maharaj (Netflix)
- Best debut actor, series: Zahan Kapoor, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best ensemble cast, series: Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best voice-over artist, series: Rohit Varghese, Oops! Ab Kya? (JioHotstar)
PROGRAMMING
- Best comedy, OTT film: Dhoom Dhaam (Netflix)
- Best comedy series, Tamil: Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam season 1 (Prime Video)
- Best comedy series, Telugu: Sivarapalli season 1 (Prime Video)
- Best comedy series: Maamla Legal Hai (Netflix / Posham Pa)
- Best crime, OTT film: Sector 36 (Netflix)
- Best crime series, Bengali: Feludar Goyendagiri: Bhuswargo Bhoyonkawr (hoichoi)
- Best crime series, Tamil: Suzhal: The Vortex season 2 (Prime Video)
- Best crime series: Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best drama, OTT film: Amar Singh Chamkila (Netflix)
- Best drama series, Marathi: Saubhagyawati Sarpanch (Ultra Media and Entertainment)
- Best drama series: Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best family drama, OTT film: The Mehta Boys (Prime Video)
- Best family drama series: Bandish Bandits season 2 (Prime Video)
- Best horror/supernatural, OTT film: Kakuda (ZEE5)
- Best horror series, Bengali: Bhog (hoichoi)
- Best horror series: Khauf (Prime Video)
- Best horror series, Tamil: Inspector Rishi (Prime Video)
- Best limited/mini-series: IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (Netflix / Matchbox Shots / Benaras Mediaworks)
- Best limited/mini-series, Malayalam: Soul Stories (MM TV)
- Best non-fiction, Telugu: Unstoppable with NBK season 4 (Sol Production LLP)
- Best non-fiction: Realme Hip Hop India season 2 (Amazon MX Player)
- Best documentary, OTT film (English): The Dupatta Killer (Docubay Media)
- Best documentary series: Angry Young Men (Prime Video)
- Best reality show: Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (Netflix)
- Best regional OTT film, Odia: Dasama (Kaustav Dreamworks)
- Best regional series, Bengali: Dainee (hoichoi)
- Best regional series, Malayalam: Poacher season 1 (Prime Video)
- Best regional series, Tamil: Suzhal: The Vortex season 2 (Prime Video)
- Best rom-com series: Oops! Ab Kya? (JioHotstar)
- Best rom-com series, Malayalam: Coupling (Malayala Manorama Television)
- Best sci-fi/fantasy series: Gyaarah Gyaarah (ZEE5)
- Best OTT film, Malayalam: Her (MM TV)
- Best OTT film: Amar Singh Chamkila (Netflix)
- Best series: Panchayat season 3 (Prime Video)
- Best series: Criminal Justice: A Family Matter (Applause Entertainment)
- Best thriller, OTT film: Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba (Netflix)
- Best thriller series, Marathi: IPC (Ultra Media and Entertainment)
- Best thriller series: Paatal Lok season 2 (Prime Video)
- Best thriller series, Malayalam: Poacher season 1 (Prime Video)
- Best youth series: Big Girls Don’t Cry (Prime Video)
- Best youth series, Malayalam: Coupling (Malayala Manorama Television)
TECHNICAL AND CREATIVE
- Best director, OTT film (Odia): Abhishek Swain, Jajabara 2.0 (Kaustav Dreamworks)
- Best director, OTT film: Imtiaz Ali, Amar Singh Chamkila (Netflix)
- Best director, series: Vikramaditya Motwane / Rohin Raveendran Nair / Ambiecka Pandit / Satyanshu Singh / Arkesh Ajay, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best album, series: Parmish Verma, Kanneda (JioHotstar)
- Best art director, series: Rajat Poddar, Ranneeti: Balakot and Beyond (JioHotstar)
- Best background score, series: Ajay Jayanthi, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best cinematography, OTT film: Sylvester Fonseca, Amar Singh Chamkila (Netflix)
- Best cinematography, Tamil series: Bargav Sridhar, Inspector Rishi (Prime Video)
- Best cinematography, series: Saumyananda Sahi, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
- Best dialogue, series: Harman Wadala / Sandeep Jain / Sameer Mishra / Anurag Pandey, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter (Applause Entertainment)
- Best editing, OTT film: Jahaan Noble, CTRL (Netflix)
- Best editing, series: Antara Lahiri, Ziddi Girls (Pritish Nandy Communications)
- Best hair and make-up, OTT film: Jitendra Mhatre / Yogesh Santosh Patil / Vardan Nayak / Arjun Bundela / Annapurna Vhanne / Bharti Deepak Chavan, Chhorii 2 (Abundantia Entertainment)
- Best original song, OTT film: Vida Karo, Amar Singh Chamkila (Netflix)
- Best original song, series: Anurag Saikia / Madhubanti Bagchi / Amarabha Banerjee / Raj Shekhar / Varun Jain / Romy, Mismatched season 3 (Netflix)
- Best showrunner, Tamil series: Pushkar Gayatri, Suzhal: The Vortex (Prime Video)
- Best VFX, series: Anubhav Sinha / Dipen Bhavsar, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (Netflix)
- Best screenplay, series: Harman Wadala / Sandeep Jain / Sameer Mishra, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter (Applause Entertainment)
- Best story, OTT film: Kanika Dhillon, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba (Netflix)
- Best story, series: Satyanshu Singh and Arkesh Ajay, Black Warrant (Applause Entertainment)
BUSINESS
- Best brand integration, Telugu series: Bingo in Telugu Indian Idol season 3 (ARHA Media and Broadcasting)
- Best brand integration, Bengali series: Snigdha (hoichoi)
- Best brand integration, series: L’Oreal Paris x Dice Media, High Heels (Pocket Aces)
- Best branded video, Gujarati OTT film: Super 13 (Shemaroo Entertainment)
- Best marketing campaign, Gujarati OTT film: Congratulations (Social Experiment) (Shemaroo Entertainment)
- Best OTT communication, Malayalam: Coupling (Malayala Manorama Television)
- Best OTT marketing, OTT film: Mrs. (ZEE5)
- Most watched show, series: Power of Paanch (Balaji Telefilms)
FAN FAVOURITE
- Fan favourite Hindi OTT film: Mrs. (ZEE5 / Harman Baweja)
- Fan favourite Hindi original series: Mismatched season 3 (Netflix)
- Fan favourite Hindi non-fiction series: Shark Tank season 4 (Sony LIV)
- Fan favourite onscreen couple: Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli, Mismatched season 3 (Netflix)
- Fan favourite male, original series: Manoj Bajpayee, The Family Man season 3 (Prime Video)
- Fan favourite OTT personality, male: Munawar Faruqui
- Fan favourite OTT personality, female: Prajakta Koli
- Fan favourite Hindi supporting actor: Rahul Bhat, Black Warrant (Netflix)
- Fan favourite performer, actress: Mona Singh, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix)
- Fan favourite Hindi villain: Manish Chaudhari, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix)
- Fan favourite regional original series: Be Dune Teen (ZEE5)
- Fan favourite regional non-fiction show: Superdogs (JOJO Gujarati)
- Fan favourite regional supporting actor: Ojas Rawal, Auntypreneur (Cineman / ShemarooMe)
- Fan favourite regional supporting actress: Brinda Trivedi, Auntypreneur (Cineman / ShemarooMe)
EDITORIAL CHOICE
- Best documentary series director: Namrata Rao, Angry Young Men (Prime Video)
- Best actress, series: Huma Qureshi, Maharani season 4 (Sony LIV)
- Best actress in a negative role, series: Huma Qureshi, Delhi Crime season 3 (Netflix)
- Best supporting actress, series: Rasika Dugal, Mirzapur season 3 (Prime Video)
- Best male debut, series: Munawar Faruqui, First Copy (Amazon MX Player)
- Best actor male, series: Ishaan Khatter, The Royals (Netflix)
- Best supporting actor male, series: Rajat Bedi, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix)
- Most promising performer: Anya Singh, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix)
- Best director, OTT film: Boman Irani, The Mehta Boys (Prime Video)
- Most disruptive content format: Rise and Fall (Amazon MX Player)
- Best musical drama: Abhishek Sharma and Sagar Thakker, Hai Junoon (JioHotstar)
- Breakthrough performance, OTT film: Pooja Sarup, The Mehta Boys (Prime Video)
- Best casting director, series: Nandini Shrikent and Karan Mally, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter (JioHotstar)
- Outstanding performance, comedy/drama series: Nakuul Mehta, Do You Wanna Partner (Prime Video)
- Most impactful performance of the year, series: Ali Fazal, Mirzapur season 3 (Prime Video)
- Most versatile actor: Vineet Kumar Singh, Rangeen / Rangbaaz: The Bihar Chapter (Prime Video / ZEE5)
- Commercial breakout face of the year: Sufi Motiwala
- Best directorial debut: Aryan Khan, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (Netflix)
- Best original song / single, OTT digital: Neeti Mohan, Mirza
- Best actress comedy, series: Nidhi Bisht, Maamla Legal Hai (Netflix)
About ITSA: The Indian Telly Streaming Awards, now in its fourth edition, is India’s premier awards platform dedicated exclusively to the OTT and streaming ecosystem. It is owned and produced by the ITV group under Anil Wanvari.
Scenes from ITSA 2026
