iWorld
PM Modi hits 30M subscribers on Youtube
World’s most-followed leader adds to 100M Instagram milestone last month.
MUMBAI: PM Narendra Modi just clicked ‘subscribe’ on digital dominance because when your YouTube channel outpaces world leaders like a viral cat video, even politics gets binge-worthy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Youtube channel has surged past 30 million subscribers, solidifying his status as the most-followed world leader on the platform, officials announced on 24 February 2026. This milestone leaves former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro second with about one-fourth of Modi’s count in the dust, while US President Donald Trump trails with roughly one-seventh the subscribers.
The achievement builds on Modi’s Instagram triumph last month, where he became the first global leader to cross 100 million followers. On Instagram, Modi towers over peers, Trump at 43 million, Prabowo Subianto at 15 million, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 14 million, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at 11 million, and Javier Milei at 6 million their combined totals still fall short of Modi’s solo mark.
Domestically, the gap is equally stark. Modi’s subscriber base is three times that of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and over four times the channels of the Aam Aadmi Party and Indian National Congress. On Instagram, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has 16 million followers, while Gandhi counts 12 million.
Modi joined YouTube and Instagram in 2014, evolving both into powerhouses of digital outreach with governance highlights, cultural moments, and direct citizen engagement. In a world where likes and shares shape narratives, Modi isn’t just leading polls, he’s leading the scroll, turning policy into playlist gold.
iWorld
T20 World Cup ’26: India–England semi-final sets global streaming record of 619 million views on JioHotstar
India–England semi-final records 65.2 million peak streams
MUMBAI: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set a new milestone in global sports streaming, as the India–England semi-final drew record digital audiences on JioHotstar.
The match on 5 March registered 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers, the highest ever recorded for a live event on any streaming platform worldwide. The semi-final also generated 619 million views, making it the most streamed T20 international match in history.
The landmark audience numbers were driven largely by viewers in India, setting a record achieved within a single market, rather than through aggregated viewership across multiple countries.
The high-scoring encounter between India national cricket team and England cricket team produced 499 runs across both innings, fuelling widespread fan engagement across platforms.
According to the International Cricket Council, the digital record surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million concurrent viewers, set in November 2024 by another international streaming platform.
Across television and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached more than 320 million viewers, while total watch time exceeded 23 billion minutes, making it the most watched T20 international match ever.
“This World Cup demonstrates the immense passion of cricket fans and the progress made in bringing the game closer to audiences worldwide,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah.
“This moment reflects the scale of cricket fandom in India and the technological capability required to serve hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.”
JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar, said the audience surge underscored the future of large-scale digital entertainment.
“One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final. Delivering such an experience at scale requires the very best of technology,” he said.
The 619 million views during the match also eclipsed the 533 million views recorded during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With the final yet to be played, the 2026 tournament has already set multiple benchmarks in audience reach and digital engagement.
India will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on 8 March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
