Blackpink YouTube 100 Million, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Global Celebration

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The global reaction from fans and media alike has been explosive following the news that BLACKPINK became the first artist in YouTube history to surpass 100 million subscribers. YG Entertainment announced on the 21st that BLACKPINK’s official YouTube channel had exceeded 100 million subscribers around 7:31 PM the previous day. This milestone comes approximately 9 years and 8 months after the channel’s creation in June 2016. It marks the first time in YouTube history that an official artist channel has achieved this record. To commemorate this accomplishment, YouTube specially created and awarded BLACKPINK with a custom ‘Red Diamond Creator Award’.

IBTimes Australia reported, “BLACKPINK is the first to cross a threshold that Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Bieber haven’t reached.” In a celebratory post on their official blog, YouTube praised BLACKPINK, stating, “BLACKPINK has achieved global fame with their intense performances and mega-hit songs, and have consistently innovated the way they connect with fans.” Canadian lifestyle publication VITA Daily described the moment with the phrase, “Move over, internet—the Queens have officially claimed their crown.”

Notably, the timing of this record, just before their comeback, has also garnered attention. American K-pop media outlet inmusicblog.com reported, “For weeks, fans have been tracking the subscriber count fluctuating between 99.8 million and 99.9 million in real-time, organizing streaming drives and celebratory campaigns to push the channel over the 100 million mark,” providing a detailed account of the collective efforts of BLINKs (BLACKPINK’s fandom).

On X (formerly Twitter), posts such as “BLACKPINK is the first musician to reach 100 million YouTube subscribers,” “PROUD OF MY GIRLS,” and “BLACKPINK, the biggest girl group in the world” flooded the platform. The r/BlackPink community on Reddit also continued the celebratory atmosphere, and comments like “100 millions of BLINK ️” and “We did it!” spread throughout Instagram and Threads.

Even non-fans have expressed their respect for the new record. IBTimes AU reported that among non-fans, the sentiment “Not even a fan, but respect where it’s due” was widespread.

In the past year, BLACKPINK’s channel has garnered 3.3 billion views, with the highest viewership coming from South Korea (277 million), followed by India (223 million), Indonesia (218 million), Mexico (182 million), the United States (180 million), and Brazil (168 million). This data proves that K-pop is not just a culture specific to a particular region but truly global content. Canada alone generated 30 million views, with VITA Daily citing Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver as the most viewed cities.

Meanwhile, BLACKPINK is set to release their 3rd mini-album [DEADLINE] on the 27th. It is reported that an average of 10,000 new subscribers have joined the channel daily since the comeback trailer was released on January 15th.