Yes, PewDiePie's 100 million subscriber award, often referred to as the Red Diamond Play Button, was ultimately given away to a fan. The award itself has a unique and somewhat turbulent history.
Channels That Have the Red Diamond Play Button
T-Series - An Indian music and film production company, they became the first channel to reach 100 million subscribers on May 29, 2019. PewDiePie - Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, the first individual to receive the Red Diamond Play Button award on August 25, 2019.
He did it, he got somewhat of an audience then he explains how he broke his content down on what his audience responded to. He cut his videos into several clips with reactions, highlights, and montages. He found out he was onto something, then he studied it hard. He doubled his efforts on what was working.
All Top 50 channels have surpassed 65 million subscribers. Fourteen of the channels have surpassed 100 million subscribers, and only two have more than 200 and 300 million subscribers: MrBeast and T-Series, with the former being the only channel that has more than 400 million subscribers.
The top 1 most-subscribed channel on YouTube is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who surpassed the music giant T-Series in early 2025 to become the most-subscribed individual creator, boasting well over 450 million subscribers by late 2025/early 2026. His content focuses on high-budget stunts, massive giveaways, and philanthropy, attracting a massive global audience.
After over a decade shaping gaming culture online, PewDiePie says he's stepping away from video games, at least for now! In his latest newsletter, Felix explained that fatherhood changed how he values time and that he's more interested in learning new things than spending hours gaming.
100 Million YouTube Subscribers was first achieved by Pewdiepie, one of YouTube's most legendary creators, and then by T-Series, a media company based in India.
While creators will still need to hit 4,000 watch time hours and 1,000 subscribers to earn ad revenue on YouTube, they only have to hit 3,000 hours of YouTube watch time and 500 subscribers to access the early route to the program.
MrBeast recently celebrated reaching 100 million subscribers, prompting a reflection on his first subscriber, Roggan Minoggan, who subscribed in 2011. Minoggan created his YouTube account in 2006 and was the first to support MrBeast's initial channel, Beast5YT.
PewDiePie's net worth is estimated to be around $30 million to $50 million, though figures vary, with some older estimates even reaching $500 million (likely inflated or outdated), accumulated through YouTube ad revenue, sponsorships (like with G Fuel, DLive), merchandise, and his "PewNews" platform, but official recent figures aren't consistently updated, making exact numbers difficult.
About Scare PewDiePie
The Swedish gamer, comedian, and perpetual shrieker takes his bit to new levels in the show, turning the games he has laughed about into real-life adventures, only to realize how terrifying the games would be if he had to live inside their realities.
There isn't one single "world #1" gamer YouTuber, as rankings change and depend on metrics (subs, views, influence), but PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg) is historically the most famous and a pioneer, while channels like Mikecrack, JuegaGerman, and MrBeast Gaming often top recent subscriber lists for dedicated gaming content, with IShowSpeed dominating watch time in late 2025.
The lack of collaborations from Markiplier and PewDiePie didn't spring from some kind of argument or animosity; the two creators simply grew apart. This happens in plenty of real world friendships, so it makes sense that two people who mostly communicate online could run into the same issue.
On average, a YouTube video with 1 million views can earn anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 in ad revenue alone. The number can shift depending on ad types (like display ads or video ads, skippable/un-skippable etc).
YouTube star PewDiePie, Felix Kjellberg, has shifted his focus away from extensive video game content, prioritizing family time after becoming a father. While still creating videos, his content now leans towards life updates, personal projects, and his experiences in Japan, alongside experimenting with AI technology.
What Is A Good Signup to Subscriber Conversion Rate? Generally, a good SaaS signup conversion rate ranges between 2% and 5%. However, the top 25% of high-converting websites convert at rates of more than 11%.