T-Series

T-Series is the trading name of Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited, an Indian music and entertainment company founded by Gulshan Kumar in Delhi on 11 July 1983. The business began in the Indian cassette market and developed from a low-cost music distributor into one of the country’s most influential record labels. Its core catalogue is associated especially with Hindi film soundtracks, Indi-pop, devotional music and, later, music in numerous Indian regional languages. T-Series also operates T-Series Films, a film-production business that has become a significant participant in contemporary Hindi cinema. The company’s early growth was closely linked to the expansion of affordable audio cassettes in India during the 1980s. Gulshan Kumar recognized demand among consumers who were underserved by the established music companies and built a distribution model focused on inexpensive releases, wide availability and a high volume of titles. T-Series initially circulated unauthorized recordings and cover versions in an era when copyright enforcement and retail distribution were comparatively weak. It also identified a large market for devotional recordings. Kumar commissioned singers to record Hindu hymns and chants in accessible formats, including for listeners who could not easily read printed devotional material. The company later expanded into filmed pilgrimages and home-video content. T-Series’s transition from a low-cost catalogue operator to a major original-content label was accelerated by film music. Its first original film soundtrack is generally identified as Lallu Ram, released in 1984. A decisive breakthrough followed with the soundtrack of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988. The album, composed by Anand–Milind and featuring lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, became one of the decade’s best-selling Indian film soundtracks and helped establish T-Series as a serious force in Bollywood music. The 1990 soundtrack of Aashiqui, composed by Nadeem–Shravan, became an even larger cultural and commercial success and is widely described as the best-selling Hindi film soundtrack album of all time. During the early 1990s, T-Series became a central player in the Hindi music boom. It released numerous commercially successful film albums and helped make soundtrack music more widely available throughout India. The company also broadened its business beyond recordings by entering film production. That diversification ultimately gave T-Series a presence across music rights, soundtrack creation, film financing and production, music-video publishing, digital distribution and online audience development. Gulshan Kumar was assassinated in Mumbai on 12 August 1997. After his death, control of the business passed to his son Bhushan Kumar, with support from Gulshan Kumar’s younger brother Krishan Kumar. Under Bhushan Kumar, T-Series developed into a diversified entertainment group and pursued a more systematic digital strategy. Its film activities include productions and co-productions across mainstream Hindi cinema. Hindi Medium, released in 2017, became one of the company’s most successful film productions, while the 2019 science-fiction action film Saaho represented a large-scale, high-budget production ambition. T-Series joined YouTube in March 2006 and began uploading substantial amounts of content in the early 2010s. Its main channel publishes music videos, film trailers and related entertainment material, while a broader multi-channel network serves Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Haryanvi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and other language audiences. The network also includes devotional, children’s and health-and-fitness programming. This strategy allowed the company to convert a deep catalogue of Indian music into an always-on digital publishing operation. The main T-Series YouTube channel became the platform’s most-viewed channel in January 2017. It briefly overtook PewDiePie in subscriber count in February 2019, became the first channel to pass 100 million subscribers in May 2019 and the first to pass 200 million in December 2021. T-Series held YouTube’s top subscriber position for extended periods between 2019 and June 2024, when MrBeast moved into first place. As of August 2026, third-party channel trackers reported approximately 314 million subscribers and more than 351 billion views for the main channel, making it the second-most-subscribed channel globally and one of the most-viewed channels on the platform. T-Series’s contemporary positioning is therefore broader than that of a conventional record label. It functions as a mass-market Indian entertainment brand with strong advantages in music rights, film-linked releases, multilingual publishing, devotional programming, catalogue depth and global digital distribution. Its international reach is particularly visible among South Asian diaspora audiences, while its regional-language channels allow the company to participate in multiple Indian music markets rather than relying only on Hindi content.

T-Series was created in Delhi on 11 July 1983 by Gulshan Kumar, who at the time operated a fruit-juice business. The company entered a small but rapidly developing Indian cassette market characterized by strong demand, limited formal distribution and widespread copyright infringement. T-Series’s initial business relied in part on unauthorized recordings and cover versions, which could be produced and sold cheaply under gaps in the copyright regime then prevailing in India. The company competed through low prices, broad retail availability and a large number of releases. Kumar also identified a substantial opportunity in devotional music. Many Hindu worshippers wanted recordings of hymns, chants and religious songs that could be played at home or during pilgrimages. T-Series commissioned vocal recordings and marketed them in inexpensive formats. The business later produced videos of religious sites and pilgrimages for VHS and related home-video formats. This devotional catalogue helped the company reach consumers outside the conventional Bollywood market and gave it an early foundation in direct, mass-market distribution. T-Series began moving toward original music and film-linked content during the 1980s. The company’s first original film soundtrack is generally identified as Lallu Ram, released in 1984 with music by Ravindra Jain. Its major breakthrough came with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988. The film’s soundtrack, composed by Anand–Milind and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, was a major commercial success, with reported sales exceeding eight million units. The popularity of songs such as Papa Kehte Hain made T-Series an important participant in the late-1980s cassette boom. Aashiqui, released in 1990, established the label at the top end of the Hindi film-music market. The soundtrack, composed by Nadeem–Shravan, achieved reported sales of approximately 20 million units and became a defining album of its period. T-Series subsequently issued many commercially successful Hindi soundtracks, especially during the 1990s, and helped normalize the purchase of inexpensive film-music cassettes across India. The company’s success contributed to a broader expansion of the Indian music industry and made soundtrack rights an increasingly important part of Bollywood economics. During the 1990s, T-Series diversified into film production. The business gradually shifted from being primarily a record label and distributor to an entertainment company involved in music acquisition, soundtrack releases, film production, home video and related content. Gulshan Kumar remained the central figure in the company’s growth until his assassination in Mumbai on 12 August 1997. His death was linked in the cited reference material to the Mumbai criminal syndicate D-Company. The event caused a major leadership transition. Bhushan Kumar assumed control of the business, assisted by his uncle Krishan Kumar. Nadeem–Shravan, among the label’s most important composer partnerships, also became separated from the company after Nadeem Akhtar Saifi was initially accused in connection with the murder and later exonerated. Under Bhushan Kumar, T-Series expanded its film-production operations and continued to build a large music catalogue. The company’s film business achieved notable results with Hindi Medium in 2017, a commercially successful Hindi-language film that also performed strongly in China. In 2019, T-Series released Saaho, a high-budget science-fiction action film that illustrated the company’s willingness to finance larger theatrical projects. Through the T-Series Films banner, the company became an established producer and co-producer in Hindi cinema while retaining music rights and soundtrack distribution as a central competitive advantage. T-Series created its YouTube channel on 13 March 2006, although substantial uploading began later, particularly from around 2010. The platform enabled the company to publish a deep back catalogue at high frequency and to connect film releases with music videos, lyric videos, trailers and promotional clips. T-Series developed a multi-channel network that extended beyond the flagship Hindi channel. Its portfolio includes channels serving Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Haryanvi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and other languages, as well as devotional, children’s and health-and-fitness audiences. The digital strategy accelerated after the growth of inexpensive mobile data and smartphones in India. T-Series benefited from the country’s expanding online population, strong demand for Indian-language music and the scarcity of local channels with comparable catalogue depth. The company’s content also reached viewers outside India, particularly South Asian diaspora audiences. By July 2013, the main channel had passed one billion views. It became YouTube’s most-viewed channel in January 2017 and entered an internationally visible subscriber competition with PewDiePie in 2019. T-Series briefly passed PewDiePie in February 2019, became the first channel to reach 100 million subscribers in May of that year, and became the first to reach 200 million subscribers in December 2021. The YouTube rivalry also generated legal disputes. In 2007, T-Series sued YouTube in India over user uploads that allegedly infringed its music copyrights; the parties reached an out-of-court settlement in 2011. In 2019, T-Series complained to the Delhi High Court about diss tracks released by PewDiePie, arguing that they were defamatory and offensive. The court issued a temporary injunction affecting access to the tracks in India, and the parties later settled outside court. MrBeast overtook T-Series in subscribers on 1 June 2024. Nevertheless, T-Series retained enormous scale. As of August 2026, external channel-tracking services placed the main channel at roughly 314 million subscribers and more than 351 billion views. The company’s history therefore spans several technological eras: cassette retail, home video, satellite-era Bollywood promotion, online music publishing and global platform distribution. Its durable strengths are a large Indian music catalogue, integration with film production, multilingual publishing and an ability to repurpose entertainment rights across physical, theatrical and digital formats.

• 2026

  More than 300 million subscribers and 350 billion views

  [6]T-Series YouTube statisticssocialblade.com

  Third-party tracking services report approximately 314 million subscribers and more than 351 billion views for the flagship channel in August 2026.

• 2024

  MrBeast takes the subscriber lead

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  MrBeast overtakes T-Series on 1 June 2024, moving T-Series to second place in YouTube subscriber rankings.

• 2021

  First channel to reach 200 million subscribers

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The flagship channel becomes the first on YouTube to cross 200 million subscribers.

• 2019

  First channel to reach 100 million subscribers

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  T-Series becomes the first YouTube channel to pass 100 million subscribers.

• 2019

  Delhi High Court injunction involving PewDiePie tracks

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The court temporarily restricts access in India to diss tracks challenged by T-Series in a copyright and defamation-related dispute.

• 2018

  Fifty million YouTube subscribers

  [7]Fifty million YouTube subscriberstseries.com

  YouTube awards T-Series a custom Ruby Play Button after the channel exceeds 50 million subscribers.

• 2017

  Most-viewed YouTube channel

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  T-Series surpasses PewDiePie in total views and becomes YouTube’s most-viewed channel.

• 2013

  One billion YouTube views

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The flagship channel passes one billion views and becomes one of the earliest Indian channels to reach that scale.

• 2006

  T-Series launches its YouTube presence

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The company joins YouTube, eventually turning the platform into a core publishing and audience-development channel.

• 1997

  Leadership passes to Bhushan Kumar

  [2]About Us — T-Seriestseries.com

  Following Gulshan Kumar’s assassination, Bhushan Kumar assumes control with support from Krishan Kumar.

• 1990

  Aashiqui soundtrack success

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The Aashiqui album becomes one of the best-selling Hindi soundtrack albums ever released and a defining T-Series catalogue asset.

• 1988

  Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak breakthrough

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The soundtrack becomes a major commercial success and establishes T-Series as a leading Hindi-film music label.

• 1984

  First original film soundtrack

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  T-Series releases the soundtrack associated with Lallu Ram, marking its move from distribution and cover versions toward original film music.

• 1983

  Super Cassettes Industries is founded

  [1]T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Gulshan Kumar establishes the company in Delhi on 11 July 1983, creating the business that later trades under the T-Series name.

Mass-market Indian entertainment with leadership in Hindi music, film soundtracks, devotional and regional-language catalogues, film production, and large-scale digital video distribution.

• Recorded music · 1983

  T-Series music catalogue

  The company’s central product is a large catalogue of Indian recorded music, with particular strength in Hindi film soundtracks, Indi-pop, devotional releases and music associated with T-Series Films productions. T-Series distributes music through physical formats, digital services, music-video platforms and its own online channels. Its catalogue strategy combines new releases with continued exploitation of older soundtrack and devotional recordings.

• Film music · 1984

  Hindi film soundtracks

  T-Series is strongly associated with Hindi cinema music. Landmark releases such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Aashiqui helped define the label’s reputation, while later soundtrack releases connect the company’s music, film-production and promotional activities. Soundtracks remain an important mechanism for developing artists, promoting films and generating long-tail catalogue consumption.

• Film production

  T-Series Films

  T-Series Films is the company’s film-production and co-production banner. It has participated in Hindi-language theatrical projects ranging from commercial dramas and comedies to large-scale action films. Hindi Medium and Saaho illustrate the range of the production business, from critically recognized mainstream cinema to high-budget spectacle. Film production also gives T-Series an integrated route to create and monetize soundtracks.

• Digital video publishing · 2006

  T-Series YouTube network

  The YouTube operation publishes music videos, trailers, lyric videos and catalogue material through the flagship T-Series channel and a wider network of language and genre-specific channels. The network extends into regional Indian languages, devotional programming, children’s entertainment and health-and-fitness content. It is one of the company’s principal audience, marketing and distribution systems.

• Devotional music and video

  T-Series Bhakti Sagar

  Bhakti Sagar is the company’s devotional-content family, centered primarily on Hindu devotional music while also carrying material associated with other religious traditions. It reflects the devotional market that Gulshan Kumar identified during T-Series’s early development and provides a distinct digital destination separate from the mainstream film-music catalogue.

• Regional music and video

  Regional-language channels

  T-Series operates dedicated channels and catalogues for multiple Indian languages, including Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Haryanvi, Marathi, Bengali and Malayalam. These outlets allow the company to localize its publishing strategy and capture audiences beyond Hindi cinema while retaining the scale and rights-management capabilities of the broader T-Series network.

• Children’s digital content

  T-Series Kids Hut

  T-Series Kids Hut distributes children’s programming such as nursery rhymes, bedtime stories and related animated or narrated material. The brand extends T-Series’s digital publishing model into family content and includes language-specific versions aimed at audiences in India and abroad.

• 2020

  T-Series responds to backlash over Atif Aslam song upload

  T-Series faced online backlash after uploading Atif Aslam's version of "Kinna Sona." In response, the company apologized, removed the video from its YouTube channel, and stated that it would not release or promote work by Pakistani artists. The incident is noted as a controversy involving the brand's content decisions and its public response to criticism.

  Source

• 2020

  T-Series sues Roposo over alleged copyright infringement

  T-Series filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Roposo in the Delhi High Court, alleging that the app used and distributed T-Series copyrighted works. T-Series sought a permanent injunction; the allegations are not presented as a court determination.

  Source

• 1983

  Early reliance on pirated recordings and cover versions

  T-Series’s early expansion involved the sale of pirated Hindi songs and extensive use of cover versions during a period when copyright enforcement and market practices in India were less developed. The company later shifted toward original recordings, licensed catalogue exploitation and film-linked content.

  Source

Read more

• 2019PewDiePie versus T-Series YouTube subscriber competition

  Global digital audience · India

  Although not a conventional advertising campaign led solely by T-Series, the public subscriber competition between T-Series and PewDiePie became a major visibility event for the company. Repeated changes in the YouTube subscriber ranking drew international attention to an Indian music label and highlighted the scale of its digital catalogue and diaspora audience.

  Outcome. T-Series became the long-term subscriber leader during 2019 and remained ahead of PewDiePie thereafter, although MrBeast later overtook T-Series on 1 June 2024.

  Source

• 2019

  Challenge PewDiePie diss tracks in courtOther

  Background

  PewDiePie released diss tracks targeting T-Series during the highly publicized subscriber competition. T-Series argued that the material was defamatory, disparaging and offensive.

  Action taken

  T-Series complained to the Delhi High Court, which issued a temporary injunction affecting access to the tracks in India.

  Aftermath

  The legal dispute was later settled outside court, while the subscriber competition continued to increase international awareness of T-Series.

  Source

• 2007

  Pursue copyright enforcement against YouTubeOther

  Background

  User-uploaded videos containing T-Series music were available without authorization, creating a dispute over online copyright control and monetization.

  Action taken

  T-Series filed suit in India and obtained an interim order restricting alleged infringement by YouTube.

  Aftermath

  The parties reached an out-of-court settlement in January 2011, after which YouTube remained an important distribution environment for T-Series content.

  Source

• 2006

  Establish a YouTube distribution channelStrategy

  Background

  Online video offered a way to distribute T-Series’s extensive music catalogue directly to a growing internet audience and to connect music promotion with film releases.

  Action taken

  T-Series created its YouTube channel and later built a multi-channel network organized around languages, genres and audience segments.

  Aftermath

  The platform became a central part of T-Series’s global audience strategy and eventually made the company one of YouTube’s largest channels.

  Source

• 1997

  Continue and diversify the business after founder successionStrategy

  Background

  Gulshan Kumar’s assassination created a sudden leadership transition and threatened continuity for a company strongly identified with its founder.

  Action taken

  Bhushan Kumar assumed control, with support from Krishan Kumar, and continued expanding music rights, film production and later digital distribution.

  Aftermath

  T-Series remained active and developed from a record label into a diversified entertainment group with a major film and online presence.

  Source

• 1990

  Scale soundtrack-led music publishing with AashiquiProduct launch

  Background

  Following the success of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, T-Series had an opportunity to deepen its role in Bollywood soundtrack production and distribution.

  Action taken

  T-Series released the Nadeem–Shravan soundtrack for Aashiqui and leveraged the film’s music as a major catalogue and marketing asset.

  Aftermath

  The album became a landmark commercial success and reinforced T-Series’s position at the center of India’s Hindi music cassette boom.

  Source

• 1988

  Invest in original film soundtracksProduct launch

  Background

  T-Series needed to move beyond low-cost catalogue distribution and establish itself as a producer and rights holder of original music.

  Action taken

  The company released and promoted the Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak soundtrack, turning a film-linked music release into a major commercial growth driver.

  Aftermath

  The soundtrack’s success helped T-Series become a leading Hindi-film music label and paved the way for the even larger Aashiqui release in 1990.

  Source

• 1983

  Compete through low-cost, high-volume cassette distributionStrategy

  Background

  The Indian cassette market was expanding but remained fragmented, with widespread piracy and limited access to affordable legitimate music for many consumers.

  Action taken

  Gulshan Kumar built T-Series around inexpensive releases, broad distribution and a large volume of titles, while also entering devotional music and pilgrimage video content.

  Aftermath

  The approach broadened the company’s consumer base and helped establish the distribution capabilities that later supported its original music and film businesses.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2026.11.02

  T-Series secures 50-year global music rights for King[10]T-Series取得《King》50年全球音乐版权justbollywood.in

  T-Series secured exclusive global commercial music rights for the film King for a 50-year term in coordination with Red Chillies Entertainment through Zee Music Company.

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2020.08.28

  T-Series sues Roposo over alleged copyright infringement[9]T-Series sues Roposo over alleged copyright infringementeconomictimes.indiatimes.com

  T-Series filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Roposo in the Delhi High Court, alleging that the app used and distributed T-Series copyrighted works. T-Series sought a permanent injunction; the allegations are not presented as a court determination.

• 2020.06.24

  Reported2020.06.24

  T-Series responds to backlash over Atif Aslam song upload[8]T-Series responds to backlash over Atif Aslam song uploadhindustantimes.com

  After online backlash over uploading Atif Aslam’s version of “Kinna Sona,” T-Series apologized, removed the video from its YouTube channel, and said it would not release or promote work by Pakistani artists.

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2020.06.08

  Facebook partners with Indian music companies for licensed music[11]Facebook与印度音乐公司合作提供授权音乐finance.sina.com.cn

  Facebook partnered with T-Series, Zee Music Company and Yash Raj Films in India to make authorized music available for users to add to videos and posts shared on Facebook and Instagram.

• 2020.05.11

  Reported2020.05.11

  Amazon Prime acquires streaming rights to Ludo and Jhund[12]Amazon Prime 获得《Ludo》和《Jhund》的流媒体播放权oyetimes.com

  A source confirmed that Amazon Prime acquired the rights to the films Ludo and Jhund, which were to be released directly on the streaming service; the article said an official announcement was still awaited.

Read more

1. 1T-Series (company)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2About Us — T-Seriestseries.com
3. 3Contact and company information — T-Seriestseries.com
4. 4PewDiePie vs T-Seriesen.wikipedia.org
5. 5Gulshan Kumaren.wikipedia.org
6. 6T-Series YouTube statisticssocialblade.com
7. 7Fifty million YouTube subscriberstseries.com
8. 8T-Series responds to backlash over Atif Aslam song uploadhindustantimes.com
9. 9T-Series sues Roposo over alleged copyright infringementeconomictimes.indiatimes.com
10. 10T-Series取得《King》50年全球音乐版权justbollywood.in
11. 11Facebook与印度音乐公司合作提供授权音乐finance.sina.com.cn
12. 12Amazon Prime 获得《Ludo》和《Jhund》的流媒体播放权oyetimes.com