PewDiePie vs T-Series: T-Series head Bhushan Kumar on the fallout

Gulf News

PewDiePie story here: ‘Indians are poo poo’ says defeated PewDiePie https://gn24.ae/7f8f98bbb220000  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos   T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar claims he is not interested in competing, but has his eyes on the bigger picture ranging from music to Bollywood films.  #TSeries #SubChamp #PewDiePie

Transcript

00:00For you, it's a very exciting time. T-Series has the edge over PewDiePie, so...

00:05See, actually, I don't get into this competition kind of thing.

00:10I know it is very big on social media these days.

00:15Hi, this is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Dalit News Tabloid.

00:19I'm here in Dubai with T-Series honcho and chairman of T-Series, Bhushan Kumar.

00:26His YouTube channel T-Series is going to hit 100 million subscribers.

00:32It's a great time, actually. It's a good milestone.

00:34In fact, there's even a watch which says T-Series versus its rival PewDiePie,

00:40which is also inching to the 100 million subscribers.

00:45For you, it's a very exciting time. T-Series has the edge over PewDiePie, so...

00:50Actually, I don't get into this competition kind of thing.

00:54I know it is very big on social media these days, on all the web portals and all.

00:59It means a comparison going on between T-Series and PewDiePie.

01:03I've said this in my earlier interviews also.

01:06It means we really don't take it as a competition because he's an independent gaming guy.

01:12He does some weird stuff and all.

01:15And we are a music table, so it's a totally different ballgame altogether.

01:19Different markets.

01:20Yeah, different markets.

01:21And it shouldn't be taken as a comparison and how the fans are reacting to India versus...

01:28It has become a patriotic issue.

01:30If you don't subscribe to T-Series, it's almost like you're not patriotic enough or you're not supporting India enough.

01:37Subscriber base doesn't actually count to any commercial valuation.

01:42It doesn't translate into revenue?

01:44Not into revenue.

01:45The main thing which translates into revenue is the views.

01:49Which we are already number one from last one year.

01:52In the entire world, we are the most viewed channel in terms of views.

01:57But subscriber base is a branding thing.

02:00It shows how popular you are.

02:02That's a yardstick.

02:03So that thing is one which we have got it now.

02:09But this comparison thing means I'm not very into it.

02:14The kind of thing it was happening.

02:15He was making some weird videos against T-Series and against India.

02:19Some racism comments on those videos.

02:22So that was uncalled for.

02:24That's why we had to start a campaign Bharat Wins YouTube.

02:28Which everybody endorsed.

02:29Right from Salman Bhai to Aamir Khan.

02:33Everybody means all the actors and the singers fraternity.

02:37Everybody got into that campaign.

02:39That was a straight simple campaign about country and country's channel.

02:44Nothing against anybody.

02:46So I think same kind of spirit and things should be maintained in all the things.

02:53It shouldn't be like a competition kind of thing.

02:56But it revealed a dark side though when Felix came out and said it.

02:59It did not go down well with anybody.

03:03But we have never gone into giving against comments and all or anything.

03:13Have you always played so healthy though?

03:15And I ask you this because you took over the company when you were 19.

03:18Wow, that's a young age for anything.

03:20At 19 I didn't know what I was going to do with my life.

03:23I also didn't know what to do at that time.

03:26But it's because I have seen a passion of my father towards music label.

03:33And how he has in very less years he has gone into the biggest music label at that time also.

03:43I had to maintain that.

03:44So that passion and that spirit got me into managing the company.

03:49Otherwise I was not ready at all.

03:52I just went into being a managing director at the age of 19 and a half.

04:00But you went in blind I thought.

04:02It came at a time when the circumstances were not very pleasant.

04:08It was a tragic one where you entered.

04:10Did it change your perspective on how you are going to lead your company?

04:14No, not at all because I had just one thing in my mind that was my father's dream.

04:21And how much he used to love his company, the music label.

04:27And how much he used to love music.

04:30So that dream I had to take it forward.

04:33How long did it take that transition period if you look at it?

04:36Where you got a grasp of what you are doing?

04:38See till today I am getting something or the other.

04:41It's not easy to get that kind of thing for music so early.

04:48But within 4-5 years I was totally into it.

04:53I knew how to manage the business.

04:55I knew how to get the songs made.

04:57That is the main thing for a music label.

05:02The owner of the company who is running the show should know how to make the song.

05:08How to select a song.

05:09Not make the song, how to select a song.

05:11What works and what doesn't.

05:12Yeah, what works and what doesn't.

05:13That's the main thing.

05:14Because everybody, even if I ask you, you will say I know this song will work.

05:20But it will be a fluke.

05:22It can work, it cannot work.

05:24Because you are just saying as a layman.

05:26But I can't say just as a layman.

05:28I have to keep millions of people in mind.

05:32Millions of people will like this song or not.

05:35And that by grace of God and blessings of my father.

05:39That has come inherited in me from my father.

05:42Because my father had this ear sense for music.

05:47He has selected in his tenure so many songs, hundreds of songs.

05:53Which were all blockbuster hits.

05:56Whether in non-film albums or in film songs.

05:59In Devotional, in Bhojpuri, in all the different languages.

06:03Punjabi, all these places.

06:05So that thing came inherent in me.

06:08And when I was making songs.

06:11And those songs were becoming successful.

06:13So that time I realised that thing has come.

06:15And that was the main survival thing for the music label.

06:20Because without that you can't run a music label.

06:23What do you think worked for you so well?

06:25Because I ask you how is it that you are able to have a monopoly of songs?

06:29It's not easy.

06:30It's not that I was not caught in monopoly.

06:32It's our team's hard work.

06:34We keep on making great songs.

06:36And by grace of God as I just told you.

06:39It means we have got that kind of ear sense to select music.

06:45Which is consumed by the audiences and they love it.

06:50And that's the reason we are becoming.

06:53We are the most viewed channel on YouTube.

06:55We are the most subscribed channel on YouTube.

06:58We have the highest number of RTC songs are played on all OTT platforms.

07:04Like Gaana Sawan, Hangama, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music.

07:12Everywhere.

07:13So we are everywhere 360 degree on all the platforms.

07:16And everywhere our streams are the most streamed songs are of T-Series.

07:23And what's next for you?

07:25Have you cracked the formula of backing successful ventures?

07:29Because you seem to.

07:30Your line up is all like such star-studded.

07:32See that we are trying to.

07:35As I told you means we have got hold of music.

07:39At least 90% we are correct in judging the music.

07:43But for films we are still 50%.

07:45We are trying to.

07:46You don't know now what works.

07:48No, no.

07:49In movies it's.

07:50No, in music I am telling you means it's.

07:53Nobody believes that but everybody is seeing that.

07:56It means the kind of songs which we release.

08:0090% which we decide they are accurate, bang on.

08:04People like it.

08:05In the films we are just trying to get on with that.

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