BLACKPINK Makes YouTube History as First Artist to Hit 100 Million Subscribers

BLACKPINK (블랙핑크) became the first official artist channel in YouTube history to surpass 100 million subscribers on February 20, 2026, according to YouTube's official announcement. The milestone cements a digital dominance that no other music act on the planet has matched, surpassing previous record holders like Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran by a significant margin. YouTube marked the occasion by presenting Jisoo (김지수), Jennie (김제니), Rosé (박채영), and Lisa (ลลิษา มโนบาล) with a custom Red Diamond Creator Award, a trophy reserved exclusively for channels that cross the nine-figure threshold. The achievement came roughly nine years and eight months after the group launched its channel in June 2016, building their audience through a strategic combination of music videos, dance practices, behind-the-scenes content, and the solo releases that kept fans engaged during the group's three-year hiatus from group activities.

The raw numbers are staggering. BLACKPINK's channel currently hosts 648 videos, nine of which sit in YouTube's exclusive Billion Views Club per YouTube's official verification: "DDU-DU DDU-DU," "Kill This Love," "BOOMBAYAH," "AS IF IT'S YOUR LAST," "How You Like That" (both the M/V and the dance performance), "Pink Venom," Lisa's "MONEY," and Jennie's "SOLO." Beyond the billion-view titans, 50 videos on the channel have cleared 100 million views. Total channel views sit at 41.1 billion according to YouTube Analytics data, with 3.3 billion of those coming in the last 12 months alone. Guinness World Records officially recognizes BLACKPINK as the most-viewed band on YouTube.

A Decade of Breaking Records

BLACKPINK's subscriber trajectory reads like a masterclass in digital-era dominance. In March 2019, they became the first K-pop group to reach 20 million subscribers according to YouTube Charts data at the time. By July 2020, they were the first non-English-language artist to crack YouTube's top five most-subscribed channels. Then in September 2021, they overtook Justin Bieber to claim the number one spot worldwide as confirmed by Social Blade's tracking data, a position they have held ever since. The group also owns three of YouTube's top 10 all-time 24-hour music debuts: "Pink Venom" with 90.4 million views, "How You Like That" with 86.3 million, and "Ice Cream" (with Selena Gomez) at 79 million. Lisa's solo single "LALISA" adds a fourth entry at 73.6 million per YouTube's official music charts. The group's individual members further extend this footprint through their own YouTube Artist pages, with solo releases from Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo collectively adding billions of additional streams to the BLACKPINK universe per YouTube analytics.

Global Reach, Not Just K-Pop Reach

YouTube Charts data from the past 12 months shows just how borderless BLACKPINK's audience has become. Korea leads with 277 million views, followed by India (223 million), Indonesia (218 million), Mexico (182 million), the United States (180 million), and Brazil (168 million) according to YouTube Analytics regional breakdown. Six countries, four continents, one fandom. "On a platform that shapes global music trends, subscriber numbers are an indicator of a loyal fandom," YG Entertainment said in an official statement. The label noted that BLACKPINK's fan base continues to expand despite already being among the world's biggest acts.

Pioneering the Platform

BLACKPINK's relationship with YouTube goes deeper than view counts. In 2021, the group partnered with the platform for THE SHOW, a first-of-its-kind livestream concert that set the template for virtual performances in the post-pandemic era as documented by YouTube's official blog. A year later, they launched the #PinkVenomChallenge on YouTube Shorts, blurring the line between artist and fan-created content. Lyor Cohen, Google and YouTube's Global Head of Music, called the milestone "truly historic" in an official statement. He added: "It is the first record of its kind among artists worldwide, proving how deep the bond is between BLACKPINK and their fans, and how unparalleled its influence is on the global stage."

What Comes Next

The timing is no accident. Since uploading a teaser for their upcoming third mini album on January 15, the channel has been adding roughly 10,000 new subscribers per day according to Social Blade's subscriber tracking. That project, DEADLINE, drops February 27 and marks the group's first full-team release in three years, following a 33-show world tour across 16 cities.

Each member has also been building solo empires in the interim. Jennie launched Odd Atelier, Rosé signed with THE BLACK LABEL before moving to Atlantic Records, Lisa founded LLOUD, and Jisoo established BLISSOO. The solo moves only amplified anticipation for the reunion.

100 million subscribers is not just a number. It is a measure of sustained, global, cross-cultural impact at a scale no other artist has achieved on the world's largest video platform. For BLACKPINK and BLINKs, the record books need new pages.