Top 10 most viewed YouTube live streams in the world

YouTube live streams were introduced back in April 2011, and since then they have been a handy tool for various channels and their dedicated fans and viewers to partake the excitement of an event taking place live. From space research institutes to football clubs to celebrity musicians, YouTube live streams are utilised to broadcast an exclusive live experience worldwide.

For example, ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, live streamed the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the South Polar lunar surface on August 23, 2023. The live broadcast became the most watched out of all YouTube live streams till date. It commanded over 80 lakh or 8 million peak concurrent viewers (PCVs).

The second most viewed live stream in the world is the 2022 Football World Cup Quarter Final match between Brazil and Croatia. The top two live streams are indicative of the two sectors that viewers are fanatic about throughout the world- space and sports. However, which other videos come out on top to make the top 10 most viewed live streams on YouTube?

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Top 10 Most Viewed Live Stream in the World

With the Chandrayaan-3 softlanding video commanding the highest till date, here’s a list of the other top most viewed live streams in the world, sourced from data collected by Playboard. ISRO’s live stream figures are not yet updated on Playboard, at the time of writing.

Rank & YouTube Stream	Peak Real-time Views	Streamed on
#1 ISRO – Chandrayaan 3 Mission Soft Landing	8.09 million	August 23, 2023
#2 CazéTV – World Cup 2022 QF Brazil vs Croatia	6.14 million	December 9, 2022
#3 CazéTV – Brazil vs. South Korea 2022 World Cup	5.20 million	December 6, 2022
#4 CazéTV – Vasco vs Flamengo	4.79 million	March 19, 2023
#5 SpaceX- Crew Demo-2	4.08 million	May 28, 2020
#6 Hybe Labels: Butter from BTS	3.74 million	May 21, 2022
#7 Apple Event	3.69 million	September 7, 2022
#8 Law and Crime Network: Depp vs. Heard Trial	3.54 million	June 1, 2022
#9 Fluminese Football Club: Rio Cup Finals	3.52 million	July 9, 2020
#10 Carioca Championship Final	3.25 million	July 12, 2020

Time to dig a little deeper into the most viewed live stream in the world, along with the nine other most viewed YouTube live streams!

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Chandrayaan-3 Mission Soft-landing LIVE Telecast

• Channel Name: ISRO
• Country: India
• Channel Type: Space Research and Exploration

Chandrayaan-3, the third lunar mission ever by India, had grabbed the attention of over 8.06 million viewers from all over the world, and millions more in India. The smooth landing of the spacecraft was indeed a sight to behold and live streamers were not disappointed. Notably, with Chandrayaan 3, India has become the first country ever to reach the south pole of the moon–this historic feat is a first for all of humanity.

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World Cup 2022 Quarter Final: Brazil vs. Croatia

• Channel Name: CazéTV
• Country: Brazil
• Channel Type: Sports and Fitness

The FIFA World Cup 2022 was a grand celebration of football, with fans worldwide turning to their screens to watch every single moment of the matches with rapt attention. Hosted in Qatar, the quarter final stage for the World Cup kicked off on December 9, 2022, with Brazil playing Croatia in the first match. Notably, Croatia defeated Brazil, the darlings of millions of football fans around the world, likely making this one of the most watched live streams of all time.

World Cup 2022: Brazil vs. South Korea

• Channel Name: CazéTV
• Country: Brazil
• Channel Type: Sports and Fitness

This YouTube live stream was again from the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted in Qatar. While the second most viewed live stream in the world saw Brazil in the quarter finals, this match preceded that one. Brazil played South Korea for a spot in the quarter finals, and the former bested the latter to go on to the next level.

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Vasco da Gama vs Flamengo

• Channel Name: CazéTV
• Country: Brazil
• Channel Type: Sports and Fitness

Football seems to be the lives streaming audience’s hot favourite. On number 4, is yet another football match. This one being Rio de Janeiro-based sport club Flamengo beating its rival Vasco da Gama in this particular match from March 2023.

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Crew Demo-2

• Channel Name: SpaceX
• Country: The United States of America
• Channel Type: Space Research and Exploration

Space is also extremely popular. The Crew Dragon Demo-2 or Crew Demo-2 was the first ever crewed test flight of the spacecraft called Crew Dragon from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Endeavour, the spacecraft, was launched on May 30, 2020.

Butter by BTS, Official MV

• Channel Name: Hybe Labels
• Country: South Korea
• Channel Type: Entertainment

BTS or the Bangtan Boys is a widely renowned South Korean boy band that was created in 2010. The band is known for popularising K-Pop music in the rest of the world, and Butter in particular is one of their better known songs that went on to draw millions into BTS’s magnetic fandom.

Apple Event

• Channel Name: Apple
• Country: The United States of America
• Channel Type: Technology

Apple Events are one of those days around which a tech enthusiast’s calendar and year is planned. They draw millions of viewers as the iPhone maker reveals new products at these events. This event in particular introduced the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Ultra, AirPods Pro, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro.

Depp vs. Heard Trial

• Channel Name: Law & Crime Network
• Country: The United States of America
• Channel Type: News

The John C. Depp vs. Amber Laura Heard trial was held in Fairfax County, Virginia, between April 11 and June 1, 2022. The trial hinged on allegations of defamation, and this live stream in particular was of the final verdict. The entire trial was live streamed. Depp won the case. 

Flamengo vs. Fluminese: Rio Cup Final

• Channel Name: Fluminese Football Club
• Country: Brazil
• Channel Type: Sports and Fitness

Football for the win again! The ninth of the top 10 most viewed live stream in the world is the Rio Cup Final from 2020, with two of Brazil’s most renowned football clubs fighting for the trophy. Fluminese Football Club beat Flamengo in this one.

Flamengo vs. Fluminese: Campeonato Carioca Final

• Channel Name: Fluminese Football Club
• Country: Brazil
• Channel Type: Sports and Fitness

The final entry in our list of the most viewed YouTube live streams is the Campeonato Carioca finals from 2020, when Fluminese beat Flamengo for the crown. With this, Fluminese scored two consecutive victories against its long-time rival!