In January, comedy channel Smosh became the top YouTube channel when it surpassed Ray William Johnson. It then became the first channel to hit 8 million subscribers, and then 9 million. Created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox under the Alloy Digital umbrella, Smosh became the first to reach eight-digits yesterday with 10 million subscribers. The rapid growth of the channel reflects the recent explosion in popularity of online video.

Smosh edged out Ryan Higa late last year, followed by Ray William Johnson in January when the channel reached 6.8 million subscribers to top the most subscribed list. Since then, Jenna Marbles has slid into the #2 spot.

According to VidStatsX (see latest chart below), others in the Top 10 include Rihanna, Machinima, PewDiePie and Spanish-language channel Hola Soy German (perhaps of interest to those channel owners contemplating use of subtitles).

It’s also worth noting that Movies is in the #9 slot and TV Shows in the #11 spot. These channels feature movie and TV show rentals from YouTube. “Both Movies and TV Shows have better growth than anything on YouTube as far as subscribers go (if you take out the unusual anomaly of Psy getting more and more subscribers every day),” according to ReelSEO. “And while we can’t know the views, I think that probably means quite a bit of movies and TV shows are being watched on YouTube.”

Padilla and Hecox launched Smosh in 2005, “before Google owned YouTube, and have since built it into a model for how other channels can turn YouTube success into financial gain,” reports The Wrap. “They launched Smosh on a standalone website as well as YouTube, establishing a separate base to sell merchandise and net advertising revenue without Google taking a cut.”

“Smosh has since birthed two more successful channels — Smosh Games and Shut Up! Cartoons,” adds The Wrap. “Smosh Games claims to be the fastest growing channel on YouTube with almost 2.5 million subscribers while Shut Up! Cartoons has become one of the most successful animated channels on YouTube, nearing 1 million subscribers.”

Smosh launched a $1.99 mobile gaming app called Super Head Esploder-X a few months ago, that quickly became a top 10 paid app on iTunes. Padilla and Hecox also created a custom video for Dr. Pepper brand Sun Drop titled “Good vs. Surprisingly Good,” which has surpassed 3.5 million views on YouTube.

Related Stories:
Inside YouTube’s New Channel Design, Business Insider, 5/29/13
Why Alloy Digital Might Hold the Secret to YouTube, The Wrap, 5/1/13
Smosh Video for Sun Drop Soda Racks Up 2 Million Views, Adweek, 5/20/13
Smosh Launches Smosh Games Alliance to Feature YouTube Gamers, Tubefilter, 5/15/13
5 Tips to Design the Best YouTube Channel Page, Mashable, 5/27/13