YouTube is by far the most popular and most visited online video site on the Web. But which videos in particular were big during 2009? And which keywords were the most searched for over the past year? Helpfully, Google has answered both these questions.
YouTube In 2009
It’s fair to say YouTube has had a good year. It’s carried on experimenting both with advertising methods and premium content, and while there was a debate about whether it was yet profitable, it’s certainly heading in the right direction.
YouTube also announced it was now serving one billion views a day, which coincided with the third-year anniversary of Google acquiring the site. Google CEO Eric Schmidt did however reveal that the company had paid over the odds for YouTube.
YouTube today revealed a collection of statistics for usage of the site, including the most viewed videos and most common search terms through 2009.
Top 5 Viral Videos
Most Watched YouTube videos (Global)
1. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent (120+ million views)
2. David After Dentist (37+ million views)
3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (33+ million views)
4. New Moon Movie Trailer (31+ million views)
5. Evian Roller Babies (27+ million views)
No surprise to see Susan Boyle top the list. However, the margin of victory over the second placed ‘David After Dentist‘ is larger than I’d imagined. The Britain’s Got Talent star is the epitome of a viral video star, with her fame being extended from the U.K. to the rest of the world purely by the power of online video and word of mouth.
The others on the list are all phenomenons in their own right, with the ‘JK Wedding Entrance Dance‘ video being a semi-amateur affair and the ‘Evian Roller Babies‘ doing exceptionally well for a viral video advert.
Top 5 Music Videos
Most Watched music videos on YouTube (Global)
1. Pitbull “I Know You Want Me” (82+ million views)
2. Miley Cyrus “The Climb” (64+ million views)
3. Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” (54+ million views)
4. The Lonely Island “I’m On a Boat” (48+ million views)
5. Keri Hilson “Knock You Down” (35+ million views)
Music videos get their own list because of their insane popularity. Which is exactly why the major record labels decided they needed something just for music videos and created Vevo, although whether it can succeed or not is debatable.
Search Terms
Fastest Rising YouTube search terms by month (Global)
January: inauguration
February: christian bale
March: the climb
April: susan boyle
May: pacquiao vs hatton
June: michael jackson thriller
July: michael jackson
August: usain bolt
September: kanye west
October: paranormal activity
November: bad romance
December: tiger woods
Fastest Rising YouTube search terms by month (U.S.)
January: obama inauguration
February: on a boat
March: watchmen
April: susan boyle
May: pacquiao
June: michael jackson thriller
July: wedding
August: send it on
September: kanye west
October: paranormal activity
November: adam lambert
December: tiger woods
These search terms speak for themselves, giving an insight to what news story or event was happening during each month of the year.
Terms to note include ‘inauguration’ for Barack Obama’s installation as President of the U.S.A., ‘michael jackson’ and ‘michael jackson thriller’ after the King of Pop’s death, and ‘tiger woods’ as the champion golfer’s life took a turn for the worse.
Conclusions
These lists give a great insight into what is being searched for and watched on YouTube throughout the year. The top 5 viral videos list is particularly interesting as it contains a clip from a reality TV show, two random user-generated clips, a movie trailer, and a viral advert. Which proves there is no real strategy for having a huge hit – it either works or it doesn’t.
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