YouTube top 10 for 2010 revealed

Jan Vermeulen

Jan Vermeulen is a technology journalist and web developer at MyBroadband. After receiving a Computer Engineering degree at the University of Pretoria he worked at...

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This year, more than 13 million hours of video, or approximately 1,500 years, were uploaded to YouTube and more than 700 billion videos were viewed via the site, Google said in a press release today.

South Africa saw the launch of a local YouTube domain in April 2010, the first in Africa. According to Google this has allowed South African users to easily browse and find more locally relevant content, whilst still accessing their favourite global viral videos.

Two key local YouTube trends in 2010 were South African musicians and current affairs respectively.

Die Antwoord’s ‘Enter the Ninja’ with over 8.5 million views (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc3f4xU_FfQ, 8,638,552) and ‘Zef Side’ with over 5 million views (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q77YBmtd2Rw, 5, 258,927) proved hugely popular.

Other videos that drew significant interest included ‘6 Second Poison’ by Locnville(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIBljX4VPuI, 667,170) , ‘Show Dem (Make the Circle Bigger)’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM_Ew6zsnDY, 223,944) and Jack Parow’s ‘Dans, Dans, Dans’ featuring Francois van Coke (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yWeMIALolY, 419,100).

Meanwhile, South African politics and current affairs also fascinated YouTube fans. Favourites include the AWB’s ungraceful exit from an e.tv studio during a live interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMj72bQuDI, 338,438) and Julius Malema dismissing a BBC journalist from a press conference (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpIcwctC7nQ, 174,684).

While the AWB incident prompted the ‘Don’t Touch me on my Studio’ remix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOFkSktQDFQ,91,568) Malema’s reaction inspired the creation of the popular ‘Julius Malema Song’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0B_nz539wo, 117,621).

“Videos on YouTube come from regular users, emerging online studios, the largest of media companies and more. YouTube has truly levelled the playing field for all content creators,” said Julie Taylor, Communications Manager, Google Sub-Saharan Africa.

“This year’s big local trends and global lists offer a glimpse at the tremendous growth YouTube has experienced as a company and as an online community in 2010.”

Global List of YouTube’s Ten Most Watched Videos of 2010

1. Bed Intruder Song! – The Gregory Brothers took the quirky television interview Antoine Dodson gave and turned it into a chart-topper.

2. Tik Tok’ Ke$ha Parody — The pop music parody loomed large in 2010, thanks to BarelyPolitical’s take on Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and the popularity of Key of Awe$ome, a weekly musical comedy show that’s been seen over 100M times.

3. Greyson Chance Singing ‘Paparazzi –When Greyson Chance’s sixth grade performance of “Paparazzi” hit the web, it drew a massive audience, the attention of Lady Gaga herself, and ultimately, a record deal.

4. Annoying Orange Wazzup — Dane Boedigheimer’s “Annoying Orange” spun off onto its own channel in 2010, where it became one of the most successful series of the year. Annoying Orange Wazzup was viewed more than 26 million times.

5. Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like — Old Spice’s Super Bowl ad was an Internet sensation, but a few months later, it spawned something else: a pioneering, real-time, social media campaign that generated over 100M views in a week and changed the way many people think about online advertising.

6. Giant Double Rainbow — Paul Vasquez’s emotional response to a rainbow in Yosemite National Park became an essential part of 2010’s pop culture lexicon.

7. OK Go – This Too Shall Pass — In 2010, OK Go severed ties with its record label and went independent, joining the YouTube Partner Program. Meanwhile, their endless pursuit of creative music videos delivered this ambitious homage to Rube Goldberg.

8. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE Trailer — As the anticipation built for the third installment of the Twilight Saga, the biggest question in the land became: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

9. Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fan – A video of three-year-old crying over her love of Justin Bieber went viral, but what became even more popular was this clip of night time talk show host Jimmy Kimmel surprising the little girl and her sisters with a visit from the pop idol.

10. Ken Block’s Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground – DC Shoes co-founder and professional rally driver Ken Block gets the adrenaline pumping as he speeds through this insane gymkhana course, featuring banks as steep as 51 degrees.

Global List of YouTube’s Ten Most Watched Major Label Music Videos in 2010:

1. Justin Bieber – Baby ft. Ludacris — Super-sensation Justin Bieber’s song “Baby” was a chart-topper around the world. The dream-date video (with a tip-of-the-hat to Michael Jackson) remains the most viewed YouTube video ever.

2. Shakira ft. Freshlyground -Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) — Shakira’s official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a hit across the globe. The video set the stage for the year’s biggest sporting event, celebrating the greatest moments in World Cup history.

3. “Eminem – Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna” — Eminem and Rihanna were destined to make one of 2010’s biggest hits. The (literally) explosive video with Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan broke the YouTube record for most views in its first 24 hours.

4. Eminem – Not Afraid — 2010 was the year of Eminem’s Recovery and “Not Afraid,” his anthem to survival, announced his return to the top. The video does the same, taking Eminem from the streets to the top of the world.

5. Rihanna – Rude Boy –Topping the charts around the world, Rihanna’s hottest hit gives a nod to Jamaican dancehall and ska with a colour-soaked music video inspired by her own roots in Barbados.

6. Justin Bieber – Never Say Never ft. Jaden Smith — Justin Bieber meets Karate Kid Jaden Smith, who follows in daddy Will “Fresh Prince” Smith’s footsteps, making his rapping debut on the theme song to his acting debut in The Karate Kid.

7. Justin Bieber – Never Let You Go — Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber melted hearts by showing a seriously soulful side in this moody video shot at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

8. Lady Gaga – Alejandro — Lady Gaga once again courts controversy, this time by dressing up as a nun and dancing with soldiers in her video for “Alejandro,” directed by legendary fashion photographer Steven Klein.

9. Justin Bieber – Somebody To Love Remix ft. Usher — Justin Bieber displays his smooth moves and departs from his usual crooning on this upbeat dance track with mentor Usher. And with that, Bieber’s domination of the 2010 charts is complete.

10. Lady Gaga – Telephone ft. Beyoncé — A throwback to big-budget epic-length music videos, “Telephone”, pairs dueting divas Gaga and Beyoncé for a freaky-but-fashionable crime spree that would do Quentin Tarantino proud.

YouTube Top 10 videos of 2010 << Comments and views