The official video for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Despacito on Friday became the most-watched YouTube clip of all time, crossing Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again. The video is now the first one to ever cross 3 billion views. The song has spent the last 12 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The video was uploaded seven months ago. Daddy Yankee, on Instagram, thanked the viewers and said YouTube had “a big responsibility” in the changing music industry. “Breaking the record is overwhelming, and I’m happy to keep [inspiring] others to do the same,” he said.
In July, See You Again broke a five-year run by South Korean singer Psy’s Gangnam Style to become the most-watched YouTube video at the time. Gangnam Style’s popularity had forced YouTube to rewrite its code after the platform’s video-sharing platform’s play counter was unable to keep up. This was because it had exceeded the maximum number of views possible – 2,147,483,647.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!