“Baby Shark” smelled blood in YouTube’s waters and pounced on “Despacito,” dethroning Luis Fonsi‘s global hit for the title of the most viewed video in the platform’s history.
Pinkfong‘s “Baby Shark” video was uploaded back on June 17th, 2016 and “Despacito” was published just shy of seven months later, on January 12th, 2017. Due to the crossover appeal of the booming Latin music market, Fonsi’s track became an overnight sensation and skyrocketed to YouTube’s upper echelon of viewership.
On the other hand, “Baby Shark” experienced an explosive rise of its own due to the #BabySharkChallenge, which mutated the children’s song into one of the most viral memes in recent memory. Pinkfong then clamped its jaws on the fad and never let go, building an empire with follow-up videos, merchandise, and even its own Nickelodeon TV show.
“Without the love and support of fans around the world, Baby Shark’s new record would have been impossible,” said Min Seok Kim, CEO of Pinkfong parent company Smart Study. “We’re very honored by this record and will continue to focus on delivering high-quality entertainment beyond the digital platforms.”
At the time of this article’s publishing, “Baby Shark” has amassed a staggering 7,064,655,451 views.
