Thaindian News

Melbourne, May 19 (ANI): Video sharing website YouTube has on its fifth birthday announced that now more than two billion videos are being watched on its website every day.

“That’s nearly double the prime-time audience of all three major US television networks combined,” News.com.au quoted a YouTube team member as saying in a blog.

California-based YouTube was the brainchild of then PayPal co-workers Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim.

Google bought YouTube in a 1.65billion dollar deal about 19 months after the online video-sharing service was founded in February of 2005.

The Internet giant has been carefully transforming YouTube into a money-making stage for enjoying works ranging from backyard videos to independent films.

Among its many highlights, the site has chosen several standout moments that has defined its role in popular online culture today, like Queen Elizabeth addressing the world via The Royal Channel.

The coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made YouTube a global newsroom.

Ronaldino - first video to receive one million views. The combination of a major soccer star, an amazing stunt and the stealth Nike branding proved to be a winning combo.

Free Hugs - what started as a random act of kindness (a Free Hug) by Juan Mann to the public in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall became a global sensation.

YouTube said an average of 24 hours of video are currently uploaded to the site each minute in an amount of content equal to 150,000 full length films over the course of a week.

As of May 18, 2010, the 10 most viewed videos were:

1. Charlie bit my finger - again (169 million views)2. Evolution of Dance (139 million views)3. Miley Cyrus 7 Things music video (112 million views)4. Laughing baby Hahaha (110 million views)5. Achmed the dead terrorist (108 million views)6. Pitbull - I know you want me (108 million views)7. Lo que tu queiras oir (100 million views)8. Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA (97 million views) 9. Susan Boyle (89 million views) 10. Timbaland - Apologise (81 million views)

And to complete its celebrations, YouTube also released a list of its most popular videos watched by Australians:

1. Free Hugs campaign (57 million views globally) 2. Aerosmith - I don’t wanna miss a thing (56 million views globally) 3. AC/DC Thunderstruck (33 million views globally) 4. eBay, Weird Al Yankovic (26 million views globally - video removed) 5. Snuggle Bunny, Cutie (26 million views globally) 6. Katie Perry, I kissed a girl (24 million views globally) 7. AC/DC Back in Black (23 million views globally - video removed) 8. How to fake a six pack, communitychannel (20 million views globally) 9. Dramatic Look (20 million views globally) 10. Monster Shark (18 million views globally) (ANI)