“Gangnam Style” from South Korean rapper Psy has became the first video to break a billion views on YouTube, marking a historic milestone on the Internet.
The view counter for “Gangnam Style”, which was only posted on the video-sharing site July 15, clicked over into 10 figures at around 1550 GMT Friday, as the global craze for the singer and his horse-riding dance refuses to die down.
As of Saturday the counter showed 1,010,321,921 views.
“Finally becoming #BillionStyle!!!” Psy wrote on Twitter.
Among the first to congratulate him was American rapper MC Hammer, of 1990s “U Can’t Touch This” fame, who posted: “Congratulations !!! You made history !!! 1 Billion Views !!!!”
Psy thanked new manager Scooter Braun for helping promote the video. “I made 100 million and you made the other 900!!! Brother with Another Mother!!!” he wrote.
Braun’s agency also manages Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber, whose hit “Baby” Psy overtook less than a month ago to take the all-time most-viewed title. Bieber was still in second place Saturday with more than 813 million views.
Kevin Allocca, YouTube trends manager, attributed Psy’s success “to the universal appeal of catchy music — and er, great equine dance moves”.
Psy has swept all before him in the past five months, hoovering up awards and scoring guest appearances with everyone from Madonna to the head of the United Nations.
The video and its singer have been given walk-on roles at major world events like the US presidential election.
And the timing of the one-billion views breakthrough dovetailed with a viral social network hoax that had the 16th century French seer Nostradamus apparently referencing Psy as a harbinger of the December 21 apocalypse.
Billboard.com said “Gangnam” was estimated to have generated $2,000,000 from YouTube alone at a reported rate of two dollars for every 1,000 views, with digital downloads and on-demand services bringing earnings from the song to $6.01 million in just five months.
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