Fans are taking over the world and it’s a family affair. 

The common thread in YouTube’s top-trending videos is fandom this year, whether the category was learning, entertainment or pop culture. 

According to “YouTube’s top trending videos” report, the most-watched video this year was Rihanna’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl, followed by YouTuber MrBeast’s yacht tour and a video of a drone delivering medicine to Rwanda. The video of actor Pedro Pascal crying while eating hot wings took fourth place, while an influencers soccer match (Sidemen charity match) ranked fifth.

“The top trending videos reflect the increasingly important role that fandom plays in transforming cultural moments into fully immersive experiences,” YouTube Canada head of communications Zaitoon Murji tells MiC. “Canadian viewers came to YouTube to fan out over intimate conversations with their favorite artists and celebs, such as Pedro Pascal, and creator-led series and events,” she says.

Murji believes Canadian families are finding on YouTube the co-viewing experience they were looking for on TV. “Participatory viewing experiences in the living room are growing, with videos like the Super Bowl halftime show and soccer matches hitting the list. This demonstrates that Canadians are co-viewing YouTube videos and doing it on the biggest screen they can access,” she says.

According to the list, Canadians also turned to videos with inspirational stories and content that evoked intense emotions such as fear. An example of this is the video of a blind Indonesian girl’s audition on a clip from America’s Got Talent, which ranked eighth on YouTube’s list, as well as an experience in a haunted house in the U.S., which finished ninth among the most-viewed videos.

In terms of creators, this year saw a greater uptick in creators taking advantage of YouTube’s Shorts platform, Murji says.  “Something exciting we’re seeing this year is how creators are leveraging short form content to grow significantly. Average daily views of YouTube Shorts grew by over 150% year-on-year in Canada,” says Murji, who adds that creators are “finding ways to tap into larger pop culture trends through a range of topics, from food and sports to gaming.”

This year’s top creator was Anna McNulty, who is a self-taught contortionist who helps viewers improve their flexibility. And the breakout creator was gamer Corey Tonge, who reached 10 million subscribers this year, more than eight million of which he gained in 2023 alone.

Finally, Canada’s best music videos showed the growth of Punjabi music – three of the top ten most watched music videos were in this language. Country, afrobeats and British rap were also the most popular rhythms/genres.

Here is the full list:

Top trending Videos:

1. “Rihanna’s FULL Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show,” NFL
2. “$1 vs $1,000,000,000 Yacht!,” MrBeast
3. “Amazing Invention- This Drone Will Change Everything,” Mark Rober
4. “Pedro Pascal Cries From His Head While Eating Spicy Wings,” First We Feast
5. “Sidemen Charity Match 2023,” Sidemen
6. “Adele – The Final Carpool Karaoke,” The Late Late Show with James Corden
7. “Apple Vision Pro Impressions!,” Marques Brownlee
8. “Golden Buzzer: Putri Ariani receives the Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell,” America’s Got Talent
9. “Surviving A Week at The Real Conjuring House,” Sam and Colby
10. “Qui est l’imposteur?,” Squeezie

Top shorts:

1. “Rating Strangers Shots,” Tuvok12
2. “How long do trickshots take?,” Tricksters
3. “Gostra in Malta,” The Wonton Don
4. “Kid Fried Rice,” Uncle Roger Shorts
5. “The World’s Strongest Chef,” Jake Ceja

Top Canadian creators:

1. Anna McNulty
2. Corey Tonge
3. Iron Chef Dad
4. Kallmekris
5. Matt Larose

Canadian breakout creators:

1. Corey Tonge
2. Iron Chef Dad
3. Dori Roblox
4. Top Pops
5. Shahin

Top music videos:

1. “Miley Cyrus – Flowers (Official Video),” MileyCyrusVEVO
2. “Morgan Wallen – Last Night (One Record At A Time Sessions),” MorganWallenVEVO
3. “52 Bars (Official Video) Karan Aujla | Ikky | Four You EP | First Song | Latest Punjabi Songs 2023,” Karan Aujla
4. “Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond,” radiowv
5. “PinkPantheress, Ice Spice – Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 (Official Video),” Pinkpantheress
6. “Minna Minna | Garry Sandhu ft Manpreet Toor ( Latest Punjabi Song 2023 ) Fresh Media Records,” Fresh Media Records
7. “Central Cee x Dave – Sprinter [Music Video],” Central Cee
8. “Take It Easy (Official Video) Karan Aujla. | Ikky | Four You EP | Latest Punjabi Songs 2023,” Rehaan Records
9. “Libianca – People (Official Video),” LibiancaVEVO
10. “Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj – Princess Diana (Official Music Video),” IceSpiceVEVO

Photo via Unsplash