YouTube is 'lekker'

24 April 2015 - 02:00 By Poppy Louw

What do Gangnam Style, Oscar Pistorius, Julius Malema, an emotional Britney Spears fan and Charlie who bit his brother's finger have in common? Answer: They were all YouTube video sensations.Yesterday marked 10 years since the first video was uploaded to YouTube. Now, 300 hours of video are uploaded onto the site every minute.The two most popular YouTube videos in South Africa are the animation Noko vs Izikhothane, uploaded by Ramscomics just over a year ago, which boasts some 1.4million views, and the Oscar Pistorius Animation , posted on the eNCA channel in March 2014 and which has been watched more than 1.6million times.The video is an animated re-enactment of the night the Paralympian shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day in 2013.Another popular South African video is the maiden speech that Economic Freedom Fighters commander-in-chief Julius Malema made in parliament and the stir it caused.Videos are posted on YouTube at such a rapid rate that Google estimates it would take a solid 49 years for someone to watch one day's worth of videos.But it is not all fun and games - many uploaders have found both fame and fortune.London-based South African vlogger and actor Caspar Lee's videos generate nearly $600000 (just over R7.3-million) a year.Lee, who turns 21 today, has more than 4million subscribers on his self-titled channel, which is estimated to be the site's 165th-most subscribed channel.And "because anybody can", SuzelleDIY is one of the country's most popular YouTubers for her hilarious bite-sized videos of household tips.Some of the do-it-yourself guru's most watched videos include How to make a braai pie, How to win someone's heart, How to iron without an iron and How to know if your batteries are dead or alive.Other South African hits on YouTube are comedian Trevor Noah, two-year-old DJ Arch jnr and comedian Anne Hirsh.The world's most viewed video remains Psy's 2012 Gangnam Style music video...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.