Which video passed 'Despacito' in 2020 to become YouTube's most-viewed video?

Baby Shark Dance passed “Despacito” in 2020 to become YouTube’s most-viewed video.

The record change occurred on November 2, 2020, when Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” overtook Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” The children’s video had been uploaded on June 17, 2016, while “Despacito” was released on YouTube in January 2017 and had held the top position since August 2017.

Baby Shark’s rise reflected more than a conventional pop-music audience. Its repetitive melody, hand-motion choreography, bright children’s-video production, and extensive sharing by families made it highly replayable. The song itself is an older camp-style children’s chant, but the Pinkfong arrangement transformed it into a global digital phenomenon.

The milestone was not the same as becoming YouTube’s most-liked video or the most-watched channel. It referred specifically to the view count of an individual video. Baby Shark later became the first YouTube video to pass 10 billion views, in January 2022.