Baby Shark chews past Despacito to become YouTube’s most viewed video ever

YouTube’s top viral video could be so many things, really. A hilarious cat video, maybe. A rock star’s hit single. A blockbuster movie trailer. Nope, it’s the annoyingly catchy Baby Shark song, as recorded by South Korean company Pinkfong. The video has now been viewed more than 7.04 billion times, passing Luis Fonsi’s hit song, Despacito, which isn’t that far behind, topping 7.03 billion views. 

The BBC did some math, reporting that “played back-to-back, that would mean Baby Shark has been streamed continuously for 30,187 years.”

The shark song was a valuable commodity for sure. The BBC says Pinkfong has made about $5.2 million (£4 million, AU$7.3 million) from YouTube streams alone. A representative for YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when exactly Baby Shark swam past Despacito on the charts.

Baby Shark inspired a live concert tour and an upcoming TV show, expected to premiere in 2021.