YouTube Canada Reveals the Top Videos of 2017

TORONTO, Dec. 6, 2017 /CNW/ - It's that time again, to jump into the wayback machine for #YouTube Rewind - YouTube's annual look back at the year that was.

This year Canadians headed to YouTube to gasp as a sea lion got a bit too frisky, to giggle as a toddler stole popcorn from Prince Harry, and to fall in love with falling in love. We gathered to watch as April the Giraffe gave birth to her baby, Tajiri, live in front of an audience of 1.2 million, setting a new record for the most popular livestream on YouTube. And we held our breath as a moose and a wolf squared off in a Northern Ontario lake.

From Eminem's blistering political cypher at the BET Awards to some perfectly executed ping pong trick shots, these were the moments that had us watching, clicking and sharing.

Canada's Top Trending Videos of 2017

1. Sea lion drags girl into Steveston waters
2. Eminem Rips Donald Trump in BET Hip Hop Awards Freestyle Cypher
3. Animal Adventure Park Giraffe Cam
4. Ping Pong Trick Shots 3 | Dude Perfect
5. Northern Ontario Moose vs Wolf
6. Woman interrupted during BBC interview
7. Sneaky toddler steals Prince Harry's popcorn
8. In a Heartbeat - Animated Short Film
9. $1 donut vs. $100 donut
10. France 24 en direct - 24 hour livestream news channel

2017 also saw some major new records broken in music, most notably by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's massive global hit. Despacito sits at the top of 2017's top music video list -- not just as the most-viewed music video for year, but as the most viewed YouTube video of all time with 4.4 billion views.

Justin Bieber set new records this year - his remix of Despacito, along with his appearance on DJ Khaled's I'm The One mean that the Biebs can now lay claim to 4 videos that have broken the one billion view threshold. Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do set the all-time record for most views in the first 24 hours, earning 43.2 million views in its first day. Among the top ten debuts in YouTube history, seven were released in 2017.

Canada's Top Music Videos of 2017

1. Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee
2. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You [Official Video]
3. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne - I'm the One
4. Bruno Mars - That's What I Like
5. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.
6. Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
7. The Weeknd - Reminder
8. Zedd & Alessia Cara - Stay (Lyric Video)
9. Cardi B - Bodak Yellow
10. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

When it came to movies, we saw studios get even more creative with their pre-marketing campaigns, with both Thor: Ragnarok and Deadpool 2 releasing a series of short films on YouTube that played up their comedic main characters. But as we wait for the release of the next instalment of Star Wars on December 15, the teaser trailer for this highly anticipated film claims the top spot in this year's ranking.

Canada's Top Movie Trailers of 2017

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Official Teaser
2. IT - Official Teaser Trailer
3. Thor: Ragnarok Teaser Trailer
4. Black Panther Teaser Trailer
5. DEADPOOL 2 Teaser Trailer (2018)
6. JUSTICE LEAGUE - Official Trailer 1
7. THE BOSS BABY "Diapers" Trailer Tease (Animation, 2017)
8. THE EMOJI MOVIE Trailer 1 - 3 (2017)
9. BLADE RUNNER 2049 - Official Trailer
10. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - Official Trailer #2

YouTube has also changed the game when it comes to ads - in the past five years, ads have gone from something you fast forward to something you choose to watch. The YouTube Canada Ads Leaderboard showcases the most creative ads that Canadians chose to watch during the year. The Top Ads are selected based on an algorithm that factors in metrics including views, watch time and shares.

YouTube Canada Ads Leaderboard 2017

1. The Canadian Dream - Chevrolet Canada (Creative - McCann, Media - Dentsu Aegis Network)
2. SickKids VS: MomStrong - SickKids (Creative - Cossette, Media - Cossette)
3. #MostCanadian Airline Ever - WestJet (Creative - In-house, Media - Media Experts)
4. The Great Canadian Chase - Coca-Cola Canada (Creative - Sid Lee, Media - Carat)
5. Nintendo Switch - Nintendo (Creative - Leo Burnett, Media - Zenith)
6. Born the Hard Way - Budweiser (Creative - Anomaly, Media - UM)
7. Worlds Apart - Heineken (Creative - Publicis)
8. Hero's Journey - Kia Motors America (Creative - Innocean, Media - Innocean)
9. Bringing Canadian Families Together - Catelli Pasta (Creative - Environics, Media - Environics, Wave Digital Media) 
10. The Rock and Siri Dominate the Day - Apple Canada (Creative - TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Media - OMD)

For more details, please visit the YouTube Rewind channel.
Logos and visual assets are available here.

SOURCE YouTube Canada

To request an interview, please contact: Nicole Bell, YouTube Canada, [email protected]; Zaitoon Murji, Environics Communications, [email protected]