The most watched video on YouTube this year belonged to Samsung India Services. The place – "We'll take care of you wherever you are" – generated 150.3 million views.
YouTube has released its 2017 ad rank, ranking the most watched YouTube ads worldwide, as well as the most popular videos of the year.
Three of the year's finalists were Super Bowl spots: Budweiser's "Born the Hard Way," Kia's "Hero's Journey," and "Cleaner of Your Dreams." from Mr. Clean. The ten most-watched commercials featured stories inspired by stories told by celebrities such as actors Dwayne Johnson and Natalie Portman.
"More limited by the lengths of traditional ads, commercials are becoming the new cinema, this year's videos totaling more than double the total duration of last year's top ads," says YouTube .
According to YouTube, Dude Perfect's "Ping Pong Trick Shots 3", ranked No. 3, has seen the highest engagement of all commercials with three million likes and 393,000 comments. (YouTube indicates that the median number of "I like" endorsements for the top ten global ads was 59,000, and the median number of comments was 5,000).
Compared to last year, YouTube found that this year's best ads were more likely to take a stand on sociopolitical issues, with seven of the top ten places created around inclusion themes, diversity or empowerment. (Only two of the top ten ads in 2016 have taken a stand on social issues.)
The 10 best YouTube ads of 2017
1. Samsung India Services: We'll take care of you wherever you are (150.3M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=779KwjAYTeQ?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
2. Clash Royale: The Last Second (110.7M Views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJryIc0Cwy4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
3. Perfect Dude: Ping Pong Trick Shots 3 (90.6M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeG1ftTmLAg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
4. Miss Dior: The New Eau de Parfum (43.0M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4s0llOpKrU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
5. Budweiser: Born the Hard Ad Super Bowl 2017 (28.5M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtBZvl7dIu4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
6. Kia: the journey of the hero Announcement of the Super Bowl 2017 (25.9M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQ9a5EFZeI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
7. Adidas: The original is never finished (25.4M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv53BKMYsy0?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
8. Apple iPhone 7: The Rock x Siri dominates the day (25.3M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsGKpnGye-8?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
9. Levi's: Circles (22.3M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgcgFP9nGqY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
10. Mr. Clean: Cleaner of your dreams | 2017 Super Bowl Announcement (17.6M views)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDzMxlw2Fgo?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Among the top ten most viewed commercials of 2017, Dude Perfect's "Ping Pong Trick Shots 3" was the only place to feature in the top ten most popular YouTube videos for the year.
Ed Sheeran was particularly popular in 2017, with two videos in the list of trends: a video for her song "Shape of You" and her karaoke session with James Corden.
YouTube indicates that the ten most popular videos of the year have garnered over 633 million views and more than 40 million viewing hours. The channels behind the top ten trend videos account for more than 55 million subscribers in total.
The most popular YouTube videos in 2017
1. Masked oyster: until we become dust
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rRfqWcz-mw?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
2.Ed Sheeran: the shape of you | Kyle Hanagami Choreography
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1MeUQUHwk?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
3. Perfect Dude: Ping Pong Trick Shots 3
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeG1ftTmLAg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
4. America's Got Talent: Darci Lynne, 12, Performs a Ventriloquist Act
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk_qLtk0m2c?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
5. Late Night Show with James Corden: Ed Sheeran Carpool Karaoke
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckdsJ-LaCvM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
6. NFL: FULL Pepsi Sugar Zero Super Bowl Ll of Lady Gaga's Half-Time Show
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txXwg712zw4?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
7. Bad Reading of the Lips: Inauguration Day
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gneBUA39mnI?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
8. Bill Wurtz: History of the world, I guess
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuCn8ux2gbs?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
9. Beth David & Esteban Bravo: In a Short Animated Heartbeat
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuCn8ux2gbs?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
10. BBC News: BBC News Reporter interrupted by his child
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4f9AYRCZY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
About the author
Amy Gesenhues is the general reporter for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for land and search engine marketing. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning columnist for a number of dailies in New York, Texas. With over ten years of experience in marketing management, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more articles from Amy.