A two-minute clip of a teenage boy pretending to wield a Star Wars lightsaber has become the most popular viral video on the internet.
The footage of Ghyslain Raza - who became known as the Star Wars Kid - has been viewed 900 million times.
He recorded himself swinging a golf ball retriever at his high school in Canada in 2003.
Viral marketing company The Viral Factory collated page impression figures from websites such as YouTube.
Mr Raza never intended the video to be made public, and later took legal action against the classmates he claimed had posted it on the internet.
The second most popular viral - footage spread by e-mail - also featured an unknown teenager - 19-year-old Gary Brolsma, known as Numa Numa - whose video has been watched 700 million times.
 |
TOP TEN VIRAL VIDEOS
1. Star Wars Kid (900m)
2. Numa Numa (700m)
3. One Night In Paris (400m)
4. Kylie Minogue for Agent Provocateur (360m)
5. The Exploding Whale (350m)
=6. John West Salmon Bear Fight (300m)
=6. Trojan Games (300m)
8. Kolla2001 (200m)
9. AfroNinja (80m)
10. The Shining Redux (50m)
|
Mr Brolsma filmed himself lip-synching to a Romanian pop song, inspiring other viewers to make their own versions.
Future entertainment
Kylie Minogue's viral advert for lingerie firm Agent Provocateur has been viewed 360 million times, while a John West salmon advert in which a fisherman fights with a bear has been viewed online 300 million times.
A TV news clip from 1970 of an exploding whale - in which giant pieces of whale blubber rained down on people a quarter of a mile away - has been viewed 350 million times and earned its own website.
The study was commissioned to celebrate UKTV G2's new series, Totally Viral, which begins on Monday night.
Channel boss Steve North said: "It's now official - with viewing figures like this, virals truly are the entertainment of the future.
"The magic combination of hilarity and notoriety means that these vignettes are forwarded from inbox to inbox around the world."
One-Minute World News
News services
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
