PSY’s “Gangnam Style” Video Breaks YouTube’s Counter
Google posted on its blog:
We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer (=2,147,483,647 views), but that was before we met PSY. “Gangnam Style” has been viewed so many times we had to upgrade to a 64-bit integer (9,223,372,036,854,775,808)!
Though the Internet appears to have virtually unlimited space, apparently, it’s no match for the 2012 blockbuster from South Korean pop star PSY. His video of “Gangnam Style” has been watched more than 2,147,483,647 on YouTube, which used to be the website’s original maximum counter.
At present, the counter is at 2,155,260,965, and it is continuously increasing.
For those who can’t grasp the idea easily, originally, YouTube’s counter is designed based on a 32-bit integer. This unit of data in computer programming languages has maximum positive value is 2,147,483,647. Possibly, when software engineers designed YouTube’s counter several years ago, they never preempted a video to get viewed more than 2.1 billion times. It is a relatively young platform and a million views is still a big deal!
Due to this milestone, YouTube’s counter has been upgraded to 64-bit, which has a maximum positive value of 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 or approximately 9 quintillion. This can probably be enough for Gangnam Style for now.
To celebrate this milestone, Google added a little Easter egg:
Hover over the counter in PSY’s video to see a little math magic and stay tuned for bigger and bigger numbers on YouTube.
To bring a bit of nostalgia, here’s PSY’s “Gangnam Style” video.
“Gangnam Style” is the first video to hit a billion views on YouTube. It is the most watched video of all time. It was uploaded in July 2012, which makes it about two and half (2.5) years old.
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PSY’s “Gangnam Style” Video Breaks YouTube’s Counter
