Google recently released its Zeitgeist 2011 report detailing the most popular and the fastest rising search terms during 2011. Now, Google-owned YouTube has announced the videos that got the most airplay over the site in South Africa, as well as the rest of the globe.

During 2011 YouTube hit the milestone of 48 hours of content being uploaded to the site every minute, amounting to nearly eight years worth of footage being uploaded daily. With this vast amount of videos becoming available on a minute-per-minute basis, it’s inevitable that some footage will stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the number of views.

Viewers in South Africa couldn’t get enough of the mountain biker being taken out by Buck Norris, Nando’s politically relevant satire Last Dictator Standing and Ard Matthews’ blundering of the national anthem, making up the top 3 most-watched YouTube videos.

In South Africa, the most-watched YouTube community videos of 2011 were:

1. Mountain Biker gets taken out by Buck - Crazy Footage - Only in Africa
2. Nando’s: Last Dictator Standing
3. Ard Matthews ruins the SA National Anthem 
4. Shark Attack
5. Japan earthquake: CCTV video of tsunami wave hitting Sendai airport
6. Ultimate Dog Tease
7. Tornado approaching Duduza, East Rand, South Africa
8. The Force: Volkswagen Commercial
9. The T-Mobile Royal Wedding
10. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Flash Mob

Globally, the most-watched YouTube community videos were:

1. Rebecca Black - Friday (Official video)
2. Ultimate Dog Tease
3. Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)
4. Talking Twin Babies - Part 2 - Official video
5. Nyan Cat [original]
6. Look At Me Now - Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes (Cover by @KarminMusic)
7. The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj & John Waters)
8. Maria Aragon - Born This Way (Cover) by Lady Gaga
9. The Force: Volkswagen Commercial
10. Cat mom hugs baby kitten

The most watched music videos in South Africa were:

1. LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
2. Zahara - Loliwe
3. Ard Matthews ruins the SA National Anthem.mpg
4. Beyoncé - Run The World (Girls) 
5. Adele - 'Someone Like You' 
6. DJ Sbu feat. Zahara Mkutukane - Lengoma
7. Professor "Lento" ft Speedy
8. Braaiday - (Rebecca Black "Friday" Parody)
9. Coldplay - Paradise
10. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

Globally, the most watched video ads of the year were (not counting music videos & trailers):

1. VW - The Force
2. T-Mobile - Royal Wedding
3. Chrysler - Imported From Detroit
4. DC Shoes - Ken Block's Gymkhana Four: The Hollywood Megamercial
5. smartwater - Jennifer Aniston goes viral
6. Team Hot Wheels - The Yellow Driver's World Record Jump
7. Old Spice - Scent Vacation
8. Apple - Introducing Siri on iPhone 4S
9. Samsung - Unleash Your Fingers
10. adidas - D Rose: adiZero Rose 2 The Bull

 

In related news Twitter recently revealed which events received the most tweets per second (TPS) during 2011, as well as the most popular topics of discussion and hashtags of this year.