Youtube has announced that two billion videos are now watched on its website every day, as it celebrates its fifth birthday.
YouTube Appeals To All Sorts Of People
"Thanks to you, our site has crossed another milestone and now exceeds over two billion views a day," YouTube staff blogged.
"That's nearly double the prime-time audience of all three major US television networks combined."
The site was the brainchild of Californians Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Kari, colleagues at the internet payment company PayPal.
"Five years ago in May, after months of late nights, testing and preparation, YouTube's founders launched the first beta version of YouTube.com," the YouTube Team said.
"We never could have predicted what YouTube's first five years would bring, and it's difficult to imagine what the next five will look like," they added.
Now an average of 24 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube each minute, and the equivalent of 150,000 full length films each week.
YouTube describes itself as "a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe".
But it has also been a magnet for controversial content and pirated clips, not to mention the silly and often bizarre, which many believe is the secret of its success.
Hundreds of complete unknowns have become international stars through homemade videos showcasing their wit and talent.
Susan Boyle's audition tape from Britain's Got Talent was watched 66 million times within a week of being posted, transforming her into a global superstar.