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A Year On YouTube: Canada’s Top Trending Videos & Creators in 2022

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In 2022, Canadians came to YouTube to drive a new class of short-form comedians to widespread success, see a celeb’s surprising reveal, and go on calming walks — yes, walks — through Ottawa. All the while, the nation was listening to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” on repeat and trying new fruits vicariously through the eyes, er mouth, of a local chef.

Before ringing in 2023, let’s take a moment to recognize and celebrate the videos, creators and artists you took mainstream in Canada over the last 12 months.

This year’s top trending videos show that individual, online communities are more influential than ever before. Personal stories and messages allowed creators to intimately connect with their fans, while moments involving traditional celebrities like Ryan Reynolds and Will Smith gained new levels of relevance because of the ways communities reinterpreted them for their audiences through memes, parodies and more. And, of course, top creators like MrBeast continued to bring their viewers together with large-scale participatory challenges.

In this year’s top ten you’ll also find a Halftime Show that hit a note of nostalgia, a record-setting face reveal, Mark Rober’s latest attempt to foil phone scammers, The Try Guys addressing their channel’s future, and a late night Top Gun experience.

Altogether, viewership of the Top Trending Videos surpassed last year’s: These 10 videos were viewed more than 630 million times over 50 million hours.1 The channels behind them total more than 245 million subscribers.2

Top Shorts in Canada

The first-ever Top Shorts list shows that when it comes to short-form, feel-good content — whether it’s sketch comedy or visually surprising tricks — reigns supreme.

Top Songs

Finally in music, the viral success of Encanto translated into lasting hits and older tracks from Kate Bush and Elly Duhé saw a resurgence thanks to their use in cultural phenomena. Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was also remembered and honoured, with his song Levels making this year’s top 10.

Congratulations to the incredible creators who are helping to grow and shape Canada’s vibrant creator ecosystem. Dig into top trending videos from around the world at YouTube.com/trends/2022.


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1

Source: YouTube data, Global, Jan 1-Nov 28, 2022

2

Source: YouTube data, Global