Viral YouTube Videos Are Now Listed For Users In Google Trends

Back in March of 2013, Google Trends added the ability for users to track YouTube search data. Now, Trends has updated its site to include a “Trending on YouTube” section.

The new section shows Google Trends users the most-watched videos on YouTube within the last 24 hours. The key element to this new addition, though, is the fact that Google Trends has added in the ability to track view counts on videos regardless of actual queries viewers input into YouTube. Google Trends implemented a YouTube Filter in early 2013 that allowed users to mine searches on the world’s largest online video sharing sites for interesting data points and trends.  But this new feature means the most-watched videos will appear in the “Trending on YouTube” section whether or not people searched for them specifically on YouTube’s site.

Emil Protalinski writes over at VentureBeat that up to 200 videos will be listed in the new section each day. He believes there may be requirements for videos to be put on the “Trending on YouTube” section because 52 videos were listed on November 10, 2014, versus only 27 on November 11. When we checked today on November 12, we noted 48.

Google has stated the “Trending” feature is only currently available to target the most popular videos as determined by viewership data in the United States, but presumably detailed segmentation by other countries’ geolocations is soon to come.  The feature is also available on Google Trends’ mobile version, so you’ll be able to see what the online video masses have deemed watch-able while you’re on the go.