Viral videos are a big part of the Web these days, with individuals and companies alike trying to create something which will take the Internet by storm. But is it possible to predict which videos are going to go viral before they reach take-off point?
Viral Videos
Viral videos are basically just normal videos that transcend their humble origins to become huge hits online. The come in many different flavors, but the two common types are engineered viral videos designed to promote something or someone, and organic viral videos that just happen.
As a prime example of this, YouTube’s Top 5 for 2009 were:
1. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent (120+ million views)
2. David After Dentist (37+ million views)
3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (33+ million views)
4. New Moon Movie Trailer (31+ million views)
5. Evian Roller Babies (27+ million views)
Susan Boyle gained worldwide fame thanks to the viral nature of this clip, while David After Dentist and JK Wedding Entrance Dance hit it big after being produced by amateurs. The New Moon movie trailer is self-explanatory, while the Evian Roller Babies was a genius promotional effort.
PopScreen ‘On Our Radar’
is a website which tracks viral videos across a range of sources including YouTube, DailyMotion, and FunnyOrDie. But its existing ‘Popular Now’ column of videos has now been joined by ‘On Our Radar’.
‘On Our Radar’ is what PopScreen is describing as a video prediction engine. Its ambition is to predict which videos are set to become viral before they actually do.
PopScreen claims this is possible by use of a proprietary algorithm which collects unique data points in order to accurately pinpoint the moment at which online video clips move from the niche to the mainstream.
PopScreen co-founder Kevin Nguyen said:
“The predictive engine is the backbone of the PopScreen user experience. But, it also serves as the foundation for PopScreen’s rating and recommendation platform, which provides an online video experience tailored specifically to the user’s interests.”
Conclusions
If this works as it’s meant to (at the time of writing it isn’t even active) then this could be a brilliant innovation. And it would make it easier to fill WebTVHub with great, relevant content.
