Top 10 Most Viewed 360° Videos of 2016

Thursday this week will mark 500 days since the YouTube team officially released global support for 360° video content (statement here).

Following that announcement, content creators from all over the world were encouraged to test the limit and try out this strange but promising new way of shooting film, and stitching it together again, surgically placing the viewer direcly into the film. Riding that same tech-wave, Facebook followed soon after, on September 23rd, and not much later, the impressive new 360° video platform VRideo began to make headlines too.

In homage to the past 500 days of amazing content, here’s our list of the most popular videos of 2016. Each one of these gorgeous clips has accumulated more than 3 million views this year.

Top 10 Most Viewed 360° Videos of 2016

While you might assume that major brands like AT&T, Faebook or Coca Cola would dominate the list — these Kingsize brands are few and far between in today’s roundup.

10. Visit the Philippines Again 360° Video

With a tagline: “Have a world of adventures in the philippines”, the expectations are set high in this ad for Cebu Pacific Air, a Philippine low-cost airline based on the grounds of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Providing you with an insights into the many things you could be doing, the ad is extremely effective. It introduces you to kayak-sailing across sapphire eastern waters, and sends you windsurfing with a selfie-stick, all in glorious 360° 4K video.

Published on: Feb 23, 2016
View Count: 3,121,078
Like / Dislike Ratio: 894 / 16 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 20,266

9. VIVID || Virgin Media || VIVID 360 Party

We all know that Virgin Media is a corporate Behemoth, so it’s no surprise that a 360° tour of one of their house parties was a big hit when it appeared on YouTube on Mar 29, 2016.

Published on: Mar 29, 2016
View Count: 3,207,048
Like / Dislike Ratio: 934 / 545 (Favorable)
Views / Day: 26,949

8. 360 | How Far | Australia | Expedia

“How Far” is a strikingly beautiful ad from Expedia, showcasing some gorgeous Australian destination. Some of the destination that you can experience in full 360° video includes the following:

• Three Capes Track
• Karratha Station
• Ningaloo Reef
• The Outback

Published on: Jun 16, 2016
View Count: 3,472,203
Like / Dislike Ratio: 584 / 6 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 86,805

7. The Conjuring 2 — Experience Enfield VR 360 [HD]

NSFW. If you’re anything like us, you do appreciate a good scare every now and then. “The Conjuring 2” managed to bring some of the internet’s first real scary experiences to the table. It’s dark, gloomy and brings that paranoid feeling to you over the course of just a few minutes. Great video, although we got to say that if you have a phobia for the occult, nuns who jump at you all of a sudden or a messy household — you might want to skip this one.

Published on: May 20, 2016
View Count: 4,544,078
Like / Dislike Ratio: 18,519 / 1,354 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 67,822

6. TYPOWA LEKCJA J.POLSKIEGO (360°)

Loosely (Google) translated from Polish, the name of this 360° video experience is “Typical Lesson”. In this video you follow the narrative of a provocative High School student, being a bit of a nuissance in the face of an obnoxius and loud-mouthed teacher.

Given that Polish is not a strongsuit here at the team, and the ending indicates that this could go on to become a tad too NSFW for us to discuss in detail, we’ll end this one here.

Published on: Feb 9, 2016
View Count: 4,722,122
Like / Dislike Ratio: 100,027 / 7,821 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 28,107

5.İnsan — Sevgililer Günü (360° Video)

The Turkish band, Insan has taken on some 360° video in one of their recent music videos: “Sevgililer Günü”. Not much more to say here than: “Well done”.

Published on: Feb 13, 2016
View Count: 5,328,663
Like / Dislike Ratio: 3,122 / 672 (Favorable)
Views / Day: 32,491

4. Great White Sharks 360 Video 4K!! — Close encounter on Amazing Virtual Dive

Face off against one of the most ancient and renowned beasts of our time. Ever since the sharks from Jaws hit cinema-fame in the late 1900’s, there has been a widespread shark-fear in bays and beaches across the world. Thankfully, this encounter you don’t have to get wet to try!

Published on: Jan 7, 2016
View Count: 5,609,489
Like / Dislike Ratio: 13,976 / 1,384 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 26,711

3. The BMW M2 — Eyes on Gigi Hadid (360° Video)

BMW USA challenges you to a game of sight. The rules are simple. Keep your eyes on Gigi Hadid, the beautiful woman racing a flagship M2 BMW. The video starts with her walking towards one of five brand-new vehicles, and swings the door open. From there, your objective is to keep watching her and not lose track, in this gorgeously color-graded 360°, 4K video

Published on: Apr 18, 2016
View Count: 5,524,929
Like / Dislike Ratio: 18,555 / 6,720 (Favorable)
Views / Day: 55,807

2. Mega Coaster: Get Ready for the Drop (360 Video)

Mega Coaster, the massive cream-machine that appears on a video by the Discovery Channel, raises you 157 feet only to hurl you through one of the most inticing and crazy rides you can imagine. In fact, thanks to 360° video, all you have to do is strap on your HMD / GearVR right now, and check it out yourself.

Published on: Mar 13, 2016
View Count: 8,522,403
Like / Dislike Ratio: 18,709 / 1,853 (Very Favorable)
Views / Day: 63,128

1. Dubai. Here you are — Dubai 360 Video

With a whopping 13.9 million views , our #1 on the list is the “Here you are” ad for Visit Dubai. In this ad you’re taken through a day in beautiful Dubai in 360° video. The visuals are impressive and the destinations well thought-out. What’s the most impressive about this video though, is that it seems to have spread like wildfire.

Published on: Jun 7, 2016
View Count: 13,962,421
Like / Dislike Ratio: 9,642 / 2,760 (Favorable)
Views / Day: 284,947

Influential Brands Utilising 360° Video

For story-telling, this technology has become an interesting choice, and Influential brands from all around the world are starting to get a hang of how to properly pull it off. To give you a few honorable mentions, not highlighted in our list:

• Red Bull’s “Barnstorm Experience”
• Discovery Channel’s “Lion’s Last Stand”
• IGN’s epic “Giant Nerf Battle in 360 Degrees”
• Walt Disney’s “Through Mowgli’s Eyes”

These videos are all from massive influencers in large corporations, but are only a small drop of water in a vast ocean of content. If you combine this massive influx of videos with the fact that as of the time of writing these words, YouTube’s dedicated 360° video channel has more than 1.4 million subscribers — it looks like the future of storytelling is in capable hands.

We can’t wait to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies. Stay tuned!