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BuzzFeed Loses Top Spot As Video Poster: Ellen And Bieber Victorious In 2015

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:27 PST, Jan 1, 2016

BuzzFeed had previously held the top spot for video content for the entire year of 2015, but the top honors have now gone to Ellen DeGeneres. In the month of November, BuzzFeed‘s number of video views went down, leaving Ellen in the No. 1 spot and Justin Bieber in the No. 2 spot. How did this happen?

Variety reported that, according to Tubular Labs, a company that monitors all online video content, Ellen’s EllenTube has received 1.1 billion views via platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. This is compared to 789 million views for BuzzFeed.

Ellen managed this feat by having some stellar guests on her program during the month of November, including Justin Bieber and One Direction. Ellen’s video parody of Adele’s “Hello” was also a smash hit among viewers.

As for Justin Bieber, Marketing Land revealed that he didn’t even rank in the top 10 in October, yet in November claimed No. 2 with 853 million views. He promoted music from his latest album, such as the video “I’ll Show You.”

It seems that BuzzFeed has some fierce competition in the video department, but it turns out they have been putting their Snapchat to good use, sending a message to the world and supporting what is a largely Muslim audience. Fast Company reports that earlier this month, BuzzFeed presented an assortment of stories about Muslim life on their Snapchat channel, a place they usually reserve for more lighthearted content.

Included in the Snapchat collection was the profile of a Muslim fashion blogger, a video demonstrating different ways to wear hijab, and a number of other Muslim videos and memes. There was a wide array of content, from funny to serious. The fact that BuzzFeed decided to feature the Muslim content speaks of their commitment to Muslims at a time when there are those who would keep them out of the U.S., especially top political candidates.

There was one amazing video posted called “I’m A Hijab Woman, But…” In this video, a number of women talked about the questions and misconceptions they face each day, including one woman who insisted that she is not Malala.

“I wear the hijab, but I’m not Malala. I can’t give you her autograph. I can’t take a photo with you.”

Another woman spoke about how she has to put on a good show all the time for people.

“I feel like I have to smile at people all the time in order for them to know that all Muslims aren’t scary.”

BuzzFeed reaches more than 60 million viewers with their Snapchat channel, which perhaps makes up for their drop in video views. Of course, just because BuzzFeed is down on the list for video views in November, it doesn’t mean that they will stay down.

It’s worth noting BuzzFeed is doing more than simply posting content; they are also inspiring others to make leaps forward in their writing career with an emphasis on diversity. Paper revealed that BuzzFeed recently announced their Emerging Writers Fellowship and have chosen the four fellows who will be the first to receive the honor: Chaya Babu, Niela Orr, Tomi Obaro, and Esther Wang.

BuzzFeed‘s Executive Culture Editor Saeed Jones said he is frequently worried about diversity in the media.

“I always worry. It’s easier to talk about diversity in the short term, and it’s easy to hire more people of color and more women. But I think it’s more difficult to look at the ways in which the long term we’re looking for substantive change. For me, that’s part of what this fellowship is about.”

[Photo by 360b/Shutterstock]

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