KPop Demon Hunters' Golden leads YouTube music charts

YouTube today released its weekly music charts data for the December 26, 2025 through January 1, 2026 tracking period, revealing a platform where global viral hits coexist with deeply entrenched regional preferences. "Golden" by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI and KPop Demon Hunters Cast commanded the top position across multiple territories, accumulating 72,321,287 views globally during the seven-day period.

The track's dominance stems from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" animated film, which became one of the platform's most-watched productions in 2025. According to industry reporting, the movie drove multiple soundtrack hits onto music charts throughout the year, with "Golden" reaching Billboard chart positions while accumulating viewing minutes on Netflix's platform. The film peaked at 1,579 million minutes viewed during the July 28 - August 3, 2025 tracking period and maintained Nielsen chart presence through late summer. This cross-platform phenomenon demonstrates how video streaming content now drives music consumption patterns, with Netflix productions influencing YouTube chart positions months after initial release.

The week spanning the year-end transition demonstrated how cultural boundaries shape music consumption on the platform. Holiday content, which dominated the previous week's charts ending December 25, 2025, dropped precipitously once the calendar turned. Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and Wham!'s "Last Christmas" fell from their commanding positions as audiences shifted attention to non-seasonal content immediately following December 25.

Regional music ecosystems operated largely independent of global trends. Indian audiences concentrated viewing on Bollywood and regional language tracks, Brazilian listeners dominated consumption with funk carioca variations, while Japanese viewers maintained distinct preferences for domestic pop music. This fragmentation creates challenges for artists seeking cross-border reach through YouTube's platform.

Global weekly top songs

According to the Global Weekly Top Songs chart for December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 72,321,287 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 40,155,532 views
• Pal Pal - Afusic & AliSoomroMusic - 36,576,346 views
• Soda Pop - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 29,945,095 views
• Shararat - Shashwat Sachdev, Madhubanti Bagchi & Jasmine Sandlas - 29,842,723 views
• Gehra Hua - Shashwat Sachdev, Arijit Singh, Irshad Kamil & Armaan Khan - 28,954,205 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 25,626,136 views
• NO BATIDÃO (SLOWED) - ZXKAI & slxughter - 25,245,302 views
• Cuando No Era Cantante - El Bogueto & Yung Beef - 25,145,646 views
• CHANEL - Tyla - 24,579,460 views

The KPop Demon Hunters Cast tracks accumulated substantial viewership across multiple entries. "Golden" maintained its number one position from the previous week, while "Soda Pop," "Your Idol," and "How It's Done" from the same production appeared at positions 4, 20, and 36 respectively. This concentration indicates successful audience capture by a single content source rather than distributed consumption across diverse artists.

Australia weekly rankings

The Australian market showed preference for English-language content with some crossover from global viral tracks. According to the Australia Weekly Top Songs chart:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 863,404 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 409,334 views
• Ordinary - Alex Warren - 406,791 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 386,021 views
• Soda Pop - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 372,337 views
• Lose Control (Live) - Teddy Swims - 319,598 views
• Man I Need - Olivia Dean - 242,682 views
• Your Idol - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 238,125 views
• Gabriela - KATSEYE - 228,806 views
• CHANEL - Tyla - 216,420 views

Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" secured the second position with 409,334 views, climbing four positions from the previous week. The track appeared consistently across Western markets but showed minimal presence in Asian territories.

Brazil market dominance

Brazilian audiences concentrated viewership on domestic funk carioca and sertanejo content, with minimal penetration from global viral tracks. The Brazil Weekly Top Songs chart revealed:

• Posso Até Não Te Dar Flores (feat. DJ DAVI DOGDOG) - DJ Japa NK, MC MENO K, MC Ryan SP & MC Jacaré - 16,922,586 views
• P do Pecado (Ao Vivo) - Grupo Menos É Mais & Simone Mendes - 13,746,428 views
• Eu Me Apaixonei - Vitinho Imperador - 10,599,750 views
• SEQUÊNCIA FEITICEIRA (feat. MC Nito) - PEDRO SAMPAIO, MC GW, Mc Jhey & MC Rodrigo do CN - 9,288,823 views
• SET DO JAPA NK 2.0 - DJ Japa NK, MC Ryan SP, MC MENO K & MC IG - 9,276,368 views
• Vai Tomando Pock Pock (feat. MC MENO K) - MC Lele JP, MC GH Original & MC Menor ZL - 8,865,936 views
• Pela Última Vez (Ao Vivo) - Grupo Menos É Mais & Nattan - 7,811,710 views
• Diário de um Cafajeste - Dj Oreia, MC Lele JP, MC Meno K, MC Ryan SP, MC Tuto & Mc Negão Original - 7,660,936 views
• JETSKI - PEDRO SAMPAIO, Melody & MC MENO K - 6,683,911 views
• Me Apaixonei Nessa Morena (Ao Vivo) - Natanzinho Lima - 6,588,919 views

"Golden" appeared at position 40 with 2,804,243 views in Brazil, demonstrating how global viral content struggles to penetrate markets with strong local music preferences. The top 10 positions consisted entirely of Brazilian-produced content, primarily funk carioca variations and live sertanejo performances.

French market trends

France showed mixed consumption patterns with strong domestic rap and pop preferences alongside global crossover hits. The France Weekly Top Songs chart indicated:

• PARISIENNE - GIMS & La Mano 1.9 - 3,373,431 views
• MON BÉBÉ - RnBoi - 2,797,795 views
• melodrama - disiz & Theodora - 2,713,369 views
• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 1,881,934 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 1,681,417 views
• Melrose Place (feat. Guy2Bezbar) - KeBlack - 1,512,626 views
• Génération impolie - Franglish & KeBlack - 1,456,792 views
• NINAO - GIMS - 1,336,873 views
• CIEL - GIMS - 1,299,102 views
• RUINART - R2 - 1,277,363 views

French rapper GIMS placed multiple tracks in the top 20 positions, with "PARISIENNE," "NINAO," "CIEL," "SOIS PAS TIMIDE," "APPELLE TA COPINE," "BLOQUÉ," and "SPIDER" all appearing in the rankings. This concentration demonstrates how established domestic artists maintain audience attention in markets with developed local music industries.

Germany territory analysis

German audiences balanced domestic content with broader European and global tracks. According to the Germany Weekly Top Songs chart:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 1,416,255 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 691,868 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 685,625 views
• Wackelkontakt - Oimara - 631,253 views
• Kazdoura - Nassif Zeytoun & Ward Abu - 616,316 views
• YAMA - DYSTINCT - 576,543 views
• KUSURA BAKMA - Blok3 - 557,919 views
• NO BATIDÃO (SLOWED) - ZXKAI & slxughter - 555,591 views
• Last Christmas - Wham! - 522,590 views
• Lush Life - Zara Larsson - 482,501 views

The German market demonstrated receptivity to diverse language content. Turkish-language tracks "KUSURA BAKMA" by Blok3, "napıyosun mesela?" also by Blok3, and "Seni Düşündüm" by Çağla & Doğu Swag appeared in the top 50, reflecting Germany's substantial Turkish-speaking population.

India consumption patterns

Indian audiences maintained almost exclusive focus on domestic content across multiple regional languages. The India Weekly Top Songs chart showed:

• Pal Pal - Afusic & AliSoomroMusic - 26,503,346 views
• Shararat - Shashwat Sachdev, Madhubanti Bagchi & Jasmine Sandlas - 26,058,619 views
• Gehra Hua - Shashwat Sachdev, Arijit Singh, Irshad Kamil & Armaan Khan - 25,501,850 views
• Awaara Angaara - A. R. Rahman, Faheem Abdullah & Irshad Kamil - 20,002,440 views
• Fortuner (feat. Gulshan Music & Jaat Nia) - Raj Mawar & Ruchika Jangid - 17,052,578 views
• Ishq Jalakar - Karvaan - Shashwat Sachdev, Shahzad Ali, Subhadeep Das Chowdhury, Armaan Khan, Irshad Kamil, Roshan & Sahir Ludhianvi - 15,897,162 views
• Chikiri Chikiri - Mohit Chauhan - 13,845,531 views
• فصلة - Flipperachi - 13,774,033 views
• Sahiba - Aditya Rikhari - 13,401,004 views
• Dhurandhar - Title Track - Shashwat Sachdev, Hanumankind, Jasmine Sandlas, Sudhir Yaduvanshi, Charanjit Ahuja, Muhammad Sadiq, Ranjit Kaur & Babu Singh Maan - 12,664,999 views

Multiple tracks from "Dhurandhar," a soundtrack release, appeared across the top 50 positions. The concentration of soundtrack content indicates how film music continues driving consumption in the Indian market. Tracks included "Shararat," "Gehra Hua," "Awaara Angaara," "Ishq Jalakar - Karvaan," "Dhurandhar - Title Track," and "Saiyaara."

Japan market characteristics

Japanese viewers demonstrated strong preference for domestic J-pop content with minimal crossover from Western or other Asian markets. The Japan Weekly Top Songs chart revealed:

• IRIS OUT - Kenshi Yonezu - 8,185,402 views
• カリスマックス - Snow Man - 5,157,828 views
• ダーリン - Mrs. GREEN APPLE - 4,862,122 views
• 好きすぎて滅！ - M!LK - 4,507,661 views
• ライラック - Mrs. GREEN APPLE - 3,413,385 views
• JANE DOE - Kenshi Yonezu & Hikaru Utada - 3,182,526 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 3,035,281 views
• ROSE - HANA - 2,981,305 views
• NON STOP - HANA - 2,910,568 views
• Blue Jeans - HANA - 2,627,207 views

Kenshi Yonezu placed two tracks in the top six positions, with "IRIS OUT" commanding 8,185,402 views and "JANE DOE" featuring Hikaru Utada securing 3,182,526 views. Mrs. GREEN APPLE similarly achieved multiple top 10 placements with "ダーリン" and "ライラック."

Netherlands territory performance

Dutch audiences showed preference for electronic music, slowed remixes, and international pop crossovers. According to the Netherlands Weekly Top Songs chart:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 352,521 views
• Last Christmas - Wham! - 191,252 views
• YAMA - DYSTINCT - 163,985 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 163,467 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 161,303 views
• All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey - 144,208 views
• Lush Life - Zara Larsson - 138,723 views
• Kazdoura - Nassif Zeytoun & Ward Abu - 137,215 views
• NO BATIDÃO (SLOWED) - ZXKAI & slxughter - 134,422 views
• Базовый минимум - SABI & MIA BOYKA - 124,194 views

Christmas content maintained stronger presence in the Netherlands compared to other markets, with "Last Christmas" by Wham! at position 2 with 191,252 views and "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey at position 6 with 144,208 views. This suggests different cultural timing for holiday music consumption compared to markets where seasonal content dropped immediately after December 25.

Portugal viewing behavior

Portuguese audiences balanced Brazilian Portuguese content with domestic productions and international crossovers. The Portugal Weekly Top Songs chart showed:

• Posso Até Não Te Dar Flores (feat. DJ DAVI DOGDOG) - DJ Japa NK, MC MENO K, MC Ryan SP & MC Jacaré - 570,959 views
• SEQUÊNCIA FEITICEIRA (feat. MC Nito) - PEDRO SAMPAIO, MC GW, Mc Jhey & MC Rodrigo do CN - 392,686 views
• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 374,466 views
• Pôr do Sol - Vizinhos - 360,623 views
• JETSKI - PEDRO SAMPAIO, Melody & MC MENO K - 273,900 views
• Leva Tudo - Calema & Dilsinho - 263,667 views
• CAVALINHO (Remix) - PEDRO SAMPAIO, Gasparzinho & MC MENO K - 253,545 views
• Respirar - Calema & Sara Correia - 244,145 views
• Mussulo (feat. Dody) - DJ Malvado & DJ Aka-m - 237,289 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 223,240 views

Language affinity drove consumption patterns. The top position went to the same Brazilian funk track that dominated Brazil's chart, while Portuguese-produced content from artists like Vizinhos, Calema, and Sara Correia appeared throughout the rankings alongside Brazilian imports.

South Africa market dynamics

South African viewers concentrated on amapiano, gqom, and other local electronic music variations. According to the South Africa Weekly Top Songs chart:

• Shela (feat. Mano) - Sam Deep, Nia Pearl & Boohle - 3,707,186 views
• SNOKONOKO - Al Xapo, Benzoo & EeQue - 2,660,913 views
• Rato Laka (feat. Slidoo Man) - Shebeshxt, Naqua SA & Zee Nxumalo - 2,451,973 views
• Tobetsa - Myztro, Shaunmusiq & Ftears - 2,212,505 views
• ZEP (feat. Uncool MC) - DJ Smallz 732, Zinedine x Sguch & 031CHOPPA - 2,131,196 views
• Bengicela - MaWhoo, GL_Ceejay & Thukuthela - 1,958,845 views
• Magumba (feat. Peekay Mzee & Kaytah) - Khadeair - 1,923,774 views
• uValo - Thukuthela, Jazzworx & Babalwa M - 1,677,964 views
• Uyoncengwa Unyoko - Umafkizolo - 1,576,906 views
• Intaba Zokhahlamba (feat. SHENGE WASEHLALANKOSI & Mjolisi) - Mphathiwohlelo MC - 1,558,011 views

The South African market showed no crossover with global viral hits in its top 50 positions. "Golden" appeared at position 23 with 748,827 views, while other international tracks remained absent from top positions entirely. This demonstrates how developed local music scenes create self-contained consumption ecosystems.

Spain territory preferences

Spanish audiences balanced Latin American reggaeton and trap with domestic flamenco fusion and pop content. The Spain Weekly Top Songs chart indicated:

• Palillos y Panderos - Niña Pastori - 1,952,892 views
• La Perla - ROSALÍA & Yahritza Y Su Esencia - 1,642,306 views
• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 1,489,913 views
• Dardos - Romeo Santos & Prince Royce - 1,414,181 views
• La Morocha - Luck Ra & BM - 1,321,373 views
• La Plena (W Sound 05) - W Sound, Beéle & Ovy On The Drums - 1,060,577 views
• SUPERESTRELLA - Aitana - 1,037,384 views
• Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido - KAROL G - 1,018,621 views
• J Balvin: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 62/66 - Bizarrap & J Balvin - 904,934 views
• Cuando No Era Cantante - El Bogueto & Yung Beef - 820,259 views

Spanish flamenco artist Niña Pastori's "Palillos y Panderos" commanded the top position with 1,952,892 views, while ROSALÍA's collaboration "La Perla" with Yahritza Y Su Esencia secured second place with 1,642,306 views. The market showed receptivity to both domestic Spanish content and Latin American productions, creating a shared Spanish-language music ecosystem.

United Kingdom consumption

British audiences demonstrated diverse consumption spanning domestic artists, American crossovers, and European electronic music. According to the United Kingdom Weekly Top Songs chart:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 2,257,915 views
• Ordinary - Alex Warren - 1,102,124 views
• Soda Pop - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 895,385 views
• Lush Life - Zara Larsson - 860,937 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 773,202 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 643,675 views
• Last Christmas - Wham! - 568,462 views
• Your Idol - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 555,534 views
• WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! - RAYE - 545,383 views
• CHANEL - Tyla - 506,137 views

British artist RAYE's "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!" appeared at position 9 with 545,383 views, climbing 30 positions from the previous week. The UK market showed stronger penetration for global viral content compared to markets with more developed local music industries.

United States market analysis

American audiences concentrated viewership on hip-hop, Latin trap, country, and pop crossovers. The United States Weekly Top Songs chart revealed:

• Golden - HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 9,348,447 views
• FDO - Pooh Shiesty - 5,571,927 views
• Zoo - Shakira - 4,872,331 views
• Big Guy - Ice Spice - 4,832,816 views
• Soda Pop - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 4,355,531 views
• Ordinary - Alex Warren - 3,989,552 views
• Your Idol - Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, KEVIN WOO, samUIL Lee & KPop Demon Hunters Cast - 3,652,552 views
• Marlboro Rojo - Fuerza Regida - 3,573,961 views
• Folded - Kehlani - 3,243,441 views
• The Fate of Ophelia - Taylor Swift - 2,814,300 views

Ice Spice's "Big Guy" climbed six positions to number 4 with 4,832,816 views in its fourth week on the chart. The track demonstrated similar upward trajectory across multiple markets, appearing in top 20 positions in Australia, Germany, Netherlands, and United Kingdom territories.

Artist rankings global

The Global Weekly Top Artists chart for the December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026 period showed Bollywood playback singers dominating the top positions. Alka Yagnik maintained the number one position with 449,883,973 views across her catalog, followed by Udit Narayan with 326,102,484 views and Arijit Singh with 299,860,717 views.

Kumar Sanu secured fourth position with 246,535,804 views, while Shreya Ghoshal rounded out the top five with 233,413,910 views. These artists represent established Bollywood playback singers whose extensive catalogs spanning multiple decades continue generating substantial viewership through film song consumption in the Indian market.

Bad Bunny appeared at position 6 with 219,213,822 views, representing the highest-ranked Western artist. The Puerto Rican artist's catalog viewership exceeded individual Latin artists despite competition from regional Mexican acts like Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma.

Regional language artist Shilpi Raj claimed position 7 with 184,173,133 views, demonstrating how Bhojpuri music consumption drives substantial viewership. Khesari Lal Yadav, another Bhojpuri artist, appeared at position 8 with 153,883,107 views after climbing four positions from the previous week.

KPop Demon Hunters Cast entered at position 10 with 148,795,685 views in their 28th week on the chart, benefiting from multiple high-performing tracks across different territories. Their concentrated release strategy placed four songs in the global top 100, creating accumulated artist-level viewership that exceeded more distributed catalogs.

Shorts content preferences

The Global Weekly Top Shorts Songs chart for December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026 showed distinct preferences from traditional music consumption. According to the chart data, "فصلة" by Flipperachi maintained the number one position in its fourth week, while "Ishq Jalakar - Karvaan" by Shashwat Sachdev and collaborators climbed two positions to number 2 in its third week.

Slowed and modified versions dominated Shorts consumption patterns. "PASSO BEM SOLTO (Slowed)" by ATLXS appeared at position 3 in its 41st week on the chart, while "NO BATIDÃO (SLOWED)" by ZXKAI & slxughter secured position 4 in its ninth week. These modified versions often outperformed original recordings in the Shorts format.

Ice Spice's "Big Guy" climbed five positions to number 5, demonstrating how viral tracks perform across both traditional music video formats and short-form vertical content. The track appeared consistently across Global, Shorts, and multiple territory-specific charts during the tracking period.

"Montagem Miau (Slowed)" by Lenar debuted at position 15, showing immediate traction in the short-form format. The Brazilian phonk variation exemplifies how regional electronic music styles gain international exposure through Shorts distribution patterns.

Marketing implications

The December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026 YouTube music charts demonstrate several patterns relevant to marketing professionals working with music content and artist promotion strategies.

Regional market fragmentation creates challenges for campaigns seeking cross-border reach. Artists achieving top positions in Western markets showed minimal penetration in Asian, African, and South American territories where local content preferences dominate consumption patterns. Marketing budgets must account for territory-specific promotion rather than assuming global viral potential.

The end of YouTube's Billboard charts partnership effective January 16, 2026 creates measurement complications for campaigns previously using Billboard rankings as success metrics. YouTube now maintains independent chart systems across global markets, requiring marketing teams to track performance through platform-specific metrics rather than industry-standard benchmarks.

Short-form content consumption differs substantially from traditional music video viewership. Shorts charts showed preferences for remixed, slowed, and modified versions of tracks rather than original recordings. Marketing strategies must account for these format differences when planning content distribution, potentially creating separate asset packages optimized for vertical video consumption.

YouTube Shorts achieved revenue parity with long-form content in the United States market during Q3 2025, demonstrating that brief vertical videos can match or exceed revenue generation capabilities of conventional horizontal content. This monetization achievement creates opportunities for artists to generate income from multiple content formats rather than relying exclusively on traditional music video releases.

Artist monetization strategies require understanding regional consumption patterns. Artists targeting global audiences should recognize that content performs differentially across territories. Western market releases benefit from English-language content during most periods, while Asian, African, and South American markets maintain year-round consumption patterns for local content in regional languages.

Algorithmic distribution patterns affect content performance significantly. Creators reported viewership drops following September 2025 algorithm changes, with major Shorts channels experiencing synchronized performance degradation starting September 7, 2025. Marketing teams must establish monitoring processes to detect algorithm modifications that impact content distribution.

Platform advertising opportunities through YouTube Select provide brands access to premium music content. The program targets the top five percent of most popular channels, including major music channels across vertical categories. Campaigns seeking association with trending music content can leverage these placement options for brand integration opportunities.

Timeline

• February 10, 2024: YouTube Music introduces Official Artist Channels, consolidating content from multiple channels into unified destinations
• July 11, 2025: YouTube announces trending page closure with removal scheduled for July 21, 2025
• July 17, 2025: YouTube clarifies Official Artist Channel requirements with comprehensive FAQ for music creators
• September 7, 2025: Major Shorts channels experience synchronized viewership decline following undisclosed algorithm modifications
• September 26, 2025: YouTube Premium expands playback and download features across multiple devices
• October 29, 2025: YouTube Shorts achieves revenue parity with long-form content in US market during Q3 2025
• December 17, 2025: YouTube announces termination of Billboard charts partnership effective January 16, 2026
• December 19-25, 2025: Christmas dominates YouTube's weekly music rankings with seasonal content capturing substantial viewing activity
• December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026: YouTube releases weekly music charts showing "Golden" by KPop Demon Hunters Cast dominating multiple territories
• January 2, 2026: YouTube publishes charts data for December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026 tracking period
• January 16, 2026: YouTube's Billboard charts data partnership termination takes effect

Summary

Who: YouTube released weekly music charts data compiled from the December 26, 2025 through January 1, 2026 tracking period, measuring consumption across global and territory-specific rankings for songs, music videos, artists, and Shorts content.

What: "Golden" by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI and KPop Demon Hunters Cast dominated multiple charts with 72,321,287 global views, while regional markets showed fragmented consumption patterns with distinct local preferences. The charts demonstrated how cultural boundaries shape music consumption, with Indian audiences focusing on Bollywood content, Brazilian viewers concentrating on funk carioca, Japanese listeners maintaining J-pop preferences, and South African audiences consuming amapiano variations.

When: The data covers the seven-day period from Thursday, December 26, 2025 through Wednesday, January 1, 2026, published by YouTube on January 2, 2026. The week spanning the year-end transition showed immediate drops in holiday content consumption following December 25, with seasonal tracks from Mariah Carey and Wham! falling from commanding positions.

Where: YouTube published charts for global territories and 13 specific markets: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States. The platform maintains category-specific charts following the July 2025 closure of its centralized trending page, with music charts serving as the primary discovery mechanism for popular audio content.

Why: The charts matter for marketing professionals because they reveal consumption patterns across fragmented global markets, demonstrate how regional preferences limit cross-border viral potential, and provide metrics for campaign performance following YouTube's termination of its Billboard charts partnership. The data shows that successful global reach requires territory-specific promotion strategies rather than assumptions about universal viral distribution, while the divergence between traditional music video consumption and Shorts preferences indicates the need for format-specific content creation approaches.