Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who broke the sound barrier during
his jump from the edge of space, has smashed the YouTube live view
record with more than eight million people tuning in to watch the
daredevil's leap.
It is the largest number of concurrent live streams in the website's history, Google UK was quoted by the BBC as saying.
More
than eight million people flocked to their devices to watch the
43-year-old break the speed of sound live on Google's YouTube site
yesterday.
Baumgartner broke the record for the highest freefall.
He jumped from a capsule taken to 128,100ft (39km) above New Mexico in
the US by a giant helium balloon.
It took nine minutes for him to reach the ground.
The adventurer plummeted at an estimated 1,343km/h, hitting Mach 1.24.
"On the step, I felt that the whole world is watching," Baumgartner said after the jump.
"I said I wish they would see what I see. It was amazing," he said.
The
capsule from which the skydiver fell was equipped with cameras to
provide a live internet feed to millions of people around the world.
A
Google spokesperson confirmed that the number of viewers simultaneously
watching the Red Bull Stratos stunt live on YouTube was the site's
highest.
"We congratulate Felix Baumgartner and the entire Red
Bull Stratos team for their successful mission, and for creating a live
stream with the most concurrent views ever on YouTube," the company said
on its blog.