TORONTO - Justin Bieber is the new king of YouTube -- for now at least.
The 16-year-old Stratford, Ont., native has supplanted oddball pop star Lady Gaga for the honour of the most-watched video of all time.
The clip for his hit "Baby" surpassed Gaga's "Bad Romance" as it passed the 246 million-view mark.
Gaga briefly regained the lead as the two videos jockeyed for position but "Baby" seems on pace now to only strengthen its hold on the top spot.
As usual, Bieber took to Twitter to discuss the milestone with his more than 3.7 million followers.
He thanked his fans for giving the video an extra push.
"What is goin on with the BABY video on youtube is crazy...i started on youtube so the support...well i just need to say thank u," he tweeted late Thursday night.
"Someone just showed me and i just need to say that (Gaga) is an incredible artist who have great respect 4. and her vid is incredible.
"So it doesnt matter who has more views what matters is that we have incredible fans that support us...that im sure we are both (grateful) 4. So thanks...like i said i started on youtube so...WOW!! Love u and wish u all the best in each and every one of ur lives. Thanks Beliebers!"
Then -- with a winking emoticon -- Bieber provided yet another link to the video.
