David Blaine Breaks YouTube Original Live Event Record with Helium Balloon ‘Ascension’ Stunt

David Blaine has entered the YouTube record books…

The 47-year-old part-Puerto Rican illusionist, endurance artist and extreme performer’s live stunt Ascension, in which he flew over the Arizona desert using helium balloons, has shattered a YouTube record.

David Blaine, Ascension

This week’s stunt, which took place on Wednesday, was the most-watched YouTube Original Live Event to date, according to the video streaming platform, with over 770,000 peak concurrent viewers, besting Dear Class of 2020 (665k peak concurrents), The Creator Games Presented by MrBeast (662k peak concurrent), Will Smith: The Jump(more than 300k peak concurrents) and Taylor Swift: Lover’s Lounge (Live) (more than 185k peak concurrents).

“David Blaine exceeded expectations once again!” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content, YouTube, “What an inspirational moment for viewers all around the world and we’re so thrilled with what he accomplished today live on YouTube.”

The event streamed live exclusively on YouTube, which funded and produced the project.

Blaine lifted off shortly before 8:00 am PT and within 40 minutes had risen to a height of over 19,000 feet. He eventually reached a height of 24,900 feet and then parachuted to the ground. He completed the entire event within an hour.

The livestream event was hosted by YouTube creator and tech expert Marques Brownlee and featured appearances from Casey Neistat, Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, professional surfer Jamie O’Brien, among others, with a special appearance from David Blaine’s daughter, Dessa.

Blaine’s original plan was to fly over New York, but he decided to shift to Arizona because of weather concerns and logistical issues.