Last year around this time, we asked the question: What Constitutes an Online Hit? We talked to a number of industry professionals, many of which cited the magic play number of 100,000. But some 12 months later, more people are watching — and making — online video than ever before, so we wanted to see if that number had changed.

For our original story, we spoke with Funny or Die, Revver, JibJab and Heavy. At the time, Funny or Die said that if a celebrity-driven video did 100,000 plays in the first week, that was good (great if it was a UGC vid). Revver said 100,000 views in a day (which would translate to 400,000 to 500,000 over the vid’s lifetime). Overachievers JibJab said 1.5 million plays in the first week was a hit for them. And while Heavy pegged a hit at 100,000 plays, it said it would settle for 50,000 if those were 50,000 rabid, evangelizing fans.

And now?

“One hundred thousand doesn’t hold anymore,” said Adam McKay, co-founder of Funny or Die. “I think it’s that million-hit line. More than a million and you have a hit.” McKay has high expectations for the celeb-driven videos for which the site is known. He recalled a recent video featuring Fergie that only did 500,000 plays, which, McKay said was “a little bit of a disappointment.”

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