Beyoncé Knowles' new Countdown music video has been beaten in online viewership ratings by none other than Avril Lavigne. With over 650,000 views in just 2 days, 'Countdown' has had an impressive 'youtube opening', but far from the likes of Avril Lavigne's 'Wish You Were Here' video which was averaging 1+ million views a day after its launch.

The quality and direction of Beyonce's 'Countdown' is far superior to Lavigne's video, with a higher production budget (we think) and a large diversity of costume changes, and some stylish editing. There is no criticism to bare on Beyoncé at this point, but why is her video, which is technically better than Lavigne's less viral? Beyoncé as an artist is also more mainstream than Lavigne, but web audiences have preferred Lavigne's latest music video.

It just goes to show that, the power of the video concept doesn't mean it will go viral. In fact, it's more likely that Avril Lavigne's song has more wider appeal, and repeat viewing than Beyoncé's Countdown. In this instance, it's too early to tell whether 'Countdown' will start to gain a large daily viewership, but it's off to a slow start.

Which do you prefer?

Beyonce Knowles - Countdown

Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here