Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi's <em>Despacito</em>, whose reggaeton beat has swept the globe, on Wednesday was named the most streamed song of all time. The song's label, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, said <em>Despacito</em> in its original and remixed versions had reached 4.6 billion streams across platforms including YouTube and Spotify. <em>Despacito</em> — a racy track which features Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee — went viral soon after its release in January and found an even wider audience in April when pop celebrity Justin Bieber appeared in a remix. <em>Despacito</em> dethroned another track with Bieber, the Canadian's 2015 song <em>Sorry</em>, which has 4.38 billion plays, according to Universal. <em>Despacito</em> — which means "slowly" in Spanish — has spent 10 weeks at number one on the US singles chart, the first Spanish-language song to reach the top spot since <em>Macarena</em> in 1996. "Streaming is a connector for audiences worldwide and it has helped my music reach every corner of the planet," Fonsi said in a statement. Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, the world's largest label conglomerate, called <em>Despacito</em> the biggest hit of 2017. <strong>Read more: </strong> "Streaming has opened up the possibility of a song with a different beat, from a different culture and in a different language to become a juggernaut of success around the world," Grainge said in a statement. Reggaeton — which has roots in Jamaican dance hall and hip-hop — has historically provided a voice to black Puerto Ricans and has been shunned by the US territory's elite. Streaming — the on-demand selection of music online — has rapidly grown in recent years. No central body combines streaming data across all platforms, giving leeway to labels to announce figures and feats. <em>Despacito</em> has soared on YouTube where it is already the fourth most watched video ever at 2.66 billion views. While popular on Spotify, it was in 39th place on the all-time list Wednesday. *AFP