Here’s a switch. A video originally posted on YouTube has been a hit for msnbc.com because the clip was mentioned as part of a Today show story.

Beet.TV reports “The Lion Reunion” has been viewed 2.4 million times on msnbc.com, making it the most watched video clip of the year. The original YouTube video has gotten 3.2 million views.

As Beet.TV’s Andy Plesser writes, “the development in providing sharable videos by mainstream media is one of the most important developments of 2008.” We agree.

.msnbcLinks {font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;} .msnbcLinks a {text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px;} .msnbcLinks a:link, .msnbcLinks a:visited {color: #5799db !important;} .msnbcLinks a:hover, .msnbcLinks a:active {color:#CC0000 !important;}

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy