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Los Angeles - One Direction have been named Global Recording Artists of 2013.
The Best Song Ever hitmakers - who formed on UK TV show The X Factor in 2010 - were honoured by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) after analysis of digital downloads, streaming and physical sales found them to be the most popular act around the world.
One Direction hunk Niall Horan hailed the award as "incredible news".
He added: "It's great to have a chart that includes everything from iTunes and record stores, to YouTube and Spotify. Again a huge thank you to all of our fans for such an amazing 2013."
Among their impressive feats in 2013, One Direction - which comprises Niall, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles - clocked up almost 200 million views of the Best Song Ever video on YouTube, and their album 'Midnight Memories' topped the Billboard 100, making them the first group to debut at number one in the US with their first three albums.
IFPI chief executive Frances Moore said: "Many congratulations to One Direction who topped a talented field to become the IFPI Global Recording Artists of 2013.
"This is a global IFPI award for a new era of music consumption, based on a new metric of global success.
"Our chart for the first time measures the popularity of artists across the many different ways in which fans choose their music."
The group were the only UK act to make the top 10, with US acts Eminem and Justin Timberlake taking second and third place respectively, followed by Bruno Mars and Katy Perry in fifth.
Also appearing in the top 10 was Pink in sixth place, one spot ahead of Same Love hitmakers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Rihanna in eighth and Michael Buble in ninth. Get Lucky hitmakers Daft Punk rounded out the top 10.
The IFPI top 10 global recording artists 2013:
1. One Direction
2. Eminem
3. Justin Timberlake
4. Bruno Mars
5. Katy Perry
6. Pink
7. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
8. Rihanna
9. Michael Buble
10. Daft Punk
