How Paramount is using YouTube to promote 'Top Gun: Maverick'

Paramount is turning to its YouTube channels to get fans excited about its release of "Top Gun: Maverick."

The TV and movie company announced today that it will exclusively broadcast its red carpet event for the movie premiere on YouTube, via its MTV, Comedy Central, BET and other branded channels. The deal was announced during YouTube's NewFronts presentation. The stream will use YouTube’s Live Redirect feature, which works like YouTube's auto-play button—when one livestream from the May 4 premiere in San Diego ends, viewers will immediately be redirected to another relevant one. 

During 2021 fourth-quarter earnings, ViacomCBS reported that Paramount+ had reached 32.8 million subscribers. But Paramount’s reach goes further with its branded YouTube channels. Comedy Central has nearly 11 million subscribers, MTV has 10 million and BET has 3.6 million. Still, Paramount has a long way to go in order to catch up to the likes of Disney+, which has almost 130 million subscribers according to its parent company's first-quarter 2022 results, or Netflix, which has 221 million, according to its first-quarter report. As seen by the collapse of CNN+, consumers are becoming judicious with their subscription budgets. Paramount’s move to look at its wider online footprint could be a way to get around subscription fatigue and drive followers to YouTube.

“Through our partnership with YouTube, for the first time Paramount will fully capture the collective power of our global YouTube channels from our brands,” said Lee Sears, executive VP and head of Velocity International, and general manager of international events, digital, ad sales & integrated marketing for Paramount Global, in a statement. “The Top Gun franchise has a truly global reach and is loved by fans around the world, and through the livestream of Top Gun: Maverick’s premiere event, we’ll connect with audiences worldwide in an inclusive and engaging way.”

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