Which movie and TV franchises dominate the YouTube landscape?
Using data from content analytics and tech firm Vobile, official sponsor of this “Fandomination” special report, Variety Intelligence Platform dug into the most popular franchises on YouTube by tracking the output of fans turned creators.
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Fandomination.pdf
1. PRESENTED BY
P.1
SPECIAL REPORT | First Edition, November 2022
How top film and TV franchises turn fans into YouTube creators
P R E S E N T E D B Y
2. PRESENTED BY
P.2
Page
Introduction 3
MCU 5
DCEU 7
Star Wars 9
Page
Transformers 12
Jurassic 14
Harry Potter 16
Fast & Furious 18
Page
Game of Thrones 20
The Walking Dead 22
The Hunger Games 24
Glossary 26
I N TH I S R E P O RT
About the Author
Randee Dawn is a veteran entertainment
journalist who has written for Variety
since 2003. Her debut pop-culture fan
tasy novel, “Tune in Tomorrow,” published
in August. Visit her @ RandeeDawn.com.
3. PRESENTED BY
P.3
L
ong before the internet existed,
fanzines ruled. Fans’ original
user-generated content
(UGC), “hot takes” appeared
in home
made magazines, often photo
copied and stapled together.
Today, there’s YouTube, where fans
can post their passions for all things
media in millions of videos that range
from full-fledged DIY movies to clips
under 30 seconds from video games
based on films or TV shows. It’s about
fan expression, ardor and marketing all
rolled into one. Yes, the franchise owners
and corporations may release content as
trailers, interviews or more, but across
the board, those official contributions are
dwarfed by the conversations devotees
are having with one another.
So which movie and TV franchises
dominate the UGC landscape, and which
deliver the most bang for the buck — as in
engagements per video? Using data from
content analytics and tech firm Vobile,
official sponsor of this “Fandomination”
special report, Variety Intelligence
Platform dug into the most popular
franchises on YouTube by tracking the
output of fans turned creators.
The YouTube videos were found using
Vobile technology and social video
analytics tool Tubular, which aggregates
public-facing metrics for videos uploaded
to social platforms. Demographic data
reflects the three-year period of August
2019-August 2022. All videos needed
to have at least one franchise-specific
keyword in their title.
A view-weighted sample set of videos
from each franchise was then categorized
based on content type and analyzed using
public-facing lifetime metrics. Most of
the data indicates what fans and other
media companies do with the official
content, and all solely reflect YouTube as
a platform. Official video uploads from
studios make up less than 5% of the
content reflected here.
Spoiler alert: Ruling over all fran
chises
is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with
6.2 million videos and 7.7 billion “engage
ments” — the latter an over
arching term
for likes and comments. Videos involving
the MCU trounce even the No. 2 brand
on the list, the DC Extended Universe.
The rest of the top 10, though, corner the
market in unique, often surprising ways:
“Transformers” relies on toy videos, not
movies, while fans of the “Fast & Furious”
oeuvre engage mostly with music-related
content and the “Hunger Games” and
“Walking Dead” franchises lead with video
game-related content.
Despite the MCU’s dominance, a
little digging reveals it’s not the most
superpowered franchise when it comes to
engagement rates. That would be “Harry
Potter” and “The Walking Dead,” proving
the franchise with the most official
content does not always result in the most
engaged audience. Also worth noting is
even after a title ceases to provide fresh
material — remember, the last “Hunger
Games” movie came out in 2015 — fans
still remain hungry, creating their own
costumes, reenactments or scenarios
within video games.
Fan culture has long been a powerful
tool for understanding what keeps a par-
ticular franchise, or individual project, a
valuable source of ongoing revenue and IP.
Parsing exactly what draws followers can
be a much bigger, more esoteric chal-
lenge. Regardless, there’s no question:
Fans will always want to fan together.
In a fractured, niche entertainment
universe, it is the collective watercooler
around which stories continue to be told.
I NTRO D U C TI O N
4. PRESENTED BY
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Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
500M
1.00B
1.50B
2.00B
2.50B
3.00B
3.50B
4.00B
4.50B
5.00B
5.50B
6.00B
6.50B
7.00B
7.50B
8.00B
8.50B
9.00B
9.50B
10.00B
10.50B
11.00B
Hunger Games
DCEU
Fast & Furious
Transformers
The Walking Dead
Jurassic
MCU
Harry Potter
Star Wars
Game of Thrones
SOURCE: VOBILE
M O NTH LY VI E WS FO R 1 0 TO P FR AN C H I S E S O N YO UTU B E
5. PRESENTED BY
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1 . M C U
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
2B
4B
6B
8B
10B
12B
SOURCE: VOBILE
T
here are franchises that do
well on YouTube, and then
there’s the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, which makes every-
thing else look like a piker. No. 2, the DC
Extended Universe, also deep-dives into
a comic-book superhero collection but
after almost 10 years still struggles to hit
4 billion views in its best month. The MCU,
meanwhile, hit 4 billion back in May 2020,
and by August 2022 — the end of VIP+
and Vobile’s three-year surveyed period —
was regularly cresting 10 billion.
The franchise’s interwoven elements
run the gamut of feature films, TV series,
video games, collectible merchandise
and, naturally, comic books, all a magnet
for fans. Thirty films have come out since
2008 (with release dates reaching into
2026 and anticipated even beyond that).
As for television, since 2010 the MCU has
premiered or plans to premiere dozens
of series on channels across broadcast,
cable and streaming.
That’s a lot of content, but does it
translate to consumer engagement? Per
Tubular, MCU earns 16.7 likes/comments
per 1,000 views — not the highest in the
top 10 franchises we surveyed. “Harry
Potter” tops engagement rates at 25.2 per
1,000, while No. 8 franchise, “The Walking
Dead,” is at 22.1. Clearly, sheer volume of
uploads does not always equate to the
greatest rate of engagement.
Still, the might of MCU’s presence on
YouTube can’t be denied, with viewer-
ship largely Movies/TV related, at 36%
of views, and Fan Skits/Re-creations/
Parodies coming in a close second at
28%. Those jumping in lean male (67%)
and from the U.S. (40%). Fan views show
steady growth over the evaluated period,
spiking from 6.8 billion to 11.1 billion from
November 2021 to January 2022.
This key timeframe coincides with the
releases of “Eternals” and “Spider-Man:
No Way Home” in theaters and “Hawkeye”
on TV. Unlike some fandoms, the views
have not fallen back down to 2019 levels,
and the MCU continues with monthly
views in the eight digits, solidly at the top
of the heap.
6.2M
Videos
461B
Views
7.7B
Engagements
JANUARY 2021
“WandaVision,” the
first MCU series on
Disney+, premieres
JANUARY 2020
Marvel Television
folds into Marvel
Studios
JUNE 2022
“Ms. Marvel” series
drops on Disney+
JULY 2021
“Black Widow”
releases to
theaters
DECEMBER 2021
“Spider-Man: No
Way Home” debuts
in theaters
6. PRESENTED BY
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Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(11%)
Clip (9%)
Analysis (6%)
Trailer (5%)
Review/Reaction (2.1%)
Cast Interview (1.3%)
Behind the Scenes (1.1%)
Promotional (0.5%)
Full Episode (0.3%)
Other (0.3%)
Fan Skit (16%)
Other (0.5%)
Vlogs (0.8%)
Analysis (1.6%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (1.8%)
Song (3.7%)
Game Content (14%)
Cooking/Food (0.8%)
Art/Crafts (1.3%)
Costume/Makeup (2.1%)
Toys/Merch (10%)
Prank (1.1%)
Animation/Stop-Motion (11%)
Breakdown
by Category
Share by Gender and Age
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
7%
22%
35%
30%
Male 67%
6%
24%
38%
25%
Female 33%
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Top Locations
U.S. 40%
Brazil 6%
U.K. 5%
Mexico 5%
Canada 3%
India 3%
Germany 3%
France 2%
Argentina 2%
Italy 2%
M C U
Movies/TV 135 36%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 107 28%
Hobbies 53 14%
Video Games 52 14%
Music 21 6%
Book 6 2%
Other 5 1%
Breakdown
by Category
MCU rules exponentially
above and beyond others
in the top franchise views
list, with external content
and YouTube videos and
alone releasing dozens of
films and TV series. Familiar
characters share the screen
in multiple movies, and
creators are happy to retcon
established canon to tell
fresh stories or, in the case
of the Disney+ series “What
If…?” simply pose alternate-
universe theories.
Despite the vast amount
of content and views,
MCU trails behind other
less busy franchises in
engage
ment. “Star Wars,”
“The Walking Dead” and
“Harry Potter” all evidence
stronger engagement rates
from viewers, a critical data
point for success.
The giant surge MCU
experienced between the
end of 2021 and the rollout
of 2022 has maintained
intensity, with views
regularly in the 10 billion-
11 billion range, ensuring
that saturation has not yet
been reached. Meanwhile,
as it dives deeper to give
lesser-known and diverse
characters more platforms,
it seems unlikely the
MCU will fall from the top
franchise spot.
7. PRESENTED BY
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2 . D C E U
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0.0
1.0B
1.5B
2.0B
2.5B
3.0B
3.5B
4.0B
SOURCE: VOBILE
500M
T
he DC Extended Universe far
predates streaming, having
been around as comics since
1937. But the recent spate
of superhero-based films from its realm
only kicked off in 2013, and DC Films and
Warner Bros. have since focused more on
features, leaving related media properties
to languish with obligatory efforts.
Still, with Superman, Batman, Wonder
Woman and Aquaman in your stable, per-
haps hyperfocus is the ticket. Certainly
it’s landed the DCEU (soon to be renamed
simply the DCU) in the top echelon for
both views and engage
ment. Since 2019,
the franchise has put out five films, with
“Black Adam” released in October and no
fewer than four titles set for 2023.
As for TV/streaming, “Aquaman: King
of Atlantis” (an animated miniseries), HBO
Max series “The Peacemaker” and others
in development suggest the small screen
is clearly becoming a venue of focus.
Numbers-wise, this makes DCEU an
interesting study: The majority of videos
and engagements are from the Movies/TV
category (53%), with clips making up half
that. Yet the videos with the most plays
often blend films with other fan bases
(Doja Cat’s “Boss B*tch” music video from
“Birds of Prey,” uploaded in January 2020,
is tops, with 332 million views). The DCEU
audience remains heavily male (68%) and
based in the U.S. (41%).
Views range consistently between 2
billion and 3 billion per month, with peaks
and valleys difficult to tie to a specific
property. The most significant, nearly
cracking the 4 billion mark, came in
March 2022, as “The Batman,” with Robert
Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, arrived
in theaters. Though separate from the
continuity of the DCEU, the film no doubt
helped spur engagement with DC-related
content. The same month, “Peacemaker”
wrapped its first season on HBO Max
and released a soundtrack album and a
single featuring star John Cena. While
the numbers did trickle down to previous
levels, maybe as the DCEU ups its
TV and streaming leveraging, there will
be more reasons for fans to engage.
3.5M
Videos
196B
Views
2.8B
Engagements
JANUARY 2022
“The Peacemaker”
debuts on HBO
Max, with weekly
installments
AUGUST 2022
“Batgirl” canceled
by Warner Bros.
Discovery in
postproduction
AUGUST 2021
“The Suicide Squad”
releases to theaters
and HBO Max
MARCH 2021
“Justice League”
director’s cut begins
airing on HBO Max
FEBRUARY 2020
“Birds of Prey”
premieres in
theaters
DECEMBER 2020
“Wonder Woman
1984” releases
to theaters and
HBO Max
8. PRESENTED BY
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Male 68% Female 32%
Top Locations
U.S. 41%
Brazil 8%
U.K. 5%
Mexico 4%
Canada 4%
India 2%
Argentina 2%
Philippines 2%
Indonesia 2%
France 2%
Share by Gender and Age
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
6%
20%
35%
32%
7%
23%
36%
26%
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(15%)
Trailer (2.8%)
Analysis (2.5%)
Review/Reaction (1.7%)
Promotional (1.4%)
Behind the Scenes (1.1%)
Cast Interview (0.3%)
Clip (29%)
Theme Park (0.3%)
Vlogs (0.6%)
Other (1.7%)
Analysis (1.7%)
Song (2.2%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (3.6%)
Game Content (11%)
Cooking/Food (0.6%)
Art/Crafts (1.1%)
Costume/Makeup (2.5%)
Toys/Merch (8%)
Challenge (0.3%)
Prank (0.6%)
Animation/Stop-Motion (6%)
Fan Skit (7%)
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
D C E U
Movies/TV 191 53%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 51 14%
Hobbies 45 12%
Video Games 38 11%
Music 21 6%
Book 6 2%
Other 9 2%
Breakdown
by Category
The DCEU has started
exploring secondary
superhero brands Shazam
and Black Adam, with
upcoming films for 2023
putting the spotlight on the
Flash and Blue Beetle. But it
has also potentially missed
opportunities: “Aquaman,”
the highest-grossing DC
Comics film, came out in
2018 and won't see its
sequel, “Aquaman and the
Lost Kingdom,” released
until late 2023.
While other top franchises
churn out content across
multiple media platforms,
the DCEU remains focused
on its feature titles and
has given TV properties
relatively little attention. But
spikes around the “Peace-
maker” season and ongoing
high views for DC Kids’ “Teen
Titans Go!” suggest the
small screen is receptive to
DC investing more.
The top DCEU videos on
YouTube are from official
sources, including Atlantic
Records, Cartoon Network
or Warner Bros. Meanwhile,
fan videos for the charac-
ters Shazam, Batman and
Superman take up much of
the rest of the high-viewed
content, and spikes would
suggest fans are more
reactive than creative in
this particular fandom.
9. PRESENTED BY
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3 . S TAR WAR S
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
500M
1.5B
2.5B
SOURCE: VOBILE
1.0B
2.0B
F
or many fans, “Star Wars” isn’t
just a fandom — it’s a lifestyle.
Nine films from the core “Sky-
walker saga” span 1977-2019,
a decades-long period that makes this
franchise an intergenerational passion.
The “Star Wars” oeuvre is responsible for
revolutionizing movie collectibles and toy
tie-ins, often pulling in exponentially more
from merchandising than box office.
It spawned dozens of spinoffs, from
standalone features to video games to
books, comics and a TV series universe
that has ballooned since the property
was acquired by Disney in 2012. In other
words, what works for “Star Wars” is just
about everything.
Given there’s been no original narrative
film since 2019, the period measured by
VIP+ and Vobile was particularly fruitful
for its TV arms, and that has kept videos
and views both fresh and robust. Movies/
TV leads the pack in video categories,
with 37.1% of views, and gaming coming
in just behind at 20.4%. Disney+’s “The
Manda
lorian,” which premiered in 2019,
dominates the most seen videos with a
trailer (460 million views) and tributes to
Grogu (aka “Baby Yoda”) made by fans.
“Star Wars” has the widest gender gap
of all the top 10 franchises, at 80% male,
and is third highest in engagements per
1K views (20.9) in the list.
Spikes in views are clearly tied to major
content releases, changes, finales — and
the holidays, as the transition from one
year to the next seems to signal higher
levels. Views between September 2019
and January 2020 shot from 501 million
to 1.2 billion, which dovetails with the
launch of “The Mandalorian” and the final
film in the Skywalker saga, “The Rise of
Skywalker.” Another spike to 1.5 billion
landed in December 2020 as Disney+
launched in Latin America.
Still, while each of those peaks shortly
settles back down to below the fran-
chise’s 1 billion average, May-July 2022
saw a surge to 1.5 billion views, likely
related to the premiere of “Obi-Wan
Kenobi” on Disney+. It appears the force
most definitely is with “Star Wars.”
2.9M
Videos
71.9B
Views
1.5B
Engagements
MAY 2022
“Obi-Wan Kenobi”
premieres on
Disney+
DECEMBER 2020
Mark Hamill
reprises his Luke
Skywalker role in
“The Mandalorian”
S2 finale
DECEMBER 2019
“The Rise of
Skywalker” releases
OCTOBER 2019
“The Rise of
Skywalker” final
trailer debuts
NOVEMBER 2019
“The Mandalorian”
drops on Disney+
10. PRESENTED BY
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Top Locations
U.S. 45%
Germany 7%
U.K. 6%
Brazil 5%
Canada 4%
Mexico 3%
France 3%
Australia 2%
Poland 2%
Spain 2%
Share by Gender and Age
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
9%
20%
33%
31%
4%
8%
25%
34%
26%
Analysis (11%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(11%)
Trailer (4.6%)
Clip (3.4%)
Review/Reaction (2.8%)
Promotional (1.8%)
Other (1.5%)
Behind the Scenes (1.3%)
Game Content (20%)
Theme Park (1.3%)
Other (1.5%)
Audiobook (0.3%)
Analysis (1.3%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (2.8%)
Song (4.9%)
Costume/Makeup (0.3%)
Art/Crafts (0.3%)
Cooking/Food (2.6%)
Toys/Merch (12%)
Prank (0.3%)
Animation (7%)
Fan Skit (8%)
Breakdown
by Category
Male 80% Female 20%
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
S TA R WA R S
Movies/TV 144 37%
Video Games 79 20%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 59 15%
Hobbies 59 15%
Music 30 8%
Book 6 2%
Other 11 3%
“Star Wars” owes much of
its top video viewership to
fans of Disney+ TV shows,
including “The Mandalorian,”
rather than its long-running
movie franchise, which
wrapped in 2019. New series
both animated and live
action, as well as documen-
taries, provide wide plat-
forms for fan engagement.
Viewership rises correlate
to specific release dates for
new content, sometimes
doubling when films or
TV shows are released or
even drop trailers. End-of-
year holiday seasons also
are prime time for spikes,
though it’s hard to divide
that element from the typical
year-end release of shows
and films. Still, such jumps
tend to last for three months
at most and then drop off.
In the near future, the
feature-film side is not likely
to fuel more videos, views or
engagements. The untitled
Taika Waititi entry — the
first since the divisive “Rise
of Skywalker” — isn’t set to
arrive until the 2025 holiday
season, and Patty Jenkins’
“Rogue Squadron,” originally
scheduled for late 2023, has
been removed from Disney's
release calendar.
12. PRESENTED BY
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4 . TR AN S FO R M E R S
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
100M
200M
300M
400M
500M
600M
700M
800M
SOURCE: VOBILE
T
hough not every media fran-
chise created to promote a
line of toys will break as big as
“Transformers,” this expansive
array of Japanese mecha toys has more
than proven it can be done, complete with
sound, fury and brand extensions.
Starting as a line of toys in 1984,
“Trans
formers” transformed into a seven-
film (and counting) feature series begin-
ning in 2007 that now encompasses toys,
animated TV shows, comic-book and web
series, an extensive list of games and a
handful of short films. And yet it’s telling
that the videos most viewed on YouTube
take the franchise back to its toy roots.
“Transformers” is the only franchise of our
top 10 to have the Hobbies category lead
ing the pack in views (37%), followed —
but not far behind — by Movies/TV.
Fans love either making or wearing
their own giant robot costumes, as
evidenced by some of the most flocked-
to videos. Dunia Robot’s “torang pasukan
damai batudaa versi robot Transformers
optimus prime,” uploaded in June 2021,
has garnered some 160 million views,
and it’s just 30 seconds of a person being
aided wiggling into a seven-foot-tall
Optimus Prime getup.
Followers are overwhelmingly male
(67%) and from the U.S. (50%), while
Dunia, which is behind some of the most
successful YouTube “Transformers” videos,
is based in Indonesia, home to just 2% of
the viewership, reflecting the international
appeal of the franchise.
The fan base for the franchise re-
mained largely steady throughout the
VIP+/Vobile measuring period, hovering
between 400 million and 600 million,
with few notable spikes. A steady climb
takes hold in November 2019 that drives
up views to a new peak in September
2020 (748 million), perhaps in anticipa-
tion of “Transformers: Battlegrounds,”
Outright Games’ role-playing game, which
launched that October.
In early 2023, there’s a good chance
another uptick will lumber in as the drum-
beat for the June release of “Transformers:
Rise of the Beasts” grows louder.
703K
Videos
46B
Views
337M
Engagements
JANUARY 2020
Joby Harold & James
Vanderbilt sign on to
pen new scripts
JUNE 2021
Top franchise
YouTube video drops
JULY 2020
Animated series
“Transformers: War
for Cybertron Trilogy”
debuts on Netflix
OCTOBER 2020
First game
since 2016,
“Battlegrounds”
releases
13. PRESENTED BY
P.13
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
7%
22%
35%
30%
6%
24%
38%
25%
U.S. 50%
U.K. 6%
Canada 5%
Mexico 4%
Brazil 3%
Philippines 3%
Australia 2%
Indonesia 2%
Japan 1%
Argentina 1%
Clip (14%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit (7%)
Trailer (2.6%)
Full Episode (2.1%)
Promotional (1.6%)
Analysis (1%)
Other (0.8%)
Behind the Scenes (0.5%)
Cast Interview (0.3%)
Review/Reaction (0.3%)
Toys/Merch (30%)
Other (0.5%)
Theme Park (0.8%)
Vlogs (0.8%)
Song (0.8%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (2.1%)
Game Content (10%)
Fan Skit (2.3%)
Animation (16%)
Art/Crafts (1.6%)
Costume/Makeup (6%)
Male 67% Female 33%
Male Female
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Hobbies 143 37%
Movies/TV 114 30%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 71 18%
Video Games 38 10%
Music 11 3%
Other 8 2%
“Transformers” is an
internationally consumed
brand. Though viewers
of the videos may come
largely from the U.S.,
many of the top clips hail
from outside the States
and feature non-English
speakers, proving lan-
guage and culture are no
barrier to pulling in tens of
millions of views.
As a toy company that
transformed into a media
franchise, “Transformers”
lives up to its name, with
both video creators and
YouTubers drawn to its
gadgets’ playability.
Videos whose sole content
is the donning of a “Trans-
formers” costume have
proven enough to reel in
engagements from fans
eager to see their favorite
characters come to “life.”
YouTube audience for the
franchise remains high
but steady, without major
surges, with new game
releases, short films and
web show episodes not
moving the needle very
much or for very long. The
last feature-film entry in
the franchise was in 2018,
which means things could
shift in 2023 with the on-
slaught of “Transformers:
Rise of the Beasts.”
TR A N S FO R M E R S
14. PRESENTED BY
P.14
5 . J U R A S S I C
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
200M
400M
600M
800M
1.2B
1.4B
SOURCE: VOBILE
1.0B
T
he ongoing success of “Juras
sic Park” proves if you can
brand yourself as the go-to
dinosaur universe, your fan
dom can span generations and spur
offshoots such as toys, TV shows, games
and short films. The June 2022 release of
the latest cinematic entry, “Jurassic Park
Dominion,” recently edged the brand over
$1 billion globally and elevated views to
T-rex levels, hitting 1.3 billion by August.
Video games dominate YouTube’s
“Juras
sic” universe, with 30.3% of total
views aimed at the game content that
has fueled fan fervor since the original
film, based on Michael Crichton’s sci-fi
novel, came out in 1993. (Four books have
published since 1990.) Men dominate in
the franchise (64%), which has helped
“Jurassic” to co-brand with companies
in the male-dominated gaming space for
expansions, including Lego, Microgaming,
Skyrocket and Minecraft.
No surprise that “Jurassic” and “The
Walking Dead” have similar popularity
in the gaming space, as both focus on
hordes of deadly non-humans who can be
mowed down without guilt. But the Clips
and Hobbies sections, which draw 22.5%
and 22% of views, respectively, show how
this franchise is ripe for fan interpreta-
tions and mashups. Some of the most
popular videos here show people playing
with dinosaur toys, making stop-motion
animations and often bringing in charac-
ters from unrelated fan favorites — some-
thing uniquely popular in Jurassic-dom.
From April 2020 through December
2021, the “Jurassic” franchise numbers
climbed steadily from 500 million into the
700 millions, with small peaks and valleys.
The release of “Jurassic World Evolution
2” video game in November 2021 plus a
five-minute online preview for the June
2022 release of “Jurassic Park Dominion,”
the first new cinematic entry in four years,
prompted a major surge, pushing views
over 1 billion for the first time. Then, after
an all-time top-out at 1.3 billion in August,
the numbers slid precipitously, suggesting
that it’s fresh entries that keep the roar
from this particular franchise thundering.
513K
Videos
40.6B
Views
379M
Engagements
NOVEMBER 2021
“Jurassic World
Evolution 2” video
game drops
JUNE 2022
“Jurassic World
Dominion” debuts
JUNE 2021
“Jurassic World
Dominion” preview
runs at “F9” Imax
screenings
MAY 2022
“Jurassic World
Primal Ops” video
game is announced
NOVEMBER 2020
“Jurassic World
Evolution” game out
on Nintendo Switch
FEBRUARY 2022
“Jurassic World
Dominion” official
trailer premieres
15. PRESENTED BY
P.15
U.S. 42%
U.K. 7%
Brazil 7%
Mexico 5%
Germany 3%
Canada 3%
France 2%
Spain 2%
Australia 2%
Argentina 2%
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
7%
20%
35%
29%
7%
24%
37%
25%
Clip (7%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit (6%)
Trailer (4%)
Analysis (3.5%)
Review/Reaction (1%)
Promotional (0.5%)
Behind the Scenes (0.3%)
Game Content (30%)
Vlogs (0.3%)
Other (2%)
Theme Park (3.3%)
Song (0.8%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (1.3%)
Fan Skit (7%)
Animation (11%)
Cooking/Food (0.5%)
Art/Crafts (1%)
Toys/Merch (20%)
Male 64% Female 36%
Male Female
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Video Games 120 30%
Movies/TV 89 23%
Hobbies 87 22%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 70 18%
Music 8 2%
Other 22 6%
J U R A S S I C
The “Jurassic Park” repu
tation as an all-encom-
passing dino-sandbox for
fans is a critical prompter
for YouTube engagement.
The franchise corners
a market not explored
successfully by any other
and pulls in a loyal gamer
fan base willing to play on
mobile, home systems and
even virtual reality.
Engagement with “Juras
sic” is dominated by
followers’ need to play,
as they often post their
own fan video content
to YouTube, wherein the
dinosaurs wreak havoc
with characters from
other franchises.
The first new film in the
canon since 2018, “Juras-
sic Park Dominion” hurled
view numbers over the
1 billion mark for a brief
period before they fell
back to Earth, with around
700 million since the end
of summer blockbuster
season. It’s unclear where
the film series goes from
here, suggesting games
and other categories will
continue to drive engage-
ment in the near future.
16. PRESENTED BY
P.16
6 . HAR RY P OT TE R
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
100M
200M
300M
400M
500M
600M
700M
800M
SOURCE: VOBILE
“H
arry Potter” has trans-
formed both publishing
and movies. J.K. Row
ling’s original seven
titles, published between 1997 and 2007,
changed reading for a generation. Then
they etched a modern template for high-
end film franchises, including the now
standard two-part finale phenomenon.
The films, spanning a 10-year period
(2001-11) and featuring largely the same
cast, were a profit-making machine that
still churns with the “Fantastic Beasts”
prequel series and a Broadway play. It
figures, then, that the Movies/TV realm
is the focus of fans, taking up 50% of all
franchise video views on YouTube (mostly
fan edits, listicles or compilations). Views
of videos related to the books, meanwhile,
barely rate at just 2%.
Still, finding “most popular” trends is a
challenge. “Potter” is shorthand for many
“magic”-related videos that aren’t related
at all. The first publicly available top video
with “Harry Potter”-specific content in
volves the PlayStation game “Hogwarts
Legacy” trailer from September 2020,
with 30.4M views. But not to be ignored
are such slick fan creations as the Italian
film “Voldemort: Origins of the Heir”
(18 million), released in 2018.
Views have trended upward over the
past three years, vaulting from 250 million
to 300 million to 740 million, in January
2022. This timed perfectly with HBO Max’s
commemorations of the film that kicked
things off — “Harry Potter and the Sorcer-
er’s Stone,” which premiered in the U.S.
in November 2001 — including the docu-
mentary “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary:
Return to Hogwarts” and a special edition
of the original.
The residual effect has kept the fran-
chise numbers in the 400 million-500
million range, likely sustained by “Fan
tastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumble-
dore,” which hit theaters in April 2022,
before moving to HBO Max. Two more
films are in the works but not yet greenlit,
after which the “Potter” franchise’s fate
on YouTube will remain something to be
foretold in the scrying mirror.
866K
Videos
31.6B
Views
795M
Engagements
JANUARY 2022
“20th Anniversary:
Return to Hogwarts”
drops on HBO Max
JANUARY 2021
News breaks of HBO
Max “Harry Potter”
live-action TV series
MAY 2020
Weasley family
reunion takes
place on Zoom
APRIL 2022
“Fantastic Beasts:
The Secrets of
Dumbledore”
released in theaters
SEPTEMBER 2020
“Fantastic Beasts:
The Secrets of
Dumbledore”
begins filming
17. PRESENTED BY
P.17
U.S. 28%
Brazil 8%
Germany 7%
U.K. 6%
France 6%
Mexico 4%
Canada 3%
Italy 3%
Spain 2%
Australia 2%
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
7%
20%
32%
32%
8%
22%
31%
30% 5%
Fan Skit (8%)
Animation (3.1%)
Challenge (2.8%)
Prank (0.3%)
ASMR (0.3%)
Art/Crafts (4.9%)
Toys/Merch (3.6%)
Cooking/Food (2.1%)
Costume/Makeup (1.3%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(21%)
Audiobook (0.3%)
Review/Reaction (0.3%)
Analysis (1%)
Theme Park (0.3%)
Other (1%)
Vlogs (2.1%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (2.6%)
Song (6%)
Game Content (10%)
Other (0.8%)
Promotional (0.8%)
Review/Reaction (1.5%)
Cast Interview (1.8%)
Trailer (3.6%)
Behind the Scenes (4.1%)
Analysis (8%)
Clip (9%)
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
Male 57% Female 43%
Male Female
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Movies/TV 194 50%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 58 15%
Hobbies 46 12%
Video Games 39 10%
Music 34 9%
Book 6 2%
Other 13 3%
“Harry Potter” draws the
highest percentage of
women (43%) engaging on
YouTube — with most in the
prized 18-34 demo — and
that has helped it top even
MCU in engagements. J.K.
Rowling’s well-drawn and
fully arced female char
acters may explain some
of the appeal.
Rowling’s political and
social views have made
her something of a
flashpoint on social media
since she began trending
in the latter half of 2020
after expounding on sex
and gender identity in
the press. It’s arguable
whether this contributed
to YouTube views between
June and October, when
the numbers stayed
virtually flat.
The “Fantastic Beasts”
series keeps interest
steady, but the generation
that grew up with “Harry
Potter” is now entering
the nostalgia stage,
evidenced by the success
of HBO Max’s look-back
content. As fresh entries
in the franchise dwindle,
it remains to be seen if
“Potter” will continue to
inspire interest in fan-
created YouTube content.
H A R RY P OT TE R
18. PRESENTED BY
P.18
7. FA S T & FU R I O U S
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
100M
200M
300M
400M
500M
SOURCE: VOBILE
D
o not underestimate the power
of supercharged cars and
their revved-up drivers over
American audiences. That’s
the message of the “Fast & Furious”
franchise, because while it’s among the
top 10 in the surveyed list, it is unlike
any of the others.
For one thing, “Fast” is the only non-
genre franchise in the top 10 — no magic
spells or superheroes and no dystopian
futures or mystical “forces” that control
the mind. “F&F” runs on exaggeration,
but its genre is “action” right out of the
gate. And yet with no new flms since
2021, it regularly clocks over 300 million
monthly video views on YouTube.
What’s the secret sauce? According
to the numbers on YouTube, it’s the roaring
soundtracks underneath it all. Nine “Fast
& Furious” films and a spinoff, short films,
an animated TV series that ran for six
seasons on Netflix and multiple video
games are indeed out there, but 51 per-
cent of “F&F” views are based on music.
The 19 full-length music properties and
18 singles released in connection with the
films have paired with hot artists including
Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, and nat-
urally there’s crossover appeal for those
musicians’ fanbases. No. 2 video, “Tokyo
Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz (PedroDJDaddy
remix), from the eponymous “F&F” film,
has alone racked up 126 million views.
Despite the seemingly slow drift of
fresh content, fans (68% male and 38%
U.S. based) remain loyal. Video views on
YouTube hover between 300 million and
400 million, with a few spikes — as in a
February 2020 jolt to 497 million aligned
with “The Road to F9: Fast & Furious Fan
Fest,” a televised concert event featuring
the likes of Cardi B and Charlie Puth that
included a trailer for the ninth film. A mid-
2021 extended surge kept numbers in the
high 400 millions, corresponding with the
release of “F9” and its tracks.
While view numbers since then may
have trended downward, the premiere of
“Fast X,” the first half of the series’ final
film, in May 2023 will no doubt reveal
another turbo boost.
280K
Videos
30.6B
Views
294M
Engagements
JANUARY 2020
“The Road to
F9” concert airs,
showing a trailer for
the ninth film
JUNE 2021
“F9: The Fast Saga”
releases in theaters
JULY 2021
Score and sound
track drop for
the “F9” film
APRIL 2022
Official title of
10th film, “Fast X,”
is revealed
AUGUST 2022
“Fast X” wraps
principal
photography
19. PRESENTED BY
P.19
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
5%
8%
20%
34%
29%
5%
7%
23%
36%
25%
U.S. 38%
Russia 5%
U.K. 4%
France 4%
Canada 4%
Germany 4%
Brazil 3%
Thailand 2%
India 2%
Japan 2%
Clip (12%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit (9%)
Trailer (9%)
Behind the Scenes (4.1%)
Analysis (2.1%)
Promotional (1.3%)
Other (0.5%)
Review/Reaction (0.3%)
Theme Park (0.3%)
Other (0.8%)
Vlogs (2.1%)
Prank (0.3%)
Fan Skit (0.5%)
Art/Crafts (0.5%)
Toys/Merch (2.8%)
Game Content (3.9%)
Song (8%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (43%)
Male 68% Female 32%
Male Female
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Music 197 51%
Movies/TV 147 38%
Video Games 15 4%
Hobbies 13 3%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 3 1%
Other 12 3%
Fantasy and sci-fi fran-
chises may have a better
shot at long-term engage
ment on YouTube, but
“Fast & Furious” proves
earthbound films rife
with testosterone, muscle
cars and family can still
pack a powerful and
sustained punch.
Tapping into a core
audience with just the
right music — on trend,
matching with artists the
audience prefers — means
videos will have not just
strong replay value but
significant overlap with
the musicians’ own estab-
lished fan bases.
The “Fast X” release
next year is sure to drive
engagement higher, but
while audiences are
likely to keep watching
videos and creating fresh
content, their numbers
could drop off just as fast,
as the franchise lost over
150 million views in just
a month after the hype
for “F9” peaked in Feb
ruary 2020. In the long
run, though, maintaining
fan interest may rely on
buzz from still-in-develop-
ment spinoffs.
FA S T & FU R I O U S
20. PRESENTED BY
P.20
8 . GAM E O F TH RO N E S
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
100M
200M
300M
400M
500M
600M
SOURCE: VOBILE
N
o question: On YouTube in
2022, the “Game of Thrones”
draw has become “House of
the Dragon.” The HBO prequel
series, which premiered Aug. 21 and
expands on the dragon-mastering Targa
ryens of “GOT,” has energized fans,
who hadn’t had new material since the
original, controversial 2011-19 series
ended in a divisive finale.
Nearly 73% of views — the highest in-
dividual category portion of all fran
chises
surveyed — focused on fan-generated
discussion, edits and compilations, with
the top clips a mix of “GOT” and “HOD.”
Case in point: The most played video is
the behind-the-green-screen “Reality of
Game of Thrones Dragon Shoots” from
Ishhu Editz, which scored 47.7 million You-
Tube views. Those engaging are predomi-
nantly male (70%), with 37% U.S. based.
The Music category is second in
YouTube video views but at just 15.5%,
despite the original series featuring a
host of popular artists over its run, with
many popping up in onscreen cameos,
including Ed Sheeran, Sigur Ros and Chris
Stapleton. Some also recorded songs for
the series, though “GOT” isn’t known for
non-score soundtracks. Still, the Music
category reeled them in due to the likes
of Coldplay joining forces with the cast for
“Game of Thrones: The Musical,” a fund-
raiser for Red Nose Day. That fan favorite
garnered 36 million YouTube views.
These days, it’s all about the drag-
ons. “GOT” monthly video views lingered
solidly at 150 million-160 million until the
announcement of “Dragon” in spring
2021, when those numbers began climb-
ing, hitting 277 million within weeks.
“HOD” trailer releases prompted brief
spikes, and then a month after the “HOD”
premiere, views skyrocketed to 914
million. The franchise continues to have
a respectable engagement ratio of 14.9
likes/comments per 1K views.
For now, the franchise’s ascension is
sure to continue, with a second season of
“HOD” greenlit just a week after its debut,
which should ensure the dragon’s bellies
remain fiery for some time to come.
526K
Videos
22.9B
Views
341M
Engagements
AUGUST 2022
“HOD” debuts,
sates fans’ hunger
OCTOBER 2021
Official trailer for
“HOD” releases
MAY 2021
HBO fetes 10 years
of “GOT”
JULY 2022
HBO Max releases
second trailer
JULY 2021
“Reality of Game
of Thrones” fan
tribute posts
MAY 2021
HBO confirms
“House of the
Dragon”
21. PRESENTED BY
P.21
U.S. 37%
Brazil 7%
U.K. 7%
Germany 4%
France 4%
Canada 4%
Mexico 2%
Australia 2%
India 2%
Spain 2%
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
5%
8%
20%
39%
26%
5%
7%
22%
40%
24%
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(21%)
Analysis (15%)
Clip (10%)
Review/Reaction (8%)
Vlogs (0.5%)
Other (2.3%)
Game Content (0.5%)
Cooking/Food (0.3%)
Costume/Makeup (0.5%)
Toys/Merch (0.5%)
Analysis (2.8%)
Prank (0.3%)
Animation (0.5%)
Fan Skit (3.4%)
Song (1.3%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (14%)
Other (0.8%)
Promotional (2.8%)
Trailer (3.9%)
Behind the Scenes (5%)
Cast Interview (7%)
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
Male 70% Female 30%
Male Female
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Movies/TV 283 73%
Music 60 16%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 16 4%
Book 11 3%
Hobbies 5 1%
Video Games 2 1%
Other 11 3%
Talking about the series
has always been a fan
focus, whether about
author George R.R. Martin
(who still has not finished
the book series), the
show’s brutality or the
jaw-dropping special
effects. That has kept
engagement numbers on
YouTube steady even after
the “GOT” signoff.
Prequel “House of the
Dragon” has replaced
much interest in “GOT” in
the years since the origi-
nal ended. Viewing spikes
pre-prequel premiere were
largely tied to dragon-
related scenes in the orig-
inal or trailers for the new
show, but an exponential
spike of interest in “HOD”
brought the franchise
back into fan graces.
Views for the franchise
ratched up starting in
August 2022, with the
previous steady views
spiking to 587 million after
the “HOD” premiere then
nearly doubling by end of
September. Consistent
performance in the 900
million range would vault
this franchise into the top,
rather than the bottom,
five of viewerships.
G A M E O F TH R O N E S
22. PRESENTED BY
P.22
9. TH E WALK I N G D E AD
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
20M
40M
60M
80M
100M
120M
140M
160M
180M
200M
SOURCE: VOBILE
“T
he Walking Dead” may
have started as a comic
book series, and it may
now be a long-running
(since 2010) AMC TV series, but when it
comes to what fans want on YouTube, it’s
all about games. Game-related videos ac-
count for the bulk of views (45%) related
to the dystopian phenomenon. “The Walk-
ing Dead” has leaned into actual game
creation across multiple platforms over
its 11-season run, and “Dead” content
is also part of established frameworks
such as “Bridge Constructor” and “The
Escapists.” With a male-heavy fandom
(76% of all views) — the second-widest
gender gap of the top franchises — it’s no
surprise there’s a strong gamer following.
Nearly on par is the Movies/TV cate-
gory, which garners 42% of all “Walking
Dead” video views on YouTube (clips,
listicles, analysis dominate). Most popular
among videos that actually feature clips
from the show are short, punchy moments
like Twdxr’s “I’m Rick Grimes” (23 sec-
onds, 14.6 million views).
Still, overall engagement is high for
“Walking Dead” videos in relation to
other franchises: 22.1 likes or comments
per 1K views, compared with 16.7 for top
franchise MCU.
Video view rates for “Dead” have
stayed reasonably steady, hovering be-
tween 100 million and 150 million. Spikes
over VIP+ and Vobile’s studied time period
tended to dovetail with the show’s split
TV seasons, which set fans ablaze due to
two “premieres” each season. The final
three-part season, released in eight-
episode chunks between August 2021
and October 2022, showed several peaks
and valleys. Predictably, as the series
nears its end in November, viewership is
climbing — to record levels — shooting
from 133 million in August 2021 to 244
million by September 2022.
Can the show keep shambling to big
numbers in the post-mothership world?
It seems likely: No fewer than six spinoffs
have aired, are airing or are set to air.
Truly, “The Walking Dead” is its own inevi-
table, unkillable, unsinkable force.
936K
Videos
14B
Views
310M
Engagements
AUGUST 2022
AMC’s “Tales of
the Walking Dead”
spinoff premieres
OCTOBER 2021
“Halloween Walking
Dead” fan video
posts (hits 87M)
MARCH 2020
Final episode for
fan fave Michonne
(Danai Gurira)
SEPTEMBER 2020
“The Walking
Dead: Onslaught”
virtual reality game
releases
OCTOBER 2019
Season 10 of “The
Walking Dead”
premieres
AUGUST 2021
Season 11 of “The
Walking Dead”
premieres
FEBRUARY 2022
Season 11 of “The
Walking Dead”
has its midseason
premiere
23. PRESENTED BY
P.23
U.S. 40%
Brazil 10%
U.K. 6%
Germany 4%
Canada 4%
Mexico 3%
Argentina 3%
Poland 2%
France 2%
Russia 2%
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
6%
15%
34%
38%
6%
18%
33%
35%
Clip (11%)
Analysis (9%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit
(8%)
Review/Reaction (6%)
Behind the Scenes (2.9%)
Trailer (2.1%)
Cast Interview (1.3%)
Promotional (1.3%)
Other (0.3%)
Vlogs (0.5%)
Theme Park (1.6%)
Cooking/Food (0.3%)
Costume/Makeup (0.5%)
Review/Reaction (0.3%)
Analysis (0.8%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack
(0.8%)
Song (1%)
Challenge (1%)
Animation/Stop-Motion (1.8%)
Fan Skit (4.5%)
Game Content (45%)
Top Locations Share by Gender and Age
Breakdown
by Category
Male 76% Female 24%
Male Female
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Video Games 173 45%
Movies/TV 159 42%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 28 7%
Music 7 2%
Book 4 1%
Hobbies 3 1%
Other 8 2%
Zombies are the ultimate
easy prey. Dangerous
and deadly, they can be
killed with no remorse,
which feeds well into
video games. “The Walking
Dead” has made hay of
that since its debut, with
multiple games on many
platforms, many of which
turn into YouTube clips.
Spikes in video viewer
ship are often tied to
premieres, finales or major
exits, as seen in the March
2020 exit of long-running
favorite character Mi-
chonne, which saw a leap
to 158 million. Safe to say
the jumps will disappear
once the mothership show
ends in November.
Without “The Walk-
ing Dead” on the air,
it remains to be seen
whether YouTube views
and new content on the
platform will be sustained
by spinoffs. Multiple new
series, such as the Maggie
and Negan-focused “Dead
City” and an untitled
Daryl series starring lead
Norman Reedus, both for
2023, may buoy fresh
interest — or start a long,
slow decline.
TH E WA LK I N G D E A D
24. PRESENTED BY
P.24
1 0. TH E H U N G E R GAM E S
“H
unger Games” is not a
recent franchise. The
initial three books from
Suzanne Collins (“Hunger
Games,” “Catching Fire,” “Mockingjay”)
published between 2008 and 2010, while
the four films made from them (“Mocking-
jay” was a two-parter) ran 2012-15. And
yet “Hunger Games” makes the top 10 of
all franchise content on YouTube … how?
Simple: fans and video games. Top con-
tent for “Hunger Games” in the measured
period shows 48% of all views went to
videos related to games. Yet despite being
about a reality show whose contestants
must fight to the death, “Hunger Games”
never went all in on official games (save
for some entries that circulated on Face-
book and “Hunger Games: Panem Run” in
support of the second film).
Instead, fans crafted uni
verses in
Minecraft and Roblox that reflect “The
Hunger Games” and the fictional country
of Panem. The francise’s title has even
entered the zeitgeist, used as shorthand
for pitting any teams in a battle to the vir-
tual death and providing infinite opportu-
nities for fans to create video battles.
Music is also big for “Hunger Games”
video plays on YouTube, carrying 14% of
views, with soundtracks that include the
likes of Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Lorde.
Videos of those songs buoy the series,
which hovers between 20 million and 40
million views per month, with a rare spike
to 50 million. The Hobbies category re-
mains at just 3 percent of total views, and
yet there are outliers: Crescent Shay’s fan
video “Making Effie’s Butterfly Dress,” set
to Doja Cat, has logged 105 million views
and 4.8 million engagements, making
it the franchise’s top video for the past
three years. But renewal may be ahead:
Prequel novel “The Ballad of Songbirds
and Snakes” pubbed in May 2020 (coin-
ciding with that 50 million views spike),
and the film is due in November 2023.
Still, book-related content is at just
1 percent of total views, so we’ll have to
wait and see if the canon’s latest entry
provides a new arena for creators hungry
for “The Hunger Games.”
Monthly Views Over the Past Three Years
Sep
2019
Oct Nov Dec Jan
2020
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2021
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
2022
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
0
10M
20M
30M
40M
50M
SOURCE: VOBILE
487K
Videos
8.7B
Views
167M
Engagements
MAY 2020
Prequel novel “The
Ballad of Songbirds
and Snakes”
publishes
SEPTEMBER 2021
Top video “Making
Effie’s Butterfly
Dress” uploads
JANUARY 2022
“Minecraft’s
Funniest YouTuber
Hunger Games”
racks up nearly
10M views
MAY 2020
Lionsgate’s Night at
the Movies COVID-19
fundraiser posts
MARCH 2022
“Hunger Games”
complete collection
releases
25. PRESENTED BY
P.25
Hunger Games Location
U.S. 48%
U.K. 7%
Germany 6%
Canada 4%
Brazil 3%
France 3%
India 2%
Australia 2%
Mexico 2%
Philippines 2%
Share by Gender and Age
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
5%
8%
18%
32%
32%
5%
8%
18%
31%
33% 5%
Male 65% Female 35%
Game Content (48%)
Other(0.8%)
Review/Reaction (0.3%)
Promotional (0.3%)
Art/Crafts (0.3%)
Cooking/Food (0.5%)
Costume/Makeup (1.8%)
Challenge (0.3%)
Fan Skit (2.6%)
Animation/Stop-Motion (2.8%)
Song (7%)
Movie Score or Soundtrack (7%)
Other (0.8%)
Behind the Scenes (0.8%)
Analysis (1%)
Promotional (1.8%)
Review/Reaction (2%)
Cast Interview (2.3%)
Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit (6%)
Clip (6%)
Trailer (8%)
Hunger Games
Count of Category
SOURCE FOR ALL DATA: VOBILE; METRIC TOTALS INCLUDE PUBLIC-FACING DATA FROM TUBULAR THROUGH AUG. 24, 2022;
CATEGORY ANALYSIS INCLUDES PUBLIC-FACING DATA THROUGH MAY 25, 2022; TOTAL VIEWS INCLUDE % OF ERROR
Breakdown
by Category
Video Games 189 48%
Movies/TV 113 29%
Music 53 14%
Fan Skit/Re-Creation/Parody 22 6%
Hobbies 10 3%
Book 2 1%
Other 3 1%
Despite no official fresh
content for over six years,
“Hunger Games” makes
YouTube’s top 10. Audi
ences, who skew heavily
male (65%) and 48% from
the U.S. find the appeal
of the alternate universe,
strong female hero and
action sequences a
constant draw. And in the
vacuum of new source
material, they invent ways
to explore the universe.
The “games” nature of
the franchise has spurred
audiences to create home-
made videos of them-
selves playing “Hunger
Games” on platforms such
as Roblox and Minecraft.
Videos of players inter-
acting with the re-created
universe and bloopers are
among the most popular.
The sensation is less
about fans playing out the
movies’ beats and more
immersing themselves
in a communal sphere.
With a prequel movie
coming in 2023, “Hunger
Games” appears poised
to surge from No. 10 into a
much higher berth, fueled
by the backstory of villain-
to-be President Coriolanus
Snow and a now familiar
alternate world.
TH E H U N G E R G A M E S
26. PRESENTED BY
P.26
G LO S SARY O F CATEG O R I E S
MOVIES/TV: Videos that feature or
discuss content from the franchise.
» Analysis: Videos that break down a specific
scene, theme or aspect of a film or TV show.
» Behind the Scenes: Videos featuring off-
camera content with the cast and crew of a
movie/TV show.
» Cast Interview: Videos of cast or crew
members talking about their movie/TV show.
May be from the red carpet, on a late-night
show or in a more casual setting.
» Clip: Videos of unedited cloned content from
scenes of a movie/TV show.
» Compilation/Listicle/Fan Edit: Videos that
chronicle countdowns, best-ofs, favorites or
multiple clips stitched together. Also includes
clips that have been manipulated or edited
from the original scene.
» Full Episode: Unedited complete episodes of
a TV show.
» Promotional: Videos promoting the movies or
TV shows like TV spots or ads, usually shorter
and more commercial than trailers.
» Review/Reaction: Videos of fans who’ve
viewed the movie/TV show sharing their
experience and opinions.
» Trailer: Videos of the theatrical promos.
» Other: Videos that are related to the movies
or TV shows from the franchise but don’t fit
the other specific subcategories
BOOKS: Videos that feature or discuss
books on or about the franchise.
» Analysis: Videos that break down a specific
scene, theme or aspect.
» Audiobook: Videos featuring a reading.
» Promotional: Videos promoting the books,
such as trailers, teasers or ads.
» Review/Reaction: Videos of fans viewing/
reading the book and sharing their expe
rience and opinions.
VIDEO GAMES: Videos that feature
gameplay from titles either created by the
franchise or based on it.
» Game Content: Videos that feature
gameplay from video games either created
by the franchise or based on it.
FAN SKIT / RE-CREATION / PARODY:
Fan-created videos that either spoof or
replicate scenes or play out new original
scenes based on the franchise.
» Animation: Fan-created videos using mostly
animation or stop-motion.
» ASMR: Fan-created ASMR videos.
» Challenge: Fan-created videos showcasing
people partaking in a challenge or real-life
game based related to the franchise.
» Fan Skit: Fan-created videos of scenes
spoofed or re-created or played out as new
original scenes.
» Prank: Fan-created videos on the franchise
that play jokes on people
HOBBIES: Videos that feature fan leisure
activities based on the franchise.
» Art/Crafts: Videos of fans displaying things
they have created.
» Cooking/Food: Videos of followers cooking
or eating recipes based on the franchise.
» Costume/Makeup: Videos of fans creating
or displaying costumes and makeup related
to the franchise.
» Toys/Merch: Videos of fans unboxing,
displaying or playing with franchise toys
or merchandise
MUSIC: Videos that feature songs from
the soundtrack or fan-made songs and
remixes based on the franchise.
» Movie Score or Soundtrack: Videos
featuring songs from the official score or
soundtrack.
» Song: Videos of an original, cover, remix or
edited tune inspired by the franchise
OTHER: Videos that don’t fit the main
categories but still relate to the franchise.
» Theme Park: Videos featuring theme
park content, including park tours, trips
or ride POVs.
» Vlogs: Videos using a vlog-style format and
including a factor related to the franchise,
such as the exploring of filming locations.
27. PRESENTED BY
P.27
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