Welcome to our rundown of the most-watched branded YouTube videos of the week.
We’re publishing this snippet of a larger Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report in order to analyze sponsorship trends in the creator economy. Any video launched in tandem with an official brand partner is eligible for the ranking.
And – as the name up above would imply – all the data comes from Gospel Stats. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.
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There’s a new #1 in the Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report! MrBeast has been hogging the glory in this ranking of late, but his minor delays helped Mark Rober earn a turn at the top of the heap.
Rober is joined in the ranking by several other big names from YouTube and beyond. Mobile games and ISPs are still frequent sponsors, and controversial figures are bringing massive viewership to video podcasts. Without further ado, here are the branded YouTube videos released this week that have earned the most viewership:
#1 Car Thief Gets Instant Karma (the FINAL Glitterbomb 6.0)
Channel: Mark Rober
Brand: T-Mobile and Crunchlabs
Last year, Mark Rober humiliated porch pirates with a booby-trapped package he dubbed The Final Glitterbomb. That name turned out to be a misnomer. After his personal car was the target of a break-in, Rober decided that the package thieves of the world needed to be taught one more lesson.
Enter Glitterbomb 6.0. Rober’s latest theft deterrent features a new mechanism for spraying fart gas and an in-car jump scare. Rober brought in a Bay Area investigative journalist to help him interpret his findings, and he paired his usual sponsor — his science-in-a-box brand Crunchlabs — with tech partner T-Mobile. The telecom company got a boost after helping Rober collect surveillance footage of the Glitterbomb. Perhaps it will convince the YouTube star to bring his trap out of retirement (again) in 2024.
#2 The Andrew Tate Interview – PART 1 | EP. 47
Channel: George Janko
Brand: Lectric Bikes
Sponsored videos that feature Elon Musk often find their way into our branded video ranking. Now, another controversial figure is making waves in the report. Andrew Tate made a guest appearance on the podcast hosted by George Janko, a YouTuber who has been heard (and seen) on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive. More than eight million views later, Janko’s interview with Tate has become a global hit, which is good news for the e-bike company that backed the episode. Tate may be a divisive figure, but like Musk, his appearances on YouTube turn into blockbusters (even if some of those viewers dislike him).
#3 Mom Finds Out Her TEENAGER Is INSIDE GANG, What Happens Next Is Shocking
Channel: Dhar Mann Studios
Brand: Dragon City
Dhar Mann‘s latest YouTube morality tale takes on the topic of youth gang activity. The Los Angeles-based filmmaker got together a 20-person cast to teach a lesson about what happens when teenagers associate with the wrong crowd. Like many Dhar Mann originals, this video is heavy-handed in its messaging and resolute in its good-hearted point of view. Mann also offers an alternative to hustling in the form of his sponsor: If you want to join a gang, remember that an easier way to pass the time is to play the game Dragon City. That’s the moral I took away from this Dhar Mann video, though it offers plenty of other potential lessons.
#4 Bethesda’s Game Design Was Outdated a Decade Ago
Channel: NakeyJakey
Brands: Opera
The last time we heard from Opera in our Branded Video Report, the web browser was helping the I Did A Thing channel fund its massive beyblade. Now, Opera is back in the top five with a different sort of sponsorship: Instead of backing an engineer, it has thrown its weight behind NakeyJakey, a creator known for videos about game design. Jakey’s latest joint is a critique of Fallout publisher Bethesda Softworks and its “outdated” design philosophy. When it comes to video games and web browsers, Jakey wants his subscribers to enjoy a modern experience, so he’s pushing Opera GX as a more powerful alternative to the “basic browser” you might be using right now.
BONUS: #1,626 the entire history of one piece, I guess
Channel: IMOTO
Brand: WebNovel
A viral Bill Wurtz video from 2017 has spawned a title meme format that has been applied to hundreds of recap videos. On IMOTO channel, the “i guess” style of historical narrative lends its title to a video that chronicles the timeline of the long-running manga series One Piece. If you’ve been trying to get into One Piece but have been intimidated by its 1,000-chapter length, this video is a great time saver. And if saving that time frees you up to read other works, there are tons of independent selections available through video sponsor WebNovel. The digital fiction hub has appealed to anime aficionados by attaching its branding to YouTube uploads that cover franchises like One Punch Man and Jujutsu Kaisen.
…and there’s a lot more data where that came from. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.
