Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Beast Games, Saddam Hussein, JRE and DraftKings

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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Attention: please sing the headline above to the tune of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Okay, that’s all, thank you.

Check out our latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report right here:

#1 The Biggest Misconception In Physics
Channel: Veritasium
Brand: KiwiCo
Views: 6,439,422

It seems like every week, Veritasium is back to dismantle another foundational belief in physics and/or math. And while we’re betting his content is interesting for the very smart people who work in those fields, it’s also digestible to the slightly less math and/or physics-inclined laypeople out there (e.g., us). That’s what puts him in the top 5 of our Weekly Brand Reports pretty much every time he uploads a video: he takes extremely esoteric and complicated concepts and breaks them down so anyone hungry to learn–which is a lot of people on YouTube–can do so. If there’s anything we’ve seen from putting these reports together, it’s that YouTube viewers want to know more stuff. And Veritasium has gotten himself over 17 million subscribers by fulfilling that desire. (Oh, and this week’s video is sponsored by kid-friendly education company KiwiCo, so parents can start ’em early.)

#2 How the U.S. Found Saddam Hussein
Channel: neo
Brand: Nebula
Views: 6,338,851

If you’re up to date on your geopolitical history, you’ll recognize this thumbnail as a historical image. But, if you’re too online, like we are, you’ll recognize the thumbnail of this video as a meme, thanks to people of the internet who abstracted a diagram of Saddam Hussein‘s hiding place until they could meme on absolutely anything that even vaguely resembled his supine position. The meme has floated around for a few years but experienced a recent resurgence on TikTok. Why? Who knows. That’s just the flow of the internet, baby. And now, courtesy of neo and his sponsor Nebula, the denizens online can actually learn about the military movement that led to this infamous image.

#3 Beast Games: Charity Edition
Channel: Beast Philanthropy
Brand: Albertsons
Views:  5,431,772

Wait…wait…A MrBeast video? And it’s not #1?? What universe are we in??? Well, we’re in the Beast Philanthropy universe, because that’s where he posted this latest video. A channel dedicated to his charitable efforts (with all ad revenue benefiting his food bank in his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina), Beast Philanthropy still flies somewhat under the radar compared to his main channel. On his main, he’s got 388 million subscribers. Beast Philanthropy? 27.8 million. Now, to be clear, 27.8 million subscribers is still a whopping number. But the difference in viewership is clear. While a video on MrBeast’s main channel generally brings between 50 and 120 million views, this Beast Philanthropy video–a twist on his Amazon

show, Beast Games, where YouTubers compete for a $200,000 dono to the charity of their choice–has netted just over 5 million. Its sponsor Albertsons still got some big screen time, though, considering the challenges take place in one of its locations.

#4 JRE MMA Show #166 with Ilia Topuria
Channel: PowerfulJRE
Brand: BetterHelp, DraftKings
Views: 3,059,524

Just like last week, Joe Rogan takes spot #4–and just like last week, he’s sponsored by fantasy sports betting company DraftKings. The service is one of the most prolific sponsors on YouTube, and while it and competitor FanDuel are usually mentioned in the same breath, when it comes to this platform, they’re vastly different. DraftKings makes a significant investment in content creators: This week alone, it sponsored more than 75 videos. FanDuel? Just seven, with the most-viewed of those coming in at spot #541. Both sites have been all over major sports leagues since the law banning sports betting in the U.S. was struck down in 2018, but it’s clear they have divergent strats online. We’re curious how that’s paying off for DraftKings……

BONUS #1,699 DIY CARDBOARD TRASH INTO EXPENSIVE HOME DECOR FOR FREE ✨ $$$
Channel: Tina Le
Brand: Away
Views: 41,095

Speaking of companies investing in content creators…Each week, we like to find a bonus video that isn’t in the top 5, but still fills an interesting niche or has an intriguing sponsor. This week, that’s a video from DIY expert Tina Le. As you probably know, things are not exactly financially excellent in the U.S. right now, so if you’re hurting for cash and hard up for some home decor, Le has you covered. And her video is part of an advertising strat from luggage company Away, which doesn’t pay for many videos each week, but does carefully choose which creators it sponsors. Le is one, and another is fashion/lifestyle creator Lauren Norris, at spot #2,071 this week. Both these women target artsy, budget-savvy viewers–and it’s clear Away wants those viewers to spend the money they save on decor and fashion, on its products instead.

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…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.