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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It’s not rare that Ryan Trahan pops up on our Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report, but it is rare that he appears twice in one week—and on two different channels! One video, a collab with chef extraordinaire Nick DiGiovanni, is sponsored by YouTube itself. Also making this week’s list: MrBeast and The Sidemen, along with a robotics enthusiast sharing his tiny laboratory.
Let’s dive right in:
#1 2,000 People Fight For $5,000,000
Channel: MrBeast
Brand: MoneyLion
Views: 129,583,486
MrBeast‘s $100 million Amazon series Beast Games came out Dec. 19, with 10 episodes following 1,000 people competing for a $5 million prize. But those 1,000 people weren’t the only contestants who wanted in–and the 10 episodes available on Prime Video aren’t the whole story. MrBeast’s latest upload is a behind-the-scenes look at the (now infamous) first round of qualifications, where 2,000 contestants gathered just outside Las Vegas to compete for a chance at being on Beast Games. We’re guessing this is the first in a series of BTS videos about the show’s production–and this episode is sponsored by financial services company MoneyLion, which is giving away $4+ million as part of their partnership.
#2 I Flew Around the World in First Class
Channel: Ryan Trahan
Brand: Saily
Views: 10,178,047
Casey Neistat isn’t the only one who can go viral for living it up in first class. Ryan Trahan‘s first appearance on our list this week is at spot #2 with a round-the-world journey in airlines’ top accommodations. Will they be good? Bad? Will he spend his time eating “ambiguous filet of fish” while watching Frozen 35,000 feet in the air? We won’t spoil it–but we will say all this jetsetting is (appropriately) sponsored by e-SIM brand Saily, which has popped up more and more frequently on our Weekly Brand Reports. It sponsored five other travel videos this week, including #70 and #204.
#3 Can I Turn Ryan Trahan Into A MasterChef?
Channel: Nick DiGiovanni
Brand: YouTube
Views: 7,660,543
For more Trahan, he’s guest spotting on Nick DiGiovanni‘s channel, where the latter attempts to turn him into a bona fide master chef. Trahan just had a cooking crash course with Gordon Ramsay, but how much of that Michelin star quality rubbed off on him? Well…not much, but that’s fine, because DiGiovanni is here–courtesy of YouTube itself as sponsor–to teach him everything he needs to know to get on the line.
#4 SIDEMEN YOUTUBER DRUNK BINGO
Channel: Sidemen
Brand: Side+
Views: 5,124,792
Back in 2021, the Sidemen uploaded Sidemen Drunk Bingo, which is exactly what it sounds like: the Sidemen getting sloshed while trying to accurately stamp those bingo cards. According to the seven-man group, a part 2 for that video has been one of fans’ most popular requests. And now, for Christmas 2024, they delivered. Sidemen YouTuber Drunk Bingo is an even bigger affair–an hour-and-a-half-long video where teams of YouTubers led by Sidemen members compete for bingo glory–all sponsored by the Sidemen’s own streaming service, Side+.
BONUS #2,260 Tiny Home Robotics Lab: 25 Renter Friendly Tips
Channel: Will Cogley
Brand: Onshape
Views: 32,656
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen more sponsored videos on YouTube than ever before. In early December, creators and brands set a record with 2,536 sponsored videos. That record hasn’t yet been broken, but we’re still consistently seeing over 2,300 sponsored videos a week–including this week. We scrolled down the report to see what videos are pulling in sponsors for niche audiences and found Will Cogley, a creator who says he’s “all about fusing mechanics, electronics and a little artistic creativity to make top-notch robotics and animatronics.” Since not everyone has room to build their own CrunchLabs, Cogley spends this video sharing his tips for fitting a functional robotics lab into a tiny space. His endeavor is sponsored by product development platform Onshape, which only paid for his video this week.
…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.
