"Squid Game" Passes "Game of Thrones" For Popularity On YouTube: Report

The most popular series on Netflix Inc NFLX of all-time has set another record passing one of the most popular television series of all-time.

What Happened: Streaming smash hit “Squid Game” set a record with 17 billion views for long and short form videos on YouTube, the video platform owned by Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL.

Variety reports using data from Vobile that “Squid Game” has passed the HBO show “Game of Thrones” with more views based on trailers, show clips, fan recreations and real-world challenges inspired by the plot.

The 17 billion views come from over 129,000 uploaded videos and have over 533 million engagements (likes, dislikes, comments).

Viewership could go up even more with top YouTube creator Mr. Beast working on recreating games from the show in real life.

A video from Mr. Beast featuring recreations of the games in “Minecraft” was viewed 32 million times.

“In ten years looking at YouTube, we’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Vice President of Audience Development at Vobile Jared Naylor told Variety.

“Game of Thrones,” which has a ten-year head start on “Squid Game,” has 16.9 billion views from over 420,000 uploaded videos.

Related Link: "Squid Game" Mania Takes Over, What It Could Mean For Netflix And This Apparel Stock 

Why It’s Important: Along with breaking the record for viewership on Netflix, “Squid Game” has turned into a pop culture phenomenon that has led to fan recreations, merchandise and Halloween costumes.

One of the factors for the record being set on YouTube could be attributed to its YouTube Shorts, a TikTok competitor.

The strong viewership of “Squid Game” on Netflix and YouTube validates the demand for the show and a sequel, which Netflix has confirmed it is in talks with the director to create.

“Game of Thrones” saw 233 million engagements from the uploaded videos, which is significantly lower than the total for “Squid Game” on a per video basis. A prequel to "Game of Thrones" is coming to AT&T Inc T owned HBO in 2022. 

"Squid Game" has shown that it has lasting power so far for Netflix and could continue to drive traffic and monetization opportunities for Netflix. An announcement of a sequel date in the future and the official release could be another huge pop culture event for Netflix and its stock. 

Price Action: NFLX shares were up 3.81% to $682.61 on Friday.

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