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Netflix Doubles Down On Becoming YouTube With GTA VI Extended Look
Image courtesy of GTA VI // Illustration by Kate Walker
Netflix’s partnership with Rockstar Games to show an early “extended look” at GTA VI proves just how much the platform is chasing YouTube’s dominance.
The Big Play: Netflix has recently struck deals with viral YouTubers, scored buzzy live events, and wooed influential podcasters. It’s all part of the streamer’s strategy to boost passive viewership — the thing that has turned YouTube into the streaming leader. But Netflix’s focus on top-tier talent and IP suggests it may be trying to become the premium version of the video-sharing platform.
Behind The Scenes: GTA VI isn’t shaping up to be just a big game, but a major cultural moment. And now Netflix gets to be part of it — even if it has nothing to do with the title.
At 3pm EST on August 27, Netflix will show the mysterious extended look exclusively for six hours before it appears on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel.
Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar-owner Take-Two Interactive, told Variety that Netflix’s huge subscriber base and reputation as an entertainment tastemaker are what pushed him to make a deal with the company.
The first trailer racked up 288 million views on YouTube, while the second generated 176 million, so Zelnick clearly believes showing the extended look on Netflix will have a similar impact.
Final Level: Netflix’s VP of nonfiction series Brandon Riegg said of the deal that “it’s a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming: a place where the most ambitious storytelling, from any medium, can find the biggest possible audience.” In other words, Netflix doesn’t need to be behind the project to be a gateway to it still — it’s all content that can drive engagement.
When it comes to GTA VI content, it’s about as close to a guaranteed hit as you can get. The game is expected to make anywhere from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion in its first week when it comes out on November 19. That’s a lot of built-in hype.
Coming Soon: Netflix already partners with Take-Two on mobile games (including the GTA franchise), so this deal could be planting the seed to make GTA VI a streamable title on the platform.
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.