Paramount+ Puts Premiere Episode of ‘1923’ on YouTube, Continuing Trend of Streamers Releasing Content for Free
If you need a little more Taylor Sheridan content in your viewing schedule before catching the midseason finale of “Yellowstone” this Sunday, we’ve got some good news for you. Paramount+ has made the first episode of the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1923” available to stream for free without ads on YouTube.
“1923,” a “Yellowstone” origin story, stars Harrison Ford (Jacob Dutton) and Helen Mirren (Cara Dutton) and introduces a new generation of the Dutton family as they explore the early 20th century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition, and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west — and the Duttons who call it home. Episodes 1 and 2 are available to stream on Paramount+ now.
Watch the Premiere Episode of “Yellowstone” Now:
The show is the third series featuring the Dutton family that Sheridan has created in collaboration with Paramount Global. “Yellowstone” airs on the Paramount Network, while the other prequel series “1883” resides on Paramount+. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen either, though; while there are threads of connection throughout them all, “1923” is a stand-alone show.
Using YouTube as a free platform to host pilot episodes is an excellent tactic that Paramount+ has used in the past, including this year with its video game adaptation series “Halo.” It generates free publicity for popular series, and drives more potentially hesitant users to sign up and see what else the service has to offer. It doesn’t hurt that Paramount+ is currently offering new subscribers a free month's subscription with promo code “1923.”
Paramount+ is not the only service using free viewings to enhance the profile of its marquee shows. Disney+ has used similar methods to promote series like “Andor” and “The Santa Clauses” by airing them on Disney-owned linear networks such as ABC and FX. Disney also gave the first “Avatar” movie a theatrical re-release in September to promote the sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Releasing pilot episodes onto YouTube is likely a strategy that more streamers will use in the future. “1923” has over half a million views in just a few days, and if it’s driving significant numbers of new sign-ups for Paramount+, it’ll give the service a nice head start on the new year.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.