Report: ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ Sheridanverse Help Paramount+ to Massive Popularity Jump in 2022
Paramount Global has been on a pretty good run when it comes to streaming over the past few months: It plans to integrate Showtime into Paramount+ — rebranding the premium cable network as “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.” The Taylor Sheridan Cinematic universe continues to set records on the company’s flagship streamer, 2022’s top movie, “Top Gun: Maverick,” landed on the service in December, UEFA Champions League soccer and the NFL are making the service a must-have for sports fans.
Now, the streamer can add another feat to its roster: the biggest increase in popularity during 2022. Variety's ViP+ platform reports that Paramount+ saw a 36.7% growth in popularity last year, the largest of any other streamer, according to exclusive data from YouGov’s 2022 Global Film & TV Report.
“Top Gun: Maverick” gave Paramount+ an extra boost when it broke records after debuting on the streaming service in late December. Meanwhile, the Champions League soccer was a big boost, as the European competition has grown in popularity in recent years.
But the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883” had the highest appetite score — which is determined by YouGov’s online demand metrics — of any program on the streaming service in the United States in 2022, which helped to explain its increase in appeal year-over-year. The original “Yellowstone” series is rated as the top overall series in the United States. Due to the fact that “Yellowstone” only streams on Peacock, its popularity helped the NBCUniversal streaming service increase by 5.2% year-over-year. “Maverick” had the highest global appetite score of any film in 2022.
All of this certainly gives credence to why more “Yellowstone”-adjacent titles have been ordered by Paramount. The third series in the Yellowstone universe, “1923,” had a record-breaking premiere, and two other Yellowstone projects are also in development: “6666” and “1883: The Bass Reeves Story.”
Most Popular Streaming Services in 2022
| Streamer | Popularity Score | Year-over-year Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | 97.5 | -0.8% |
| Disney+ | 90 | +2.4% |
| Prime Video | 88.5 | +6.7% |
| HBO Max | 71.9 | +7.3% |
| Paramount+ | 65.6 | +36.7% |
| Peacock | 64.5 | +5.2% |
| Apple TV+ | 57.2 | -1.7% |
HBO Max and Prime Video also experienced a decent increase in demand in 2022 thanks to the premieres of original series “House of the Dragon” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” respectively. “House of the Dragon” was the fifth most popular new series globally, while “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” was the sixth.
Similar to “Top Gun: Maverick” at Paramount+, box office successes at competing streamers helped boost the platforms’ popularity. “The Batman,” which received the highest overall appetite score for a movie in the United States, was available on HBO Max, while Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which received the highest peak appetite score for a movie in the U.S., helped to sustain the popularity of Disney+.
Despite all of this, Netflix is still on top. “Stranger Things Vol. 4” and “Wednesday” were huge successes for the streamer, helping it earn a 97.5 popularity score.
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.