YouTube Turns Off Ad Revenue For Fake Movie Trailer Channels After Deadline Investigation
EXCLUSIVE: YouTube has stopped two major fake movie trailer channels from being able to monetize their AI-fueled videos.
The Google-owned video-hosting giant has turned off ad revenue on Screen Culture and KH Studio trailers after a Deadline investigation chronicled the scale and sophistication of their output.
More from Deadline
Inside YouTube's Weird World Of Fake Movie Trailers - And How Studios Are Secretly Cashing In On The AI-Fueled Videos
YouTube Unseats Disney Atop Nielsen's February TV Distributor Rankings
Good Good Golf Hoists New Trophy With $45M Investment Round; Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions Among Backers
Deadline analyzed how Screen Culture is creating trailers that closely immitate official marketing material for franchises like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, but splices in AI imagery to tease irresistible details about a movie that appeal to their giant fandoms.
KH Studio, meanwhile, imagines outlandish versions of major films and series, including a James Bond movie starring Henry Cavill and Margot Robbie, and a Squid Game season with Leonardo DiCaprio .
Our deep dive revealed that instead of protecting copyright on these videos, a handful of Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony, are secretly asking YouTube to ensure that the ad revenue from the AI-heavy videos flows in their direction. The studios declined to comment.
Now YouTube has suspended Screen Culture and KH Studio from its partner program for violating monetization policies, meaning they can't earn ad revenue from the videos they produce. They can appeal YouTube's decision.
YouTube's monetization policies state that if creators are borrowing material from others, 'you need to change it significantly to make it your own.' It adds that vidoes must not be 'duplicative or repetitive' and should not be made for the 'sole purpose of getting views.'
Furthermore, YouTube misinformation policies prohibit content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads viewers.
Screen Culture has been approached for comment. KH Studio's founder said the intention of the channel is to entertain with 'what if' ideas rather than mislead viewers.
'I've been running KH Studio full-time for over three years now, putting everything into it. It's tough to see it grouped under 'misleading content' in the demonetization decision, when my goal has always been to explore creative possibilities – not to misrepresent real releases,' they added.
Deadline asked YouTube a series of questions about how its algorithm boosts fake movie trailers, as well as how Screen Culture vidoes outrank official trailers in search results. YouTube declined to comment.
In an interview with Deadline, Screen Culture founder Nikhil P. Chaudhari said he oversees a team of a dozen editors, who create as many as 12 videos a week based on his instructions.
Screen Culture's views and subscribers have more than doubled in the past two years to 1.4B and 1.4M respectively. The success has translated into millions of dollars of ad revenue, though India-based Chaudhari was coy about exactly how much he is earning.
He said most YouTube users understand that Screen Culture is not stocked with official videos and that people can find the legitimate trailer by searching for the official channel. For those who are fooled by his trailers, Chaudhari said: 'What's the harm?'
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
'1923' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Dakota Johnson narrowly avoids ‘Tonight Show' wardrobe malfunction
Dakota Johnson nearly had a wardrobe malfunction during a late-night TV appearance. On Monday's episode of 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' Johnson — who was wearing a black mini-dress with a plunging neckline — instantly regretted her decision. Advertisement 'Oh God,' said Johnson, who was promoting her new film, 'Materialists.' 'This is the wrong outfit.' 'No, no. I think it's perfect, you look great,' Fallon said. 'Just don't move.' 'My eyes are up here,' she joked. A dazed and confused Fallon playfully looked up to the ceiling and said, 'I don't know what to do. I'm confused.' Advertisement After the TV host redirected the conversation, Johnson was still concerned about the possible malfunction. 'Tell me if there's a problem,' she said. 'Right now, there's not a problem,' Fallon quipped. 'There's almost a problem, but not quite — it's just… everything is going according to plan.' 4 Dakota Johnson nearly had a wardrobe malfunction while on Monday's episode of 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.' Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images Advertisement 'Does anyone have like, a blanket I could wear?' Johnson asked. Fallon handed Johnson a tissue that she placed in her cleavage. 'That's perfect. No one will even know the difference!' said Fallon. 'You look great!' 4 Jimmy Fallon handed Johnson a tissue that she placed in her cleavage. Youtube Advertisement One year ago, the actress suffered another wardrobe malfunction while appearing on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' 'Dakota, your dress just came unhooked,' Kimmel said to Johnson, who tried to maintain her poise as she clutched the detached metal strap of her black dress. 'Should I get some scotch tape?' Kimmel inquired. 'My dress just – it just fell off,' Johnson said, astounded, but with a smile on her face. 'It seems to be hanging in all right?' Kimmel countered. 4 One year ago, the actress suffered another wardrobe malfunction while appearing on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images 4 Dakota Johnson was wearing a black mini-dress with a plunging neckline. Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images 'Well, I'll just hold it,' Johnson said, continuing the conversation in stride. 'Just hold the important part,' Kimmel joked. Johnson cheekily placed her hands on her chest, much to the amusement of the audience. 'The movie is really good,' she noted.
Geek Tyrant
an hour ago
- Geek Tyrant
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Clip Teases a Tragic Origin, Galactus, and a Whole Lot of Multiverse Mayhem — GeekTyrant
Some Marvel fans got a surprise taste of The Fantastic Four: First Steps over the weekend, thanks to a clip from the Marvel movie that screened during CCXP in Mexico and may have revealed a major piece of the MCU's bigger puzzle. According to Inverse (translating coverage from Omelete), the scene shows Marvel's First Family escaping a crumbling planet, one that's apparently in the process of being devoured by none other than Galactus. As the Silver Surfer chases down their ship, Sue Storm goes into labor, and Johnny Storm fights off the Silver Surfer as Reed Richards steps help his wife deliver the baby. As this is all going on, Ben Grimm pilots the ship into a black hole. Some fans seem to think that the scene could also confirm a theory that's been making the rounds since we all saw Thunderbolts* post-credits stinger. The theory is that the Fantastic Four team couldn't protect their world from being destroyed by Galactus, which forces them to find a new home, and this is where Earth-616 enters the picture. Of course, that's all speculation. It's just as likely they're trying to stop Galactus from reaching Earth by intercepting him early. This would place the clip as a second-act low point, where our heroes get a taste of what they're up against, barely escape, and live to fight another day. It's also worth noting that Marvel chose this scene to showcase at a fan convention. That suggests it's not some big third-act spoiler. More likely, it's a midpoint moment that sets the emotional and cosmic stakes moving forward. The new Fantastic Four movie unfolds in a slick, retro-futuristic alternate universe that riffs on the 1960s, which is an era where the Fantastic Four are the only known superheroes. Marvel's been pretty open about that setup, and they've confirmed that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will reprise their roles in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars . It's clear The Fantastic Four: First Steps is aiming for something big, epic stakes with emotional core, all powered by that team chemistry we've seen teased so far.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rick Astley Celebrates 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Reaching 1 Billion Spotify Streams: 'Who Would've Believed?'
Rick Astley's 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" reached one billion streams on Spotify The song gained newfound popularity in the 2000s thanks to the rickrolling bait-and-switch meme Less than 1,000 songs have garnered one billion streams on SpotifyRick Astley is never gonna give you up — and neither will his fans. On Monday, June 2, the Grammy-nominated artist shared his thoughts on the 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up" reaching one billion streams on Spotify. "So who would've believed after all these years 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has had a billion streams on Spotify. That's a billion streams. How amazing," Astley, 59, said in an Instagram video. "Thank you for listening and lots of love, and I'll see you all soon." "Never Gonna Give You Up" was part of Astley's debut solo album, Whenever You Need Somebody released in his early 20s. The song reached no. 1 on over 20 international charts upon release, per The Hollywood Reporter. As of publishing, the music video has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! It experienced a new popularity in the 2000s, when getting "Rick-Rolled," a bait-and-switch online move, was born from the song. The meme included tricking people online into expecting one thing from a URL and then being brought to the song or the video for "Never Gonna Give You Up," hence the term Rick-Rolled. Astley, who has been vocal about the song's viral popularity, commented on the meme craze in 2016 and told PEOPLE about the first time he was Rick-Rolled. "A friend of mine Rick-Rolled me a couple of times, and I didn't really know what he was doing. I just thought he was being an idiot," the singer said at the time. "I just kept thinking, 'What is this idiot doing? This is just not amusing. I don't really know what's going on.' So we eventually got on the phone and he explained it to me." Added Astley: "To be honest, I still didn't really get it. It took a few weeks for me to grasp." However, he only sees the meme as a "positive thing." "I don't think you can really have any bad thoughts about an Internet prank that turned your song into a global moment," said Astley. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! He also consulted his daughter, who was a teen at the time, on navigating the new trend. 'She was saying, 'Don't sweat it. It has nothing to do with you,'' he told PEOPLE in January 2025. "And I'm like, 'How can it have nothing to do with me?' And she said, 'Just leave it where it is. Don't try to embrace it and try funny things with it,'" continued Astley. Less than 1,000 songs have reached the Billion Streams club on Spotify. Astley's hit joins "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel and "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire, among other tracks. Read the original article on People
