YouTube Takes Further Action Against Fake Movie Trailer Channels After Deadline Investigation
The video giant has suspended ad revenue on Screen Trailers and Royal Trailer, two alternative accounts run by the creators behind Screen Culture and KH Studio.
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YouTube's decision to suspend the channels from its partner program follows a Deadline investigation that chronicled the scale and sophistication of fake movie trailers.
Screen Culture and KH Studio were suspended in March. They are two of the most prolific purveyors of concept trailers, which rely heavily on AI to drive engagement and, in some cases, fool users into believing the videos are authentic. Screen Culture and KH Studio were approached for comment.
In a statement, YouTube said: 'Our enforcement decisions, including suspensions from the YouTube partner program, apply to all channels that may be owned or operated by the impacted creator.'
Screen Culture has 1.4M subscribers, while its alt account Screen Trailers has 33,000 followers. KH Studio has 724,000 subs, while Royal Trailer boasts 153,000 followers.
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 videos 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.
Deadline analyzed how Screen Culture is creating trailers that closely imitate 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.
Instead of enforcing copyright on counterfeit commercials, Deadline's investigation revealed that a handful of Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony, claimed ad revenue on Screen Culture trailers. The studios declined to comment.
In a statement, SAG-AFTRA disapproved of studios making money out of AI-fueled trailers: 'Monetizing unauthorized, unwanted, and subpar uses of human-centered IP is a race to the bottom. It incentivizes technology companies and short-term gains at the expense of lasting human creative endeavor.'
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