The partnership between Take-Two and Netflix has been a marketing success. According to Ampere Analysis, the exclusive broadcast of the 27-minute Grand Theft Auto VI preview sparked a wave of excitement on the platform. The service saw more than 100,000 new signups in the U.S. during the six-hour exclusive period, marking Netflix’s third-largest increase of 2026.
Data analysis highlights the massive appeal of Rockstar’s upcoming heavyweight open-world game. In addition to pure new signups, Ampere Analysis found a reactivation rate of more than 5% among existing U.S. members who haven’t used the streaming service in at least 30 days. This return value far exceeds all previously premiered movies and series during the measurement period.
100,000 new registrations may not sound like a huge number at first, but at least it’s clear that even without a subscription, the video was available on YouTube just six hours later.
Within four days, the video had more than 31 million views on the platform and ranked No. 1 in internal trends in 87 countries. Only after the expiration of the agreed exclusivity window, detailed information about the game world of Vice City and the protagonists Jason and Lucia were made available to the public on the official YouTube channel of Rockstar Games.
Industry experts see the event’s success as a signal for the entertainment industry as a whole. While Netflix continues to rely primarily on mobile app spin-offs in its own gaming space, the event demonstrates how media conglomerates can intervene in AAA gaming culture by attracting attention through exclusive trailer modules and presentation formats. For publisher Rockstar Games, the partnership provides the opportunity to directly reach an audience of millions beyond the core target groups of traditional consoles and PCs.
While some new subscribers may cancel their pre-ordered memberships after viewing the footage, the surge in subscriptions illustrates Grand Theft Auto VI’s unique status ahead of its planned November release. The experiment proves that high-profile video games can be a driving force in attracting customers on established entertainment platforms.
