YouTube Premieres is a YouTube-specific feature that creates hype around the release of a new music video by allowing artists to watch and experience their new content alongside viewers.
Once a premiere has been set up, a shareable watch page with a countdown is automatically generated. This link can be shared with fans via the YouTube Community tab and other social platforms to drive more views and engagement.
Please note, YouTube Premieres are only available for videos that have not gone live yet.
Criteria
+ All submissions must be sent at least 6 hours prior to the watch page going live
+ Requests are approved during business hours (Monday-Friday 5 am-9 pm ET)
+ All information must be accurate (no placeholder information - ***doing so may jeopardize your YouTube Premiere***).
+ Chat availability limited to artists/channels with a YouTube Official Artist Channel (OAC)
Link for Premiere form
Please fill out the form at this address.
https://ops.vevo.com/premieres/
Once we have processed the application you will get an email confirmation detailing the date and time of the premiere and watch page, if any of this information is incorrect or you wish to make a change to the timings please contact content@vevo.com
You will also receive a confirmation email when our content operations team sets your to watch page live.
How Premieres should look on youtube
How do I access my watch page and who can view it?
The link to the watch link for the video.
The page will be live to the public and searchable.
How does the artist enter the chat?
Once a premiere with chat watch page is live, the artist can enter the chat by logging into their OAC youtube account and going to the videos URL.
How long is the chat available for?
The chat is available when the Watch Page is launched and is available for the entire duration of the countdown.
It disappears after the video has fully premiered.
Can multiple artists use the chat?
Yes, if the track is featuring multiple artists the OAC account of the additional artists that are featuring on the track can be added as moderators, giving them access to the chat.
These additional artists will then be removed from the page after the video premieres.
Can an artist enter the chat using their cell phone?
Artist can access chat using the YouTube app on their phone to access the chat as long as they are logged in to their OAC account.
What promo materials can be used in a Premiere?
- Hashtags
- Album/Single Pack Shots (Cover Art)
- Can display at the end of the video for no more than 3 seconds (if combined with other promo items, the total display time for all promo items should not exceed 3 seconds). Pack shots are acceptable throughout audio videos.
What promo materials can not be used?
As with all Vevo content the below could be considered an “Ad” or endorsement that would conflict with the Ads we (and YouTube) serve. If you’d like confirmation prior to delivering the video, please email content@vevo.com for approval.
- Cards/Slates that appear at the beginning of the video
- Cards/Slates that appear at the end of the video for more than 3 seconds (total)
- Burned in logos
- Brand/Product Logos/text
- Chyrons & Lower Thirds
- Months/Dates/Year callouts
- URLs, Twitter Handles, Instagram Handle
- Digital/Physical retail or DSP callouts/buttons
- End Cards for the purpose of YouTube Annotations
How can I make updates to a video in Premiere mode?
Updates can be sent to videos in Premiere mode via admin/Backstage apart from the below fields
-Thumbnail
-Start date/time
-Territory availability
If you wish to update any of these fields, please contact content@vevo.com and we can update it directly on youtube.
Premiere features
Red carpet/ Live Redirect
A red carpet premiere is where a live video from the artist is played out at the end of the watch page countdown but before the video premieres.
- An artist can host a live stream from their OAC and then redirect the live audience to the Premiere of their Vevo video. This does not require any intervention from Vevo.
Pinning comments in live chat
How this works on Vevo.
- The video gets delivered to Vevo as per usual
- Label reaches out to Youtube to get channel whitelisted
- Label contacts content@vevo.com conflicting channel is whitelisted and confirming the email associated with the OAC.
- This email will be added as a channel manager to the Vevo channel by content ops and instructions will be given to the label on how to pinned comments in the live chat
Trailers
- For Premiere Trailers, a video must be supplied to be used as a trailer that will play during the Premiere period when a user lands on the page. This can be added via the form.
- The video must be at least 15 seconds and no longer than 3 minutes.
- Trailers can currently only be scheduled via the premiere form and can not be added via Backstage
If my video Premiered at the wrong time can I set up a new Premiere?
Once a video has premiered, it can not premiere again due to youtube restrictions.
If you wish to set up a new premiere for a video, it must be delivered with a new ISRC.
I have a Premiere on my OAC channel can I now move this video to my Vevo channel?
No, due to YouTube restrictions premiere videos can not be moved (chowned) between channels.