Halo Sets Viewership Record for Paramount+, Most-Watched Series Premiere in First 24 Hours of Release

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Image: Paramount+

If its premiere episode is anything to go by, Halo is poised to become one of the most cringeworthy and disappointing video game adaptations of all time, but at least it’s giving the marketing department of Paramount’s fledgling streaming service something to work with.

According to the streamer, the Halo TV series is off to an exceptionally good start, with its premiere episode having set a new record for Paramount+ as the streamer’s most-watched series premiere in its first 24 hours of release on March 25. While no numbers were shared (sus), the previous record was held by Yellowstone’s prequel, 1883, whose first episode managed to draw in 4.9 million viewers.

Human Covenant? Laughable action sequences and CG? No Sergeant Johnson? Master Chief removing his helmet? There are all sorts of things wrong with Paramount’s Halo TV series, but any complaints to Amblin and 343 Industries have clearly fallen on deaf ears, as the show has already been renewed for a second season. Halo’s first season reportedly cost over $200 million, although it’s unclear where the money really went.

“Bringing Halo to life as a streaming series has been one of the most rewarding efforts for Paramount+ to date and we could not be more thrilled at the massive fan response to the series’ debut,” said Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer at Paramount+. “Along with our phenomenal partners at Showtime, 343 Industries and Amblin Television, we cannot wait for fans to experience more of this incredible universe.”

‘Halo’ Sets Premiere Viewership Record For Paramount+ (Deadline)

As usual, no numbers were provided; for reference, the record-breaking 1883 series debut on Paramount+ also drew 4.9 million viewers in a promotional linear airing behind Yellowstone on Paramount Network. We will get a sense of the scope of Halo’s viewership when Nielsen’s streaming rankings for this week come out. A Paramount+ original has yet to crack the Nielsen Top 10.

Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, Halo stars Pablo Schreiber as the Master Chief, Spartan-117; Natascha McElhone as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super soldiers; and Jen Taylor as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.

Halo is produced by Showtime in association with 343 Industries, along with Amblin Television. The first season is executive produced by Steven Kane, alongside Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television in partnership with 343 Industries, Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie for One Big Picture, and Kyle Killen and Scott Pennington for Chapter Eleven. Kiki Wolfkill, Frank O’Connor and Bonnie Ross serve as executive producers for 343 Industries.

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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