If you’ve ever gotten excited about a new superhero movie trailer—only to find out it wasn’t real—you’re not alone. Now, YouTube is taking stronger action to stop this kind of misleading content.
According to Deadline, YouTube has suspended ad revenue for Screen Trailers and Royal Trailer, two alternative accounts connected to creators behind Screen Culture and KH Studio. These creators are known for producing “concept trailers”—videos that look like real movie previews but are made using AI and edited footage.
This decision comes after a Deadline investigation revealed just how advanced and widespread these fake trailers have become. YouTube already suspended the main Screen Culture and KH Studio channels back in March.
In a statement reported by Deadline, 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.”
The numbers show just how large these accounts are. Screen Culture has 1.4 million subscribers, while its side channel Screen Trailers has 33,000. KH Studio has 724,000 subscribers, and Royal Trailer has 153,000.
According to YouTube’s monetization rules, creators who use content from other sources must “change it significantly to make it your own.” The platform also says that videos should not be “duplicative or repetitive” or created just “for the sole purpose of getting views.”
YouTube also has strict misinformation policies, which ban content that’s been edited or manipulated in a way that misleads viewers.
Deadline reported that Screen Culture made trailers that looked almost identical to official ones for movies like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman. These videos often included AI-generated images and fake story details meant to grab attention. KH Studio, on the other hand, created completely made-up previews, like a James Bond movie starring Henry Cavill and Margot Robbie, or a fake season of Squid Game with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Instead of removing these videos for copyright reasons, some studios—including Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony—chose to claim the ad revenue from the content, according to Deadline. Those companies did not provide comment.
However, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA criticized this approach. In a statement, they reportedly said: “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.”
As fake trailers become more convincing, YouTube’s latest move shows it’s serious about protecting viewers—and the film industry—from being misled.
