Halo once was supposed to put Xbox on the map as a place for original scripted programming. Instead, the adaptation of the popular video game is helping to establish another digital platform, Paramount+. According to the Paramount streamer, Halo has set a new record as the service’s most-watched series premiere globally in its first 24 hours of release, topping the previous mark established by Yellowstone prequel 1883 in December.
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.
Halo, which debuted March 24, originated at Xbox and was developed at Showtime before migrating to Paramount+ a year ago.
“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.”
The series, which already has been renewed for a second season, takes place in the universe that first debuted in 2001 with the launch of Xbox’s first Halo game. 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. The series is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.