YouTube Shorts Sponsorships: How ANC3 Beat Bigger Channels

A small anime-sketch channel pulled 29 million views on a sponsored Short. No giant subscriber base. No cinematic product reveal. Just three brothers, a toilet joke and Crunchyroll.

If you still sell creators by follower count alone, lovely. Your spreadsheet belongs in a museum.

The small-channel upset

ANC3 topped this week's branded YouTube videos with a Crunchyroll-sponsored sketch¹ that reached 29.1 million views. The channel had roughly 17,800 subscribers when the numbers were collected.

The rest of the leading pack followed the same pattern: Shorts, simple concepts and creators new to the top rankings.

Thesisterz generated 12.8 million views for Trü Frü by playing a quick math game with the snack sitting in shot. Roya Destroyaa's exaggerated friendship skit brought Shein 10.9 million. Gaming creator Electracy reached 9.2 million while demonstrating Medal.tv's tool for finding clips in which players appear.

Crunchyroll was the only returning brand among the leaders. Trü Frü sponsored five videos during the week, while Medal.tv backed eight. Translation: brands aren't only hunting for one famous face. They're buying batches of experiments and letting distribution pick the winner.

Followers lost the argument

YouTube says Shorts now average more than 200 billion daily views². That feed doesn't politely wait for viewers to subscribe. It tests individual videos with strangers, then keeps pushing whatever holds attention.

This week's winners also barely interrupted their normal formats. The product became a prop, premise or useful feature. Not a hostage situation where the creator suddenly starts reading approved adjectives.

There is one annoying footnote. Since March 31, 2025, a Short's public view count includes starts and replays without a minimum watch time. TikTok and Instagram Reels use similar counting. Creators have been understandably skeptical: the visible number can climb while earnings remain tied to deeper viewing.

And as of August 24, 2026, YouTube has expanded first-frame counting across long-form, podcasts and live video too. The previous measurement now appears as engaged views³, which still underpins retention analytics and earning eligibility.

Your next move

Build one repeatable Short format that can carry a sponsor without breaking character. A challenge, sketch, demonstration or recurring bit. Brands need to see where they fit before they email you.

Update your media kit. Show public views and engaged views separately, alongside retention, shares and comments. Don't let a shiny counter negotiate against you later.

Pitch small campaign batches rather than one heroic upload. Three variations give the brand more chances to win and give you better evidence for the next deal.

Finally, price the work - not your subscriber badge. Include production, expected engaged reach, usage rights and exclusivity. The feed has stopped caring how big you look. Smart buyers are slowly catching up.