The grand opening of Universal Epic Universe marked one of the most significant moments in Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX) history: the launch of a multi-billion-dollar theme park years in the making. While thousands of guests could attend in person, millions of fans around the world could not. Our objective was to ensure that distance was not a barrier to participation.
The Universal Epic Universe Grand Opening Livestream was designed to transform an exclusive theme park opening into a global, shared celebration — one that emotionally connected fans to Epic Universe, made them feel present for history, and deepened anticipation to visit in person. The strategy was simple, yet ambitious: deliver a broadcast-quality, multi-hour livestream that blended live celebration, exclusive storytelling, celebrity access, and immersive world-building to replicate the feeling of “being there.”
Our goals included:
By treating the livestream not as promotional content, but as an event in its own right, we aimed to set a new benchmark for how theme park openings and brand moments can live on digital platforms.
To bring the opening of Epic Universe to life digitally, we reimagined what a brand livestream could be. Rather than a single broadcast, we produced two distinct livestream events across two days, totaling 5 hours of live programming.
The first livestream aired on May 21, 2025, covering the VIP Grand Opening Celebration and Blue Carpet, while the second aired early the morning of May 22nd, capturing the emotional moment when the park officially opened and the first guests entered Epic Universe. Together, they formed a continuous narrative arc: from anticipation and spectacle to celebration and payoff.
Across five hours, the livestream blended live event coverage with 40+ interviews featuring celebrities, creatives, executives, and special guests — including UDX CEO Mark Woodbury, Gerard Butler, Andy Cohen, Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Cody Rhodes, Kirk Cousins, the creative minds behind Epic Universe itself, and more.
To deepen immersion, we produced 14 pre-taped segments under unique production constraints, filming around Epic Universe while the park was still being readied for opening and not yet fully operational. Amid active construction, technical rehearsals, and limited access windows, the team delivered cinematic tours of each world — Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park — along with "Inside Looks" exploring attractions, music, sound design, live entertainment, and behind-the-scenes insights directly from the creators.
On-air food and merchandise spotlights showcased Epic Universe’s offerings through hands-on, experiential moments, while live chat voting that directly influenced on-air segments kept fans actively involved.
The livestream was hosted by a diverse, recognizable group of Universal talent, creators, and influencers, fostering familiarity and authenticity. We also premiered exclusive content live on air, including the debut of Universal’s COASTARS series, first looks at Jurassic World Rebirth and the Epic Ride documentary, and a cinematic Epic Universe trailer created specifically for the livestream that continues to resonate with fans.
We brought the livestream across our owned ecosystem — placing it front and center on Universal’s mobile app, website homepage, and the Epic Universe park page to transform every digital touchpoint into part of the celebration. The result: the livestream didn’t just attract viewers — it fueled excitement and moved fans to take the next step toward visiting our destination and ticketing store.
To maximize reach, it also aired simultaneously across NBC, Access Hollywood, E!, Telemundo, Universal Pictures, and Universal Studios Hollywood’s YouTube channels, extending beyond theme park audiences into entertainment, news, and global Spanish-language markets. We then elevated it even further, securing placement as the main video on YouTube Live’s homepage, where it was featured as the top-prioritized livestream of the day — positioning the event as a must-watch global moment.
The Universal Epic Universe Grand Opening Livestream exceeded every objective—creatively, strategically, and emotionally.
As of February 1, 2026 the livestream has generated 745,000 organic views across all platforms, performing on par with — or even surpassing — major red-carpet livestreams.
The celebration delivered 3.4 million organic impressions, placing it in the top 10% of branded YouTube content in the travel and entertainment category. An 8.5% click-through rate signaled strong audience intent, while 26,000 concurrent viewers, 130,000 total watch hours, and a 20-minute average view duration reflected sustained, broadcast-level engagement.
Audience participation was equally powerful: 247,000 live reactions, 70,000 chat messages, 14,000 shares, 11,000 likes, and 26,000 new subscribers. Viewership spanned 100+ countries with 80% non-subscribers, proving the livestream functioned as a global brand acquisition engine.
Nearly 45% of viewers watched on connected TVs, reinforcing the event as a shared, living-room experience. Watch parties, live YouTuber commentary, and fan gatherings with themed food spreads around the world turned the stream into a collective moment — bringing people together and creating an emotional connection to Epic Universe before visiting.
This was more than a livestream. It was a global media moment that brought Universal’s next big chapter straight to fans worldwide. This milestone set a new benchmark for how theme park openings — and major brand experiences — can live and thrive on digital platforms. And it will stand as a defining moment — both in our company’s history and in how fans experience major theme park events from afar.
