At the annual NewFronts, brands and agencies have the opportunity to buy ads on digital-native content. In 2026, creators will get in on the fun. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), which has organized the NewFronts for more than a decade, has announced a new CreatorFronts event that will be added to the firm’s fall calendar starting next year.

The CreatorFronts is exactly what it sounds like: A New York City-set gathering that will connect brands “with creator-led solutions grounded in authenticity, culture, and influence,” as the IAB put it in a press release. Translation: Creators are going to pitch their upcoming programming to the attending advertisers, who will have the chance to go into business with the tastemakers who best suit their needs.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Spotter gave creators their own upfront last year. Big names like MrBeast, Dude Perfect, and Kinigra Deon pitched themselves during a presentation series that was timed to coincide with the TV industry’s upfronts blitz.

The CreatorFronts figures to be IAB’s answer to that event. Though the participating creators haven’t yet been announced, we know that the 2026 event will take place on September 15, about six months after the height of upfronts season.

To be clear, the CreatorFronts won’t replace the NewFronts, which will return to the Big Apple from March 23-26, 2026. That’s earlier than usual, as the IAB is responding to the demands of advertisers who want earlier access to the year’s inventory.

To complement its first-quarter gathering, the IAB is assembling a three-day fall lineup that will include the CreatorFronts on the 15th, the company’s Podcast Upfront on the 16th, and its gaming-oriented PlayFronts on the 17th. The biannual model will allow the Bureau to account for the “always-on nature of digital investments,” according to IAB CEO David Cohen.

The launch of the CreatorFronts isn’t just about calendar coverage. At this year’s MIPCOM conference in France, the rise of creators within the traditional TV world was a main theme. Some of the world’s biggest media companies unveiled products and initiatives that will help creators make TV-grade content.

If creators are going to mature as content producers and distributors, they need a place to sell their work, and that’s where the CreatorFronts comes in. As upfront spending declines from pre-digital peaks, the IAB is offering an alternative for the brands that are looking to reallocate their budgets.

In one sense, the CreatorFronts will bring the IAB’s annual event full circle. The NewFronts schedule was once jam-packed with presenters who pitched attendees on creator-led programming. A decade later, the industry is trending back in that direction.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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Weeks ago, female streamers Valkyrae and QTCinderella said they were worried about going to TwitchCon this year. They cited specific concerns about lax security at the event (especially after the problems with Kick streamers in 2024) and pointed to the increasing number of violent and harassing incidents targeting women who make digital content.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy responded to their comments in nonspecific fashion, saying his Amazon-owned company takes security “extremely seriously,” and that “[e]very year, we build on successful approaches to TwitchCon safety and security.” Twitch issued similarly noncommittal responses after the Kick streamer invasion, and after the safety issue during TwitchCon 2022 where streamer Adriana Chechik was gravely injured jumping into a ball pit that–unbeknownst to her–had a concrete floor.

After Clancy’s statement, we here at Tubefilter reached out to Twitch, asking it to explain exactly what it planned to do to keep streamers safe. It didn’t respond.

Then, on the first day of TwitchCon 2025, streamer Emiru was assaulted during a meet-and-greet.

Someone assaulted Emiru at her Meet & Greet at Twitchcon.

Security pushes the perpetrator away, but then turns back and allows the man to walk away. (???)

Emiru comes back shortly after to continue meeting fans.

[image or embed]

— Zach Bussey 🍁 (@zachbussey.tos.gg) October 17, 2025 at 10:33 PM

In a video of the incident, you can see a broad, tall man simply walk up to her, past lines of people, another content creator, safety barriers, and security staff, and wrap his arms around her, going for a kiss. It’s only after Emiru physically resists and people in line gasp that the personal securityperson she hired steps in, shoving the man away. He then walks off, unimpeded by con staff.

Emiru, who was also accosted on the street earlier this year by a man who got down on one knee and proposed to her, then threatened to kill her when she refused, addressed the incident on X. She said the man was “allowed to cross multiple barriers” and that TwitchCon security staff “did not react and let the guy walk away.”

It’s also worth noting the personal security guard who pushed the man away is not Emiru’s preferred bodyguard. Her preferred bodyguard is permabanned from TwitchCon because, at a previous event, he physically stopped a man who was stalking Emiru around the convention. Emiru explained that he didn’t push, punch, or hurt the stalker in any way, just held him in place, but because he physically engaged, he is no longer allowed to protect her at TwitchCon events.

Twitch issued its own statement, saying the man’s behavior was “completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting,” and that it had “immediately blocked this individual from returning to the TwitchCon premises, and they are banned indefinitely from Twitch, both online and in-person events.”

“We are coordinating with the impacted creator’s team and, per our standard protocols, continue to cooperate with any law enforcement investigations,” it added, noting that it had also “increased security at the Meet & Greet attendee check-in point and will have additional security personnel surrounding participating streamers.”

But Emiru disputes Twitch’s version of events, calling the statement “a blatant lie.” She said that in contrast to Twitch’s claims, the man who assaulted her was not immediately removed, and TwitchCon staff did not come to check on her or coordinate with her team.

hello everyone, I am okay and thank you for all of the kind messages, sorry I cannot respond to them all 🩷

Yesterday, the man who assaulted me was allowed to cross multiple barriers at twitchcon and even in front of another creators meet and greet to grab me and my face and try…

— emi ⭐️ (@emiru) October 18, 2025

“The woman who is walking me away is my own personal manager, and behind the booth, the only two people who were checking on me and comforting me were her and my friend,” she wrote. “None of the Twitchcon staff came to ask what happened or if I was okay.”

She also alleged TwitchCon security staffers were laughing and joking about the incident. As for the man being caught and evicted from the event, “In Twitch’s statement they said that the guy was immediately caught and detained, I’m sorry but that is a blatant lie,” Emiru said. “He was allowed to walk away from my meet and greet and I didn’t hear he was caught until hours after he attacked me, and it felt like this only happened because of my manager pressing for it, not because Twitchcon staff present thought it was a big deal.”

She concluded her post with the unsurprising announcement that this will be her final TwitchCon appearance. While the rest of TwitchCon 2025 appeared to be fairly incident-free, this one assault was enough that changes should happen for the future. Once again, we reached out to Twitch asking what changes will be made to ensure streamers are safe at its events, and received no response.

In the absence of action from Twitch, other streamers have rallied to support Emiru. Many of them responded directly to Twitch, telling it to do better.

“If the person who assaulted Emiru had any kind of weapon this entire statement would be how sorry you are that someone passed away at your convention,” VTuber Kharrma Sierra told it. “That is how dangerously close to the sun this has flown. This platform is failing its girl creators.”

Filed under: Homepage Feature, TwitchCon by James Hale
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There’s a new event on the PGA Tour circuit, and the upcoming tournament will shine a spotlight on a group of internet-famous golfers. The links-set channel, led by a sextet of amateur golfers and distributed to an audience of nearly two million subscribers, is putting its name on the Good Good Championship, which will come to Austin in 2026.

The PGA Tour, which previously held a match play event in Austin between 2016 and 2023, issued a press release announcing its return to the Texas capital. Between November 9-15 of next year, the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s Fazio Canyons Course will host the Good Good Championship, which will feature a full lineup of professional golfers.

“This tournament is designed to amalgamate our social and live communities together, across all demographics that are passionate about golf,” said Good Good Founder and CEO Matt Kendrick in a statement. “We couldn’t ask for better partners in the PGA TOUR and Omni Hotels & Resorts, who not only appreciate our ethos but embrace it.”

Since establishing its current YouTube channel in 2020, Good Good has risen quickly to become one of the preeminent names within the internet’s golfing community. At first, the fun-loving crew focused on silly competitions, but as influencers worked their way into the pro sports landscape, the Good Good guys began forming connections with some of the biggest names in their sport.

A 2024 collab with PGA star Min-Woo Lee, for example, gave Good Good a potent pro-am partnership. Some of the channel’s members participated in official PGA qualifiers catered to the creator world; many of those big names convened later in 2024 to participate in a star-studded tournament that drew more than 100,000 peak concurrent viewers.

As the calendar turned over to 2025, the PGA Tour made moves to recognize these influencers and their brand-building potential. Events like the Creator Classic have not been well-received by everyone — Rory McIlroy is a notable critic — but even the most recent Masters champion must admit that colleagues like Bryson DeChambeau have expanded the scope of their careers by adding their names to the list of golf creators.

The impending arrival of the Good Good Championship will take golf creators to the next level. Once the event tees off, detractors will no longer be able to deny YouTube stars their seats at the table. Channels like Good Good will be woven into the fabric of the sport.

The price of the title sponsorship was not revealed, but brands often pay millions to attach their names to PGA events. Good Good is flush with cash thanks to a $45 million investment, so no matter what the sponsorship costs, these golfers are good (good) for it.

Ultimately, the Good Good Championship figures to be a win-win. The titular creators will get the recognition they deserve, while the PGA Tour will be able to continue catering to younger audiences. The only thing that could make this event better is if, in an ironic twist, Rory McIlroy becomes the first golfer to win a creator-sponsored tourney.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Good Good Golf, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by GospelStats. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given time frame. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]

Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart. 👇

If your YouTube channel doesn’t get at least 280,000 subscribers, don’t even think about claiming a place in our Global Sub Top 50 chart. The benchmark for entry into this rare group is as high as ever, with some channels (namely Like Nastya and MrBeast) adding one million new subscribers during the week that was.

Outside of the top two, we’re keeping our eye on the impact of season trends within our weekly rankings. In the summer, sports channels thrived, but as the weather turns autumnal, a different category is moving on up.

Is Roblox the internet’s answer to Spirit Halloween?

At the time of this post, there are only 11 days to go until Halloween, so there’s precious little time left for anyone who has yet to figure out their costume. Luckily, kids dealing with that creative block can draw inspiration from Gen Alpha’s favorite game world: Roblox.

If you think about it, Roblox is basically a glorified game of dress-up. Sure, its players populate a multitude of custom game worlds, but before they do that, they have to create their avatars. For creators, a unique look can be a significant advantage within the crowded environment that is Roblox content.

With Halloween approaching, we’re seeing the dress-up elements of Roblox come into focus. Sure, some of the Roblox channels in the latest Global Sub Top 50 are rolling out the usual complement of meme-inspired clips. (Looking at you, 27th-place finisher Sirius Roblox.) But at least one creator is trying on something different. RoxyBlox reached 23rd place in the Global Sub Top 50 thanks in large part to videos that accentuate Roblox’s costuming elements.

Take, for example, the most-watched YouTube Shorts upload on the RoxyBlox channel. It has picked up 3.9 million views to date, and it is little more than a glorified outfit change. RoxyBlox keeps putting new parameters on her pet elephant, and when it finally shows up with all its “mutations,” it looks quite spooky indeed.

Perhaps Roblox is having an impact on the economy of kids’ Halloween costumes. Here’s one thing I can say for sure: However notable Roblox is within the Halloween landscape, KPop Demon Hunters is bigger.

Netflix’s animated hit is set to be the top costume trend on October 31, 2025 — if you don’t believe me, ask a local youngster. The film’s culture has had a profound impact in Gen Alpha circles, and there’s no question about which member of HUNTR/X will be the most popular costume. Mira and Zoey are nice, but I don’t see their names in the titles of Top 50 channels. Rumi, on the other hand, is everywhere, and the channels celebrating the purple-haired heroine are seeing their traffic rise dramatically.

Data via Gospel Stats

So you heard it here first: Rumi is going to be the most common character trick-or-treating on your doorstep eleven days from now. You’ll probably see some blocky Roblox characters too. Just remember that if they ask you for some extra mutations for their costumes, you can still just give them a Kit Kat and let them go on their way.

Channel Distribution

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:

• United States: 17
• India: 10
• Hong Kong: 4
• Brazil: 3
• Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Spain: 2
• Argentina, China, Egypt, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine: 1

This week, 37 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all our news by subscribing to our newsletter. You’re going to love it. 👉  Newsletter.Tubefilter.com.

Filed under: Articles, Homepage Feature, News, statistics, Statistics, YouTube, Youtube Chart by Sam Gutelle
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[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by GospelStats. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given time frame. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]

Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart. 👇

We’ve become accustomed to seeing multiple channels with at least one billion weekly views in the Global Top 50, but this week’s crop barely cleared that threshold. There were only two channels in the ten-digit club, and neither of them made it to 1.1 billion. KIMPRO led the way once again thanks to its 1.05 billion weekly views.

The inflation of YouTube Shorts view counts has been a side effect of the decision to make the format more like TikTok. Therefore, in a sense, it’s no surprise to see references to an original short-form pioneer within the confines of YouTube’s vertical format.

Even YouTube creators want to bring back Vine

Ever since Elon Musk took over as the leader of the platform now known as X, there have been persistent rumors regarding a potential revival of Vine. The six-second video hub has been an X property since the Twitter days, but it has remained dormant even as its spiritual successors flounder.

Based on the latest chart data, we can safely say that Vine’s fanbase is alive and well. A channel called GS Vines made its first appearance inthe Global Top 50 after collecting 392.8 million weekly views. That total was good for a 36% week-over-week bump that pushed GS Vines from 85th place in our ranking all the way up to 41st.

To be clear, GS Vines isn’t aggregating clips that originated on the titular, bygone video app, nor is it limited its uploads to the six-second limit that was Vine’s signature feature. Its animated Shorts feature popular characters like MrBeast and Cristiano Ronaldo, neither of whom were known for their activity on Vine.

In the age of short-form slop, those references aren’t necessary. Channels operating on the weird side of Shorts use their names to jam in more keywords that could help them advance in Youtube’s algorithmic ranking. The presence of Vine as one of those keywords suggests that the platform still holds sway, even when its handle is applied to something that feels like a non-sequitur.

While Vine’s presence on YouTube Shorts may be mostly cosmetic, there’s one way in which the platform could be influencing current-day short-form content. These days, Shorts are allowed to be more than one minute long, but some of the top channels in our ranking are nevertheless keeping the proceedings as brief as possible. Even if videomakers are still carrying on for more than six seconds, they are succeeding with straightforward videos that offer nothing more than a simple setup and payoff.

The video linked in the above paragraph comes from Boosted Words, the 46th-place finisher in this weeks Global Top 50. Boosted Words is a fairly ordinary content aggregator, but it’s focus on efficient content seems to be helping it climb the charts.

Data via Gospel Stats

Those words have been boosted by their brevity and concision. Does that trend mean that the right time for Vine’s comeback is nigh? Maybe — but for that grand return to happen, Elon Musk would have to sign off on it, and I’m done trying to predict what that guy will do.

Channel Distribution

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:

• India: 23
• United States: 9
• Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and Pakistan: 2
• Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and Ukraine: 1

This week, 40 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all our news by subscribing to our newsletter. You’re going to love it. 👉  Newsletter.Tubefilter.com.

Filed under: Articles, Homepage Feature, News, statistics, Statistics, YouTube, Youtube Chart by Sam Gutelle
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October has been a packed month for creator events around the world, and now it’s closing with Creator Week Macau, a festival, fan interaction, and business development/networking event that says it will be creators’ “gateway to the booming Greater China market and beyond.”

Creator Week Macau runs Oct. 24-28 and is put on by the Macau Government Tourism Office and international music production company Branded. Macau is a region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong.

The event’s kickoff weekend–Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th–will be largely festival-focused, with musical performances and creator/fan meet-and-greets. On the 27th and 28th, it’ll shift into biz dev mode, where attendees can “[h]ear from leading content creators, [key opinion leaders], and global industry experts. Learn, connect and network with brands and media from around the world,” organizers say.

The confirmed attendee lineup includes nearly 180 content creators, 50 guest speakers, and 20 musical performance groups.

Attending creators include Alan Chikin Chow, the Stokes Twins, Ian Boggs, Jordan Matter, and SeanDoesMagic, with more to be announced. They’ll be central to programming during the festival/meet-and-greet portion of Creator Week Macau.

As for the biz dev half of the event, it has two tracks: one, the CreatorWeek Conference, with panels and discussions from creators, C-suite execs, platforms, and brands; and two, the Creator Academy.

The Creator Academy will focus on providing “tangible tips and actionable advice” for creators to “[l]earn directly how to connect with the booming Chinese creator economy,” organizers say, adding that “This is your chance to forge invaluable partnerships and network with industry leaders.”

Some of the aforementioned creators will speak during biz dev programming, along with experts from both East and West, like:

• Jim Louderback, CEO of VidCon and CEO/editor at Inside the Creator Economy
• Ben Wong, CMO of Greater China at Google
• Bing Chen, co-founder/CEO of nonprofit Gold House
• Jasper Donat, co-founder/CEO of Branded
• Brittany Li, GM of North Asia at Branded
• Eyal Baumel, CEO of creator brand-building company Flywheel
• Nader Filsoof, Partner and Talent Manager at Underscore Talent
• and Saket Jha Saurabh, Director/Head of Content & AR Partnerships at Snap

Donat told Macau Business that Creator Week is intended to be a path for brands and creators to get into the Chinese market. “It really is being seen as a genuine gateway into the Asia Pacific,” he said.

Meanwhile Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of Macau Government Tourism Office, said Creator Week will be “five dynamic days of innovation.”

“It is our hope that the event will bring out Macau’s impact as a high-level platform that opens up to the world,” she said. “Through the Creator Week, we’re showcasing how Macau connects Eastern creativity with Western innovation, local traditions with global trends.”

Creator Week Macau will run this coming weekend, and is free to attend, although organizers say space is limited. Those interested in attending can register their interest here, and will be notified if they snag a spot.

Creator Week Macau is a Tubefilter partner.

Filed under: Creator Week Macau, Homepage Feature by Tubefilter Staff
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When we think of brands that have mastered being digital-savvy, e.l.f. Cosmetics always hits the top of the list. Over the last few years, as ecommerce and social shopping have become more and more prominent in the U.S., e.l.f. has consistently leapt at the chance to grow its presence on digital platforms.

e.l.f. has participated in early beta periods for multiple platforms’ new ecommerce offerings. It was the first brand featured in TikTok Shop’s Super Brand Day sales event, and sells millions of dollars in products on TikTok Shop monthly, in part thanks to a teamup with content creator-focused ecommerce startup Orca. It helped Roblox test digital storefronts selling real items. It’s also established its own successful accounts on platforms like TikTok and Pinterest, and has launched tech-heavy campaigns like “color e.l.f.nalysis,” where users upload selfies and let e.l.f.’s tool examine their skintones for the best seasonal cosmetic color match.

Now, e.l.f. is once again getting in on something new. It’s the first brand to run Twitch’s latest ad format: creator-hosted, shoppable, in-stream ads that Twitch says are “designed to keep audiences engaged while driving measurable business outcomes.”

“[T]his innovative ad format allows brands to connect with highly-engaged communities, turning authentic creator moments into instant product discovery and conversion–all without disrupting the viewing experience,” Twitch adds.

Basically, this ad format is shoppable, aka lets viewers buy products directly from the stream, Shopping Channel-style, without actually pausing the creator’s broadcast, or putting the creator offscreen at all. Creators won’t go away for an ad break–they’ll host the ad break, and be able to get direct, instant sales from interested viewers.

e.l.f. kicked off the format on its own Twitch channel, e.l.f.YOU, which has 24,000 followers and is hosted by @NoBSwithAnna, who describes herself as e.l.f.’s “Gamer in Chief and Global Makeup Artist.”

While e.l.f. is the first brand to test this format, obviously it will later tie into ecommerce efforts from Twitch’s owner Amazon, whose systems can power all sorts of item sales from thousands of brands if streamers will just do the hawking. (Maybe Amazon wants to more directly challenge the ever-growing Black Friday behemoth TikTok Shop?)

“Twitch is where communities and creators connect through authentic, live engagement–and now, through shoppable moments,” Sarah Iooss, Amazon Ads’ Head of US Agency, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with e.l.f. to test this innovative new format that keeps viewers immersed in the content they love while discovering and purchasing products in real time. It’s an exciting example of how Amazon Ads is helping brands meet customers in more natural, interactive, and joyful ways.”

This announcement comes in time for TwitchCon San Diego 2025, which opens its doors today and which will see a visit from e.l.f.’s Chief Integrated Marketing Officer Patrick O’Keefe. He’ll have a spot in the panel The Future of Co-Creation: Creator & Brand Team-Ups, where he’ll discuss tools like these new ads.

Filed under: Homepage Feature, Twitch by James Hale
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Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

This week, big-name YouTube stars of the 2010s are making headlines: A notable creator pair made a massive reveal, and a special effects wizard worked his way into the film biz.

Creator commotion

Turns out Dan and Phil have been dating the whole time. When Dan Howell and Phil Lester were going on massive tours in the 2010s, there were constant rumors about their alleged romantic connection. In a joint video, they revealed that the shippers were right the whole time, and they have been dating since 2009. Now they’re commemorating their “hard launch” with a podcast of the same name.

Twitch’s biggest stars probably belong on the Mount Rushmore of streamers. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy stepped in it when he claimed that Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed haven’t been on top of the game long enough to earn a place on the exec’s hypothetical “Mount Rushmore” of streamers. At this point, I feel like we’re ready for the Mount Rushmore of silly Mount Rushmore drama.

Pop culture minute

Freddie Wong and Matt Arnold “will return to our action comedy roots” with a film called Nail House. Wong, a special effects maestro who thrived on YouTube during the platform’s first decade, announced his new project on Instagram. To tell the story of a dumpling shop fighting a hostile takeover, Wong is re-teaming with Arnold, who he worked with on the acclaimed action comedy Video Game High School.

Rhett & Link are authoring a children’s book for picky eaters. When it comes out in 2026, Spaghetti Head and Chicken Fingers will celebrate kids with stingy dietary preferences. This may sound like a bit that came out of the Wheel of Mythicality on the duo’s morning show, but it is indeed very real.

All of MatPat’s furious Five Nights At Freddy’s theorizing has paid off. The retired Game Theory creator will head to the big screen with a small role in the upcoming horror sequel Five Nights At Freddy’s 2. The indie game was one of MatPat’s favorite subjects for his theories, and in the post-Minecraft Movie landscape, it’s the right time for his hard work to be rewarded.

After asking “Who TF Did I Marry,” Reesa Teesa gets a book deal. A Penguin Random House imprint has acquired the rights to What (TF) Do I Do Now?, Teesa’s examination of her life post-viral fame. The book is described as “not just a memoir, it’s a survival guide.” Sounds like another fun adventure for a TikTok favorite.

Former Rooster Teeth employees are tackling mental health in a PBS series. By marrying frank conversations about mental health with the vibe of a sitcom, creators like Tyler Coe (formerly of Rooster Teeth), Barbara Dunkelman (RWBY), and Elyse Willems (Funhaus) are landing on PBS affiliates across the country. It’s good to see hard-working Rooster Teeth alumni landing on their feet.

Politics as usual

Doctor Mike hits out at the AMA for its unengaging counters to misinformation. There’s faulty medical information everywhere these days, even at the highest levels of government. When the AMA’s fact-checking tweets are only reaching a few thousand people, Doctor Mike doesn’t think the agency’s efforts are adequate. He has a point. Factual claims are only powerful when they are boosted to as many people as possible, and the AMA seems to be missing that part of the equation.

Senate Dems want to know if YouTube’s Trump settlement was a bribe. After the president used a YouTube settlement to help fund a glitzy new ballroom for the White House, liberal regulators want answers. YouTube’s recent actions against channels critical of Trump means that this inquiry is standing on solid footing.

Platform headlines

YouTube has a neat new streaming feature that promotes paywalled content. In the middle of broadcasts, YouTube streamers can now switch between public access and subscribers-only segments. It’s like if sports broadcasters made viewers pay extra to watch the end of the game, so it at least seems like a good deal for the streamers themselves.

By saying “YouTube does a much better job,” Elon Musk shades his own platform. The head of X believes the platform formerly known as Twitter is underpaying creators. As evidence, he pointed to YouTube and commended the monetization on the Google-owned hub. Praising your rivals is an odd strategy, but it’s just par for the course as far as the Chief Twit is concerned.

Dan Clancy says Twitch is not Amazon’s “zombie brand.” The streaming hub’s relationship with its parent company has been uneven over the years, but Twitch’s current CEO isn’t worried. “Amazon has been great at supporting everything that we’re doing,” Clancy said during an interview with Bloomberg. “Twitch gives Amazon a platform where they can reach a younger audience, which I think is important to Amazon.”

The internet is a strange place

A noted dog photographer is launching a talk show. Move over, hot wings: There’s a new interview show gimmick in town. Elias Weiss Friedman of The Dogist will interview (human) celebrities while hanging out with the (canine) all-stars of New York City.

Duolingo is teaching Japanese through an anime series that stars its owl mascot. I’m not sure if I’ll learn a lot of Japanese words from watching the show, or if I’ll just learn the word “nani” a thousand times.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on Have you heard? Dan and Phil hard launch (with a podcast) while Freddie Wong announces a movie.

YouTube is already a major player in the world of ecommerce, and it has announced a new integration that will bring even more sellers onto its platform. The Google-owned hub is going into business with TalkShopLive, a six-year-old firm that enables cross-platform social shopping.

TalkShopLive launched in 2018 with a mission to democratize ecommerce by building shoppable streams that generate revenue for creators, celebrities, and other partners. To go along with a long-standing Meta partnership, TalkShopLive has negotiated with TikTok, and now it’s moving onto YouTube as well. Users will be able to make sales directly in their streams without needing to direct buyers to external pages.

According to Variety, notable individuals who will employ TalkShopLive on YouTube will include musicians like Brandi Carlile, Brad Paisley, and Trisha Yearwood. “At TalkShopLive, our mission is to make every video shoppable everywhere it lives,” said TalkShopLive Co-Founder Bryan Moore. “Adding YouTube to our Shoppable Simulcast network expands our reach to the most powerful video community in the world. This innovation allows creators and brands to drive sales and engagement at scale without relying on any single social platform.”

TalkShopLive is picking a good time to get involved with YouTube. The platform recently released a report measuring the commercial and cultural impact of its YouTube Shopping venture. Though YouTube has not publicized exact figures for its on-platform sales, it did tout its status as a discovery engine. Research has found that 61% of 14-to-24-year-olds have used YouTube to learn about new brands and products.

The cultural impact of YouTube Shopping may be the hub’s biggest competitive advantage. The new report cites previous research from Google and SmithGeiger; the findings revealed that 59% of online 14-to-24-year-olds have drawn influence from YouTube when crafting a personal sense of style, and 43% of that group feels more kinship with brands that engage in creator partnerships.

For all the talk about TikTok Shop, YouTube’s ecommerce business is no slouch — and the TalkShopLive integration is the latest upgrade. To see more findings related to YouTube Shopping, click here.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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YouTube has made its contributions to the U.S. economy clear. In annual Economic Impact Reports, which are conducted by Oxford Economics and published on the official YouTube blog, the Google-owned hub shares its contributions to the job market and national GDP in the United States. In 2024, both of those numbers were massive: YouTube claimed that it added $55 billion to the U.S. GDP while accounting for 490,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

As big as those numbers are, they don’t tell the whole story. YouTube has continued to accelerate overseas, with innovations like YouTube Shorts powering significant viewership upticks in countries like Spain.

To calculate its influence beyond its home country, YouTube has expanded its Economic Impact Report to the European Union. A new Oxford Economics survey found that YouTube’s creators contributed €7 billion to the European GDP in 2024, with the platform supporting more than 200,000 jobs across the continent.

“There are more ways for creators and businesses to make money on YouTube than ever, and we’re seeing them reinvest this money in their content, teams, and operations,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said in the preamble to the report. “Looking at this momentum and toward the next two decades, the creator economy is just getting started.”

YouTube’s engagement with its European community has ramped up this year. In July, the platform revealed the results of a creator survey in the United Kingdom; minimal training options and insufficient recognition from traditional power players emerged as common frustrations. Two months later, YouTube announced the launch of a U.K. advocacy group. At the time, Oxford Economics data showed that YouTube had added £2.2 billion to the U.K. economy in 2024 while supporting the equivalent of more than 45,000 full-time jobs.

Those gains aren’t just happening in the U.K. — they are being seen across multiple European nations. The latest report notes that the number of channels earning at least €10,000 in revenue is up 15% year-over-year. To echo British creator sentiments regarding a perceived lack of recognition, 64% of E.U. creators said that YouTube provides opportunities to create and earn that are not available through traditional channels.

The ramifications of that global expansion are being felt in fields like politics and health. 52% of YouTube users have searched for news on the platform, with 78% judging that the sources they find through YouTube are credible. The survey respondents praised YouTube’s mental health resources as well. Of the 31% of respondents who look up mental health information on YouTube, 74% described that info as “authoritative.”

At the end of the day, however, YouTube’s European effort is just a drop in the bucket compared to the $100 billion the platform reportedly paid out to creators, artists, and media companies globally between January 2021 and December 2024. The E.U. still has room for further growth, but the current data regarding news and mental health could be helpful for YouTube as the platform looks to keep regulators off its back.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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Earlier this month, Instagram unveiled Rings, its own version of YouTube’s creator plaques.

Well, sort of.

In YouTube’s version, every creator who reaches certain subscriber milestones (one million, 10 million, 100 million, etc) is given a plaque. But Instagram’s approach is different. Instead of going pure quantitative, it’s qualitative–and limited. Only 25 creators at a time are awarded Rings. As for who does the awarding, it’s a panel of career creatives and executives from various industries. Each judge shortlists their own selection of creators, and then the panel as a whole votes on who should be given Rings.

The first Rings judges’ panel included jewelry designer Grace Wales Bonner, who made the IRL golden ring each winner will receive, along with folks like iconic filmmaker Spike Lee, fashion mogul Marc Jacobs, artist KAWS, tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, journalist Eva Chen, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

Those judges have already finalized the inaugural wave of Rings winners–and they’re not exactly what we were expecting. We’re used to YouTube’s plaques being awarded to rising star and/or career digital video makers–people whose primary designation is YouTuber.

However, Instagram’s first Rings winners are, in large part, people who’ve made their names in careers outside of digital content creation. There are athletes, actors, singers, comedians, and traditional artists like photographers and illustrators, some of whom built their careers before Instagram was even a thing. Now, don’t get us wrong: these people all maintain sizable Instagram accounts, and clearly have found success documenting what they do on social media. But we wouldn’t describe most of them as Instagrammers.

In any case, each of these people will receive, as we mentioned, an IRL ring, along with a digital golden ring around their Instagram profile image that will show up on their bios and in their Stories.

It’s not clear how often Instagram will give out these awards, but for now, we have a 25-account-strong cohort of people who are officially considered ‘golden.’

Here they are:

• MIKA NINAGAWA
  • 1M followers
  • Photographer and film director who was a prominent player in Japan’s 1990s “Girly Photo” art style
• FUTURA
  • 397K followers
  • Graffiti artist, illustrator, designer, clothing designer with his own brand Futura Laboratories
• GABRIEL MOSES
  • 250K followers
  • South London photographer known for Baroque photography with human figures + geometric settings, went to work for Nike at age 18
• AKI AND KOICHI
  • 1.2M followers
  • retired Japanese couple living in SoCal and showing off their extensive collection of high fashion
•  MOHAMMED AND HUMAID HADBAN
  • 1M followers
  • Fashion-loving twins from the UAE, spotlighted in Forbes Middle East‘s 30 Under 30
• MIMI CHOI
  • 2.1M followers
  • Vancouver-based makeup artist focused on surreal optical illusions
• GOLLORIA
  • 1M followers
  • Beauty influencer focused on increasingly inclusivity in the cosmetics world
• THALITA AND GABRIELA ZUKERAM
  • 109K followers
  • Brazilian sisters who blended their love of graphic design and filmmaking into highly stylized digital content; now produce ads for big brands
• DOLLY SINGH
  • 1.6M followers
  • Indian actress, writer, and digital creator who got her start on Vine and now runs her studio @dollywoodfilums
• ELYSE MYERS
  • 3.9M followers
  • Lifestyle creator/comedian/musician who went viral with a bad-date story on TikTok in 2021 and now shares funny and emotionally open snippets across social media
• ZARNA GARG
  • 1.6M followers
  • Indian American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and NYT bestselling author (though recently criticized for participating in Saudi Arabia’s controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival)
• KATIE KREJCI
  • 615K followers
  • Minnesota-based homesteader and dietician who encourages followers to “opt out of the ‘modern’ way of life”
• TYSHAWN JONES
  • 738K followers
  • New York City-based pro skateboarder and two-time Skateboarder of the Year winner
• NIGEL SYLVESTER
  • 626K followers
  • American pro BMX biker and maker of related digital content like GO, a first-person POV series with footage of his tricks
• CHRIS BRICKLEY
  • 3.9M followers
  • NBA skills coach who’s worked with clients like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Joel Embiid, also a fashion + sneaker designer
• ASHLEY GORDON
  • 745K followers
  • England-based street performer DJ named Time Out‘s Londoner of the Year 2024
• LAUFEY
  • 7.5M followers
  • Grammy Award-winning Icelandic singer/songwriter
• ARI MILLER
  • 2.7M followers
  • aka singer/songwriter/musician/livestreamer ARIatHOME, who broadcasts himself writing and performing songs on the fly, often on the street
• SEBASTIAN JERN
  • 1.1M followers
  • Swedish creative director and visual artist who’s worked with major companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard
• COLE BENNETT
  • 3.6M followers
  • American music video director, record exec, and founder of multimedia company Lyrical Lemonade
• BRIAN LINDO
  • 518K followers
  • aka BrianCantStopEating, the foodie enthusiast whose content focuses on the “joy of working with restaurants to highlight their cuisines and share their stories”
• LINDA LOMELINO
  • 749K followers
  • Swedish food styler, photographer, blogger, and cookbook author
• LIFEONFILM
  • 1.5M followers
  • Photography/storytelling project run by three creators–Grant Weintrob, Christian Baiocco, and Griffin Katz–that documents strangers’ lives from around the world
• OLIVIA DEAN
  • 1.8M followers
  • English singer/songwriter named breakthrough artist of the year by Amazon Music in 2021 and BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year in 2023
• ADRIAN PER
  • 788K followers
  • San Francisco-based self-described “director, photographer, DJ, all around multi-disciplinary creative and production company co-owner” who says he makes “Content to help you make better content”

Filed under: Creator, Homepage Feature, Instagram by James Hale
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Streaming has made Charlie White into a multi-millionaire, and he has the receipts to prove it. The internet personality known as Moist Cr1TiKaL shared his lifetime earnings from his long-active penguinz0 YouTube channel, revealing that he has earned over $35 million in total revenue since 2007.

White’s financials came into the public eye after the streamer revealed that he would turn off all donations on his Twitch account. His rationale was simple: He makes plenty of money as a top-end creator, and he believes his fans could spend their money better by improving their own lives or donating to charity.

Noble as that decision may be, it didn’t even take a week before White responded to skeptics with another vlog. Some of his followers had wondered how well-off he really is, so he set the record straight: He is doing quite alright. By breaking what he calls “the magician’s code,” White showed his audience that his chosen career path has been more lucrative than most.

On Twitch, White’s earnings began to accelerate in 2019, and they have not slowed down since then. From 2021 to 2024, he reeled in $4.1 million via the Amazon-owned hub. That figure puts him in line with some of the platform’s other top earners. Felix “xQc” Lengyel, for example, said last year that he makes $6,000 per day from Twitch ads.

As big as those numbers are, they pale in comparison to White’s intake on YouTube. Almost 97% of the $35 million he has made on YouTube has come from “Watch Page ads.” White gets about 120 million YouTube views per week, according to data from Gospel Stats, so he has plenty of opportunities to serve up ads. Memberships, gifts, and Shorts ads provide him with smaller revenue streams.

Notably, these figures don’t even include the money White makes from sponsorships and other brand deals. “I think there is often so many question marks from people wondering how much does a streamer or YouTuber make,” he said. “There’s never any hard numbers to look at, so I think something like this can be helpful for that.”

The amount White makes from ads is not just staggering — it defies contemporary ideas regarding the creator economy. A report from Patreon (which certainly has vested interests of its own) found that creators are shifting more of their earnings to subscriptions and other means of direct fan support. For the man known as Moist, a classic revenue stream is still reliable. “Ads are the bread basket to streamers,” he said.

One could counter White’s data by arguing that his massive YouTube haul is mostly a factor of the long amount of time he has spent on the platform. When you look at the earnings graph he shows in his vlog, however, you can see that his YouTube revenue didn’t begin to accelerate until 2016. He has raked in most of his ad money in recent years, after CPMs had already deflated from previous highs.

Though White will continue to rely on ads while considering himself lucky to have so much financial security, other creators may choose to embrace newer forms of revenue generation. If that’s what they want to do, White is not trying to stop them. “I’m not your dad,” he said.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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