It’s been nearly a decade since YouTube acquired the influencer marketing hub BrandConnect (originally known as FameBit), and the platform has endured a series of sweeping changes since 2016. With its latest BrandConnect update, YouTube is focusing on simplicity: It is adding new tools that are designed to streamline influencer marketing partnerships for both creators and brands.

YouTube summed up its BrandConnect improvement with a post on its Ads & Commerce blog. A new central hub lets advertisers manage all their creator partnerships, existing assets can be linked to Google Ads accounts, and BrandConnect can be integrated into Google Ads to provide measurement and other analytics.

“BrandConnect is a collection of tools and features which help brands connect with creators. In this new era of creator-led entertainment, people make decisions based on the advice of YouTube creators,” reads the blog post. “According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, surveyed online users are 98% more likely to trust the recommendations of creators on YouTube vs. those on other social sites/apps (on average).”

The additions to BrandConnect show how YouTube’s understanding of its influencer marketing hub is evolving. When the-platform-formerly-known-as-FameBit adopted its current name in 2020, it offered both self-service and full-service suites. The latter option accounted for the bulk of BrandConnect sales, leading YouTube to sunset the self-service option.

Even as other platforms launched their own takes on influencer-brand matchmaking, shifting economic winds brought changes to BrandConnect. In 2023, amid Google layoffs that affected YouTube’s influencer marketing team, full-service matchmaking began to look a bit resource-intensive. The favored BrandConnect strategy pivoted back toward self-service partnerships, and the latest tools make the hub more inviting for bootstrapping users.

YouTube is supporting its ongoing BrandConnect push with a wave of new hires. Through job postings on LinkedIn, YouTube is hunting for Product Managers to add to the BrandConnect team.

Positions related to influencer marketing are also opening up on the Shorts side of YouTube. The Google-affiliated platform has brought sponsored content to its TikTok-like format by incorporating BrandConnect partnerships. Multiformat influencer campaigns seem to be a priority for YouTube; at the time of this post, the official BrandConnect website redirects to a landing page that explains how the marketplace can be integrated into Shorts.

Though favored strategies for influencer marketing come and go, the industry is still growing as a whole, with major companies like Publicis and Unilever making sizable investments in the space. YouTube is right at the epicenter of that boom, and resources like BrandConnect allow it to maintain its powerful position.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, Influencer Marketing, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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The co-founder of payments app Venmo is launching a new platform that incorporates ideas and products from across the tech landscape. Iqram Magdon-Ismael is behind JellyJelly, a content hub that encourages users to upload unedited videos and supports them through a memecoin.

JellyJelly’s website describes the app as “the fastest way to post clips from a video chat.” The resulting uploads, called “jellies,” feature AI-generated transcriptions and captions. In a twist reminiscent of BeReal, posting a jelly turns on a phone’s front and back cameras, offering a real-time look at the poster’s current status.

Nascent content apps that synthesize popular features from other platforms are a dime a dozen, but Magdon-Ismael has a secret weapon that has boosted JellyJelly’s name recognition. His X-factor is Jelly-My-Jelly, a memecoin built on the Solana blockchain.

Sam Lessin, the former Facebook VP of Product who now heads up early-stage venture firm Slow, is an early Venmo investor who is also backing JellyJelly. He helped Magdon-Ismael launch the Jelly-My-Jelly coin earlier this year, and it quickly soared to a $250 million valuation.

There have been many attempts to bring blockchain-backed assets into the creator economy, either as a token for shareholders or as the basis of an on-platform revenue stream. The inherent volatility of cryptocurrencies can complicate those plans.

Jelly-My-Jelly has lost the bulk of the value it gained during its early spike, but Magdon-Ismael sees his memecoin as a potent marketing tool that has already produced positive results. He told Decrypt that JellyJelly received 10,000 signups in a day, and about half of the platform’s users hold Jelly-My-Jelly coins.

“It brought an incredible amount of awareness,” Magdon-Ismael said. “I have to be honest, I never thought of using this whole meme coin world as a form of promotion [but] it’s starting to become very clear to me.”

Jelly-My-Jelly may be a mere marketing tactic for now, but it will eventually have utility on its namesake app. Magdon-Ismael told Decrypt he’s planning an on-platform tipping feature that will arrive “soon.” After that, Jelly-My-Jelly could be used to influence content recommendations on the app.

The first wave of JellyJelly creators includes vlogger Nas Daily (who once worked as a software developer for Venmo) and former NBA player Baron Davis. Magdon-Ismael is bringing together a lot of big ideas for his new startup, but the promise of a creator-friendly platform for authentic content will surely turn some heads — especially in the wide world of web3.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, Startups by Sam Gutelle
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The creator industry is a $250 billion ecosystem–and this year, it’s expected to rake in over $10 billion in influencer marketing spend.

Market research company eMarketer says it originally didn’t expect spend on influencer marketing to hit $10 billion until 2026. But things are ahead of schedule thanks to brands “fully commit[ting] to influencer marketing” in 2024, it wrote in its latest report.

“We now estimate that influencer marketing spending rose by 23.7%, which is an upgrade from our previous 2024 growth forecast of 16.0%,” it said.

It anticipates that in 2025, brands will spend $1.37 billion more than last year, pushing total spend to $10.52 billion.

We already know, of course, that creators across all platforms are capable of securing content deals. YouTubers, TikTokers, Twitch streamers, Instagrammers, and Snapchatters are all capable of scooping up deals with brands looking to reach audiences in different niches. Of these platforms, though, there are three dominants: YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

eMarketer expects that in 2025, brands will spend the most on YouTube: $3.45 billion. In second place is Instagram with $3.17 billion in spend, and in third place is TikTok, with $1.19 billion.

If you’re noticing that’s quite the gap between YouTube and TikTok, well…you’re right. While we would say YouTube and TikTok each have significant sway in the digital video economy, with one as a long-form king and the other as short-form ruler, there’s a clear winner when it comes to who’s attracting more influencer marketing spend.

And yeah, it’s YouTube. In 2025, eMarketer expects more than half of U.S. marketers to pay for influencer advertising on YouTube. That’s the very first time this will happen.

eMarketer partially attributes this growth, and the gap between YouTube and TikTok’s spend, to the continued uncertainty around TikTok’s future. TikTok’s battle against the ban has now stretched over three separate presidencies, and though current in-office Donald Trump seems inclined to allow a bigger grace period for owner ByteDance to divest, it’s still not a sure that thing that ByteDance will divest and that TikTok will be allowed to continue stateside operations.

This uncertainty is affecting brands, eMarketer said, and making them more leery of working with TikTok-based creators.

“Fewer marketers are thinking TikTok-first,” Jasmine Enberg, eMarketer’s Vice President and Principal Analyst, said in the report. “They’re hesitant to sign on TikTok-only creators in case the platform goes dark again. Creators are actively building their communities on other platforms, including those where they feel they have more control over their audiences, content and monetization opportunities.”

But that’s not the only reason YouTube is on top.

“Even prior to TikTok’s troubles, the conversation was growing around YouTube,” Enberg added. “As brands and creators prioritize more predictable content, longer-term relationships, and storytelling over trends and ad-hoc sponsorships, YouTube is quickly becoming the place to be for brands and creators.”

Despite that, eMarketer expects all three top platforms–YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok–to see their influencer marketing spend go up by about ~17% year over year in 2025. It also expects overall influencer marketing spend to grow another 15.7% in 2026.

“Any spending disruptions in 2025,” Enberg said, “will likely be temporary.”

Filed under: Homepage Feature by James Hale
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If you have trouble sitting still, paying attention, or organizing your executive functions, TikTok may tell you that you have ADHD — but is that diagnosis correct? According to a new study, there are serious doubts about the accuracy of the ADHD information dispensed through social media.

A research team led by Vasileia Karasavva of the University of British Columbia conducted a pair of studies to evaluate the truthfulness of content found through #ADHDTikTok and related hashtags. The first of those inquiries, in which mental health professionals offered their evaluations of ADHD videos, produced damning results. The professionals reported that fewer than 50% of TikToker claims about ADHD symptoms aligned with the criteria found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The second study added some input from TikTok viewers, but the results were still discouraging. The participants who watched the most #ADHDTikTok were more likely to recommend the five most accurate videos in the study (as ranked by the professionals), but they were also more likely to recommend the five most inaccurate clips as well.

The research team proposed a few different factors that could explain that phenomenon. Some TikTokers have trouble accessing academic research, which leads them to prioritize personal narratives. Creators who rely on frequent TikTok uploads to make money may not have the time to full research ADHD diagnostics before posting. The so-called “echo chamber effect” also exacerbates viewers’ tendencies toward confirmation bias.

“Easily digestible, short, and snappy videos created to grab users’ attention quickly may make it challenging to prioritize nuance,” reads a writeup of the studies. “Crucially, the TikTok algorithm, ultimately, aims to extend the time users spend on the platform. To do so, TikTok leverages engagement cues such as viewing time, likes, comments, saves, and shares from previous visits to the platform to ensure the videos served to the user cater to their taste, in a process that can go largely unnoticed by users.”

After TikTok-based self-diagnoses of ADHD spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers began evaluating that trend to determine whether it was a net positive or negative for neurodivergent individuals. A 2024 analysis found that 92% of videos tagged #ADHDTest contained misleading information.

Questionable videos related to ADHD are part of a broader concern related to the amount of medical misinformation on platforms like TikTok. Videos about “steroid-like drugs,” for example, have also included inaccurate statements.

TikTok has rolled out multiple measures to combat misinformation, but the researchers behind the ADHD study suggested that medical professionals can be part of that fight, too. TikTok can be a powerful tool for “democratizing mental health information,” but only if self-diagnosed patients and their doctors see eye-to-eye.

“It may be important for professionals to listen to patients’ experiences with ADHD information on social media and to hear about what patients have found valuable in this information,” reads the writeup. “At the same time, mental health professionals can attempt to conduct a thorough assessment that includes history and multiple informants, that balances anecdotal experience whenever possible.”

For individuals who insist on sourcing medical opinions through TikTok, some accounts offer accurate information. Creators like Jessica McCabe are helping viewers take control of their mental health, and they’re doing it without setting off too many B.S. alarms.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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India is making a ten-digit investment in its homegrown creator community. As the world’s most populous nation continues to outpace all other countries in terms of YouTube traffic, its central government is committing $1 billion to help local video producers reach fans around the world.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, announced the $1 billion investment (which equates to ~83.6 billion Indian rupees) during a press briefing at the 2025 WAVES summit in Mumbai. “A USD 1 billion fund will be created for the creator economy, ensuring that our energetic creators—using the latest technologies—can scale up, upgrade their production, and tap into global markets,” Vaishnaw said.

Since YouTube arrived in India more than 15 years ago, the South Asian nation has become one of the cradles of creator culture. Online video has penetrated Indian society at all levels; rural villages have become creator hotspots, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought in millions of viewers on a personal channel.

India’s blossoming creator economy has spawned a sprawling industry full of professionals who operate on platforms like YouTube. (TikTok has been banned in India since June 2020.) According to Entrepreneur, the Indian creator economy currently supports four million influencers and is expected to reach a valuation of 33.7 billion rupees (~$391 million) by 2026.

Even before Indian creators received support from local and national authorities, they reached unprecedented heights on YouTube. Indian channels always claim the most chart positions in our weekly rankings of the 50 most-watched YouTube channels. Much of that traffic comes on YouTube Shorts, where South Asian content is becoming an international force. At a YouTube Brandcast event held last year in Delhi, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan noted that Indian creators have notched more than one trillion lifetime views on Shorts.

It’s hard to imagine how that industry could get any bigger, but the Modi administration’s $1 billion investment will take local content sky-high. Indian creators are already dominant in their home country; now, they’re ready to introduce themselves to the rest of the world.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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If you don’t like it when an End Screen pops up at the conclusion of a video, you’ll want to keep tabs on YouTube‘s latest experimental feature. Among its ongoing tests, the platform is giving some users the ability to create uninterrupted viewing experiences by hiding End Screens.

As with other in-development features, the End Screen toggle is listed on a Google Support page that details the products YouTube is currently testing. As of March 18, users in the experimental group can turn off End Screens by tapping a “Hide” button that appears near the end of videos. A corresponding “Show” button makes End Screens reappear.

YouTube introduced End Screens in 2016 to help creators connect with the viewers who watch to the end of videos. Some YouTubers had previously made makeshift End Screens using Annotations, an earlier feature that End Screens ultimately replaced.

End Screens only show up ten seconds before the end of videos, so on the surface, the feature seems like an unobtrusive way to gain new subscribers or direct viewers to new uploads. But there are several reasons why YouTube users might want to hide End Screens. Just like their Annotation precursors, the end-of-video pop-ups can feel obtrusive, especially when they block a big reveal or final punchline. In general, YouTube is trying to declutter its player so that it can better provide the distraction-free, leaned-back experience associated with TV screen viewership.

Viewers may have their own arcane reasons for disliking End Screens. The point is that many YouTube users are looking to minimize interruptions. That’s why there are so many guides that offer workarounds for removing End Screens.

Creators who like customizing their End Screens may not want their viewers to be able to avoid the pop-ups, but the creator economy seems to be shifting toward other engagement tactics. Link-in-bio services like Linktree are consolidating information that was once shared through End Screens, and companies like Patreon are encouraging creators to utilize methods of fan engagement that circumvent content platforms. YouTube gave creators a more flexible means of referring fans to other videos when launched a Shorts-compatible “related links” feature last year.

As with many new YouTube features, the End Screen toggle is not guaranteed to see a full-fledged rollout. Whether or not this experiment makes it past the testing phase, End Screens aren’t going anywhere — at least not yet.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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Kids across the globe love Bluey, and the BBC is taking notice. The British national broadcaster, which handles global distribution for Ludo Studio‘s Australian hit, is planning to capitalize on Bluey‘s popularity by launching a wave of YouTube spinoffs.

Jasmine Dawson, the SVP of Digital at BBC Studios, discussed her company’s plans for the Bluey franchise during an interview with Kidscreen. Dawson revealed that seven new Bluey digital series are in the works, with more than 80 episodes already planned. “We’re only just getting started,” Dawson said.

BBC Studios’ expansion of Bluey‘s digital presence serves as a response to the show’s ballooning viewership. After becoming a favorite among preschoolers and their parents, Bluey emerged as the most-watched show of any type in 2024, amassing 55 billion minutes of streaming traffic.

Much of that viewership came on Disney+ and associated YouTube channels that augment Bluey‘s reach in the United States. BBC Studios recognized that YouTube could be a powerful vector as well. In February 2024, a star-studded web series called Bluey Book Reads arrived on Bluey‘s official YouTube channel. A year later, that hub has more than ten million subscribers.

Thanks to its cross-generational appeal, Bluey is well-positioned for YouTube growth. Amid a sea of low-quality “brainrot” content on apps like YouTube Kids, viewers and media companies have started championing positive, enriching fare put out by professional early childhood educators like Ms. Rachel. YouTube itself is promoting good-for-you kids’ content through its Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative, and Bluey meets the criteria for ethical children’s entertainment.

“We’re so lucky to have something like Bluey because it…speaks to all different age ranges,” Dawson told Kidscreen. “Obviously, it was born as a preschool program and brand, but it’s been an absolute rocket ship over its very short life cycle, and it’s something that can unite so many age ranges. That’s a real feat when you think about the program, but also quite difficult for my team, because you have to be so thoughtful about how you cater to an age range that spans from the very young to their grandparents.”

If anything can slow down Bluey on YouTube, it’s potential regulations from federal governments. YouTube is currently exempt from a law that limits social media exposure for under-18 users in Bluey‘s native Australia, but that carveout has been roundly criticized by other social media companies. There’s a family of animated Blue Heelers that is hoping for Australia’s YouTube exemption to remain in place.

Filed under: Articles, BBC, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, YouTube Kids by Sam Gutelle
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There’s no question about it: YouTube absolutely dominates the under-12 entertainment experience. Recent data shows kids ages 2-12 watch an average of 106 minutes of YouTube content per day, making it the top platform for kids. Its viewership share for the kiddo demographic is more than double broadcast TV’s.

But the stuff kids watch there isn’t always good for them. Sometimes it’s what YouTube calls “low-quality content.”

And YouTube knows that. It also knows it’s had ongoing problems quality controlling content aimed at kids. You may remember 2017’s Elsagate, where videos of characters like Elsa from Frozen and Spider-Man were showing up on kids’ recommended feeds. The videos appeared normal on the surface, but often had disturbing and/or sexual content buried within.

To address these problems, YouTube has done things like push young users toward the family-friendly, advertising-absent version of its platform, YouTube Kids, and institute widespread demonetization of content made for children. In 2021, it started coming down harder on “low-quality content.”

Now it’s doing even more. It’s joined with nearly 20 kids’ content creators and distribution companies, including Pinkfong, WildBrain, The Wiggles, and Cocomelon owner Moonbug, to form an initiative dedicated to “the development of high-quality, age-appropriate content for young people,” CEO Neal Mohan said in a statement.

The Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative intends to “actively [limit] the reach of low-quality content,” YouTube added.

YouTube itself plans to do that through inbuilt features on its platform as well as “content creation tailored to local needs,” it said. Sounds like it might tweak its platform to further deprioritize content it considers unsavory. (Whether that deprioritization will include the deluge of AI slop Shorts currently infesting YouTube Kids–and YouTube in general–remains to be seen.)

YouTube said it’ll also work to enable “greater access to content that promotes media literacy and digital citizenship, fosters learning in and outside of the classroom, and supports development and wellbeing.”

It mentioned that it plans to directly support the creation and distribution of this content, so we’re guessing it might work directly with fellow initiative members like Moonbug and WildBrain to promote their content. Maybe it’ll even have a hand in production.

“The wellbeing of young people on our platform is a top priority at YouTube, and the Youth Digital Wellbeing Initiative builds upon our longstanding efforts,” Mohan wrote.

It’ll be interesting to see what emerges from this direct partnership between YouTube and some of the most prolific producers of kids’ digital content in the world. We’re also curious if other platforms, like TikTok or Snapchat, will get in on this too–but for now, with YouTube as the single largest content destination for kids, it’s making moves that could set a standard…if it can make good on the initiative’s intentions.

Filed under: Homepage Feature, YouTube by James Hale
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Lilly Singh is getting back into the business of YouTube, but this time, she’s taking an off-screen role. The Indian-Canadian creator, who amassed billions of views in the 2010s under her Superwoman moniker, is launching a network for South Asian creators named HYPHEN8.

To establish HYPHEN8, Singh is going into business with Skara Ventures, a firm that backs diverse entrepreneurs. Singh and Skara are teaming up to launch a venture Entrepreneur describes as the “first-ever” network dedicated to South Asian creators. There are some existing media companies that cater to specific identities, such as the Black creator hub Culture Genesis.

HYPHEN8’s business model is reminiscent of the multi-channel networks (MCNs) that flourished during Singh’s heyday on YouTube. On behalf of creators, the new company will handle tasks like ad sales, channel optimization, and brand partnership negotiations.

Singh worked alongside networks during her Superwoman era, but she also transcended YouTube by landing first-look deals, earning awards, and starring in her own late-night show on NBC. Her busy schedule seemed to take a toll on her mental health, and she eventually retreated from YouTube to focus on other projects.

After resurfacing on her channel earlier this year, Singh is now setting out on a mission to provide South Asian creators with resources she wishes she had access to a decade ago. For example, HYPHEN8 will help connect its creator roster with South Asian brands and appropriate mentors. “When I began posting on YouTube in 2010, there weren’t many resources to create content, especially for someone that looks like me,” Singh told Entrepreneur.

Singh believes that HYPHEN8’s dedicated focus on South Asian culture will have benefits for brands as well as creators. YouTube is a big deal in India, where local channels can reach billions of viewers per month, and Singh wants to harness the potential of that tuned-in audience.

“There are so many South Asians on this planet,” she said. “When you have a South Asian creator, they know how to connect with that audience. It doesn’t even necessarily mean that the brand or product has to be South Asian in nature.” The goal of all that dealmaking will be to cultivate creators who transcend their 15 minutes of viral fame to become memorable household names.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
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YouTube is celebrating its 20th birthday in 2025, and the platform’s creator experience team is going on tour to ring in the occasion alongside creators. At least 38 Creator Collectives are on the docket for 2025, with each one taking place in a different U.S. city.

YouTube Creator Collectives are taking multiple forms. At major events like SXSW, VidCon, and DreamCon, YouTube is hosting gatherings for members of its community. A more specialized series of meetups is catered to short-form creators, who will be able to get some face time with YouTube team members during the winter and spring of 2025.

YouTube discussed its Creator Collectives slate in a blog post. “Whether you’re just getting started on YouTube, building a community or feeling established and looking to expand your network, we’re coming to you – wherever you call home,” reads the post. “What better way to mark YouTube’s 20th anniversary this year?”

The Shorts-oriented gatherings began with an event in Little Rock, AR on February 27. From that point until May 2, when the current Creator Collective slate concludes in Jersey City, YouTube will visit a new city almost every day. If you’re a YouTuber in Des Moines, IA, Jackson, MS, or Cheyenne, WY, now’s your chance to pick up some useful strategies for short-form video production.

For years, YouTube engaged with creators through its YouTube Spaces, which popped up in major cities around the globe before unceremoniously shutting their doors for good during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, individual creators have picked up the mantle by launching their own studio and event spaces in cities like Los Angeles and Dallas.

YouTube, meanwhile, has shifted its focus to regional events, as its Creator Collective lineup shows. That change better reflects the current state of creator communities. Top internet stars are no longer confined to hotspots like Los Angeles, with smaller cities and even rural villages generating larger percentages of creator activity.

With that shift in mind, YouTube plans to turn its Creator Collectives into a recurring series. You can sign up here if you want to receive up-to-date information about future gatherings. And if you can only attend one Creator Collective, I’d recommend the one in Kansas City, MO. It is scheduled for April 23, 2025 — the literal 20-year anniversary of YouTube’s first video.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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Welcome to our rundown of the most-watched branded YouTube videos of the week.

We’re publishing this snippet of a larger Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report in order to analyze sponsorship trends in the creator economy. Any video launched in tandem with an official brand partner is eligible for the ranking.

And – as the name up above would imply – all the data comes from Gospel Stats. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.

Our latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report is staffed by the old guard: MrBeast, Veritasium, and Danny Gonzalez, accompanied by an interesting mix of sponsors. But we also have Druski back for a third straight week with his MTV-esque bachelor show Coulda Been Love, plus a new co-op game that puts a spin on sci-fi and fantasy.

Check ’em all out right here:

#1 Coulda Been Love Episode 4: Snow Bunnies
Channel: Druski
Brand: SeatGeek, PrizePicks
Views: 8,768,206

For the third week in a row, Druski is in our top 5 with his YouTube-first reality show Coulda Been Love. The show is doing massive numbers, and getting Druski’s name trending on soical media. But it’s not the only reason he’s trending. Just after our list came out last week, he was named in a lawsuit alongside Diddy and Odell Beckham Jr. The plaintiff alleges all three men assaulted her in 2018. Druski has denied involvement, and the news doesn’t appear to be affecting views for Coulda Been Love…yet.

#2 Something Strange Happens When You Trust Quantum Mechanics
Channel: Veritasium
Brand: NordVPN
Views: 7,255,161

Get ready for a mind-bender. In this week’s video, frequent top 5 maker Veritasium gets a little Everything Everywhere All at Once with it. As he explains, he’s spent decades studying physics, and because of it, thought all objects travel on one path through existence. That’s what physics taught him. But what if it’s not true? What if “everything is actually exploring all possible paths all at once”? We’re no scientists, so we’ll let Veritasium break down his thought process here, but we will say this 33-minute video (sponsored by frequent YouTuber partner NordVPN) is worth watching if you want to remember the universe is much, much bigger than what we’re experiencing right now.

#3 How I Trapped 100 People In 100 Circles
Channel: MrBeast 2
Brand: Lovesac
Views: 5,762,418

In last week’s report, MrBeast made spot #1 with a video about trapping 100 people in circles. This week he’s milking that concept even more, with a behind-the-scenes video showing the “insane” amount of work that went into making the original video possible. This upload is on one of his secondary channels, MrBeast 2, which ‘only’ has 50 million followers compared to the 374 million he has on his main account. That explains why, instead of the 80-120 million views we normally see on MrBeast videos, this one has ~5.7 million–an amount more in line with other YouTubers who make our list. It’s sponsored by furniture company Lovesac, which also got a shout-out in the original video for providing beanbags to contestants.

#4 I’M HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
Channel: Danny Gonzalez
Brand: Pokémon
Views: 4,799,225

If you were around in 2006, you remember the sonic boom of High School Musical. Now, I was in middle school, so it was naturally a defining moment in my life. But even if you were older and/or not into listening to hormonal teens sing about their feelings, HSM left a cultural impression. And now Danny Gonzalez is here to give the definitive dissection of what High School Musical–not just the first movie, not just the second, but all three–did to us. His hourlong deep dive is sponsored by The Pokémon Company International, which may come as somewhat of a surprise, since Nintendo often seems more keen to copyright strike creators than partner with them.

BONUS #1,649 Split Fiction | The Best Co-op Game Ever Made?
Channel: PlayStationGrenade
Brand: Electronic Arts
Views: 35,691

It’s an old (and dare we say tired?) war: sci-fi writers versus fantasy writers. Who tells the most immersive, otherworldly stories? Who writes about the critical issues of our times through the lens of a campaigning kingdom or a distant, struggling planet? Who cares! What matters is that Split Fiction does something different. In this game (made by Hazelight Studios and published by video sponsor Electronic Arts), two authors–one sci-fi and one fantasy–become trapped in each other’s fictional worlds. The longer they remain immersed, the more their stories intertwine, putting them and their characters in danger. Split Fiction is co-op, with one player controlling fantasy author Zoe and the other controlling sci-fi author Mio. To survive, players must work together from their separate worlds–and hope to bring everything together.

…and there’s a lot more data where that came from. If you’re interested in learning more about Gospel – and which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube – click here.

Filed under: Articles, Brands, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by James Hale
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The current college basketball landscape looks completely different from where it was a few years ago, but at least one part of the industry has remained consistent: Brands love advertising against March Madness. With three days to go until the NCAA Division I basketball tournament tips off, virtually all of the inventory that will air across CBS and Warner Bros Discovery networks has sold out.

News of the sellout comes from the Sports Business Journal, which cited comments made by Paramount Advertising EVP and Head of Sports Sales Ryan Briganti during a March 12 call with reporters. Briganti noted that March Madness inventory is always popular, since it’s a major sporting event and its timing meshes well with the ad industry’s upfront season.

Even with those caveats in mind, buyers are loving March Madness in 2025. “This marketplace picked up earlier than it has historically,” Briganti said. “It’s got a huge head start, even before you get to the upfront,” added Paul Diament, the Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery. Diament said that 50% of the inventory was sold in advance.

Sports championships have always been marquee events for TV broadcasters; 19 of the 25 most-watched TV programs of all time are Super Bowls. Over the past two months, however, live event coverage has become even more lucrative for ad networks. Super Bowl LIX spots went for $8 million apiece, with FOX making even more money through the FAST hub Tubi. Oscars ads sold out at $2 million a pop, and now March Madness is seeing stronger buyer momentum than in a typical year.

Streaming platforms may be partially responsible for that trend. Netflix has made bank and gained subscribers through one-off live events like the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight, and broadcasts of that ilk are suddenly hot commodities.

For March Madness in particular, influencer marketing deals are also becoming prominent pieces of the pie. Now that college athletes can profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), they are hauling in sponsors hand over fist, and that activity is reshaping the college sports ad market.

NIL licensing is a particularly big deal for female athletes. Stars like Caitlin Clark have increased their name recognition by starring in national commercials, and earnings have trickled down to less heralded athletes as well.

Recent research from Out2Win shows just how big the NCAA creator economy has become. Women accounted for 63% of the 784 social media sponsorships that featured college basketball athletes during March Madness 2024. Tournament-time sponsorships headlined by male athletes did generate higher engagement, with 3.2 million sponsored engagements compared to 1.2 million engagements for the posts featuring female athletes.

By turning the Caitlin Clarks of the world into marketable stars, brands have introduced college basketball to new fans and seemingly increased demand for inventory. ESPN, the official broadcaster of the women’s tournament, has sold out its ad inventory for the Final Four — and the rising tide is lifting boats on the men’s side of the bracket as well.

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