Creators have lots of ways to reach their current audiences. Their home platforms, other social media sites, third-party extra-content sites like Patreon and Ko-fi, newsletter platforms like Substack, and more. But what if a creator wants to expand that reach to an entirely new audience?

Well, some of them go to Yahoo.

Yes, that Yahoo. The web company is not the behemoth it once was, but some of its consumer-facing content aggregation services, like Yahoo News and Yahoo Finance, have persisted, and still reach close to 200 million readers per month.

Now, to inject fresh content into those services, Yahoo is launching Stories from Creators, a section on its homepage filled with new articles, all written by social media influencers. It first announced Stories from Creators back in March 2024, and went into beta with just 21 participating creators.

“We hear consistently that people want to get their news from other people,” Kat Downs Mulder, SVP and General Manager of Yahoo News, told Fast Company at the time. “They have institutions they trust, but they also really want connections…In addition to the publisher network that we have, and the journalists that we have in-house, creators would add an additional dimension to that content. And so it would really help us to flesh out that whole ecosystem of content as we really look to become the world’s best guide to the internet.”

To date, Yahoo has signed up nearly 100 YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram creators, Bloomberg reports. Participating creators are paid by revenue share, receiving a 50/50 split on earnings from ads run against their articles.

“Yahoo is an aggregator at its heart, and really our goal is to curate the vast amount of the content on the internet,” Downs Mulder told Bloomberg. “Creators are generating a tremendous amount of interesting content that’s relevant to our readers.”

Yahoo wouldn’t tell Bloomberg how much it makes from advertising or how many page views creators’ articles are getting–but some creators were willing to share their metrics. They told Bloomberg the number of page views varies widely from article to article, but top-performing pieces are bringing more than 300,000 views.

As for how much ad revenue that generates for creators, couple Brent and Michael make around $3,000 a month for writing about travel. They also write on Substack, so Yahoo was–as we mentioned above–a way for them to take the sort of content they already produced, feed it to Yahoo, and use that platform to reach a new audience and make some extra cash.

As Bloomberg points out, content creators are increasingly becoming a source of news for the general public–so much so that the Biden administration held the first-ever creator summit at the White House last summer (though, of course, this was before the current era, where podcasters are being thanked for securing presidencies). That’s why Yahoo wants to put creators at the forefront of driving new content.

However, that being said, Yahoo is avoiding political content for this partnership. The Stories from Creators section is meant to be filled with lighthearted and noncontroversial articles, so Yahoo is only selecting creators in niches like lifestyle, travel, and parenting. It’s also not fact-checking any articles written by creators (though it does have guidelines prohibiting defamation, misinformation, or content that incites violence, Bloomberg reports).

“They really saw the way the wind was blowing,” Cory Allen, a self-help creator with 50K Instagram followers, said about joining Yahoo’s program. “The public is more interested in the individual perspective of a creator these days than they are a legacy media source.”

We think that’s up for debate, especially when it comes to more serious topics than what Yahoo is looking for here–but this entire $250 billion creator industry is built on audiences seeking creators’ perspectives. It’s clear people want to hear what creators have to say–and both Yahoo and creators might benefit from cultivating a new place where they can speak.

Filed under: Homepage Feature, Yahoo! by James Hale
Comments Off on Yahoo News’ next big source? Creators, who are getting ad revenue in exchange for articles

Before TikTok’s Android and iOS apps were restored in the United States, users found a workaround that sidestepped the government ban — and the app itself is promoting the loophole. Sideloading platforms like Signulous have seen usage spikes since TikTok was removed from American app stores last month.

Sideloading is the practice through which users circumvent app restrictions by signing up for software developer accounts. That process presents additional security risks, so platforms like Signulous guide users through sideloading in exchange for an annual fee.

Signulous exec Neil Pomperleau told The BBC that 120,000 people have used the platform to access TikTok in the United States. Though Donald Trump is trying to negiotiate a deal that would divest TikTok rather than banning it outright, Apple and Google are required to comply with the law that took effect one day before Trump’s inauguration. In response, Signulous is getting thousands of downloads per hour and sideloading TikTok onto American iPhones.

TikTok is well aware of sideloading platforms and is encouraging Americans to make use of the workarounds available to them. A tweet from an official TikTok account promoted Android Package Kits, which are used in the sideloading process.

But before you click on that sideloading how-to, consider that the practice has been subject to regulations in the past, and if the TikTok ban remains in place, authorities in Washington could come after the legally hazy sideloading apps next. That sort of escalation would resemble the crackdown on ad blockers: Platforms have taken a harder line on extensions that get past “unskippable” breaks.

“The law on the books is that TikTok is not allowed to be distributed in the US but we’re sort of operating on this pinky swear from two different US presidents that they won’t enforce this law,” Pomperleau told The BBC. “I imagine Google and Apple are a little too risk-averse for their size and the whole situation’s really unpredictable.”

But platform-level resistance to ad blockers shows us why federal action against sideloaders is unlikely to stick. Whether through a third-party download or a VPN, TikTok fans will find ways to get their fingers back on the For You Page. It’s one reason why the divest-or-ban law was flawed from the start, and the rise of sideloading is merely a symptom of a larger issue.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on More than 100,000 Americans have used “sideloading” to circumvent the TikTok ban

A regular investor in creator businesses is upping the ante to the tune of $60 million. That’s the value assigned to the Slow Ventures Creator Fund, a new financial asset that will back multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their own businesses.

Slow Ventures is an early-stage investment firm that has launched multiple seed funds. With its creator-focused initiative, Slow is continuing to get in on the ground floor. Per an announcement post on Medium, Slow will be “directly backing creators with ambitions to build companies tailor-made for their passionate communities.” The size of those investments will reportedly range between $1 million and $3 million.

The announcement names Slow Co-Founder Sam Lessin — formerly the VP of Product at Facebook — and Investor Megan Lightcap as the leaders of the Creator Fund. To get some additional expertise related to the creator world, Lessin and Lightcap have turned to Billy Parks. A veteran of the influential multi-channel network Fullscreen, Parks will work on the Slow Ventures Creator Fund. Most recently, he worked for The Chernin Group, where he was part of a team that took multi-million-dollar stakes in creators like Doug Demuro.

With their new venture, Lessin and Lightcap will continue the work they’ve already done in the creator community. Through previous funds, Slow has deployed its capital to send creators “off to the races,” Lightcap told Tubefilter last year.

Rather than aligning itself with the biggest names on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, Slow has set its sights on respected creators in niche fields. One example of the firm’s priorities is its backing of literary YouTuber John Fish, who used Slow’s support to develop a hub called Bookshelved.

The Creator Fund announcement reveals that Slow is still on the lookout for creators in “high value verticals” who are looking to launch businesses. “They are building businesses with unparalleled acquisition economics and customer attachment,” Slow writes about its potential partners. “These creators benefit from flexible capital that empowers them to build, launch, and scale their ventures — without constraining the creative freedom and authenticity that have made them so successful.”

If you’re a creator and you think that description sounds a lot like you, Slow Ventures could have a seven-digit check with your name on it. More details about the Slow Ventures Creator Fund are available through its official homepage.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on Slow Ventures announces $60 million fund to back creator businesses in “high value verticals”

Amid a sea of negative social media content, BuzzFeed is looking to amplify the upbeat brand image that first propelled it to international prominence. The media company led by Co-Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti is reportedly working on a social media platform that is being developed under the name BFisland.

News of BuzzFeed’s social hub arrived on February 2, when Semafor reported on the company’s plan to counter the “vibe shift” that has driven American political and cultural discourse in a rightward direction. Peretti clarified that vision with a manifesto that is hyperlinked at the bottom of the BFisland homepage.

Peretti’s manifesto refers to the concept of SNARF: Content that is driven by

• Stakes
• Novelty
• Anger
• Retention
• Fear

The BuzzFeed leader explained that platforms like TikTok and Instagram are built on posts that possess those qualities because AI-driven recommendation systems value reactionary content over more measured takes. To back up that statement, Peretti cites a 2017 meeting with ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming and claims that TikTok only acquired Musical.ly because it needed a “source of video content” to pair with the advanced AI systems ByteDance already had in place.

“This dynamic is causing many different types of content to evolve into versions of the same thing,” Peretti wrote. “Once you understand this you can see how much of our society, culture, and politics are downstream from big tech’s global SNARF machines.”

BFisland will be different, Peretti claims, due to its combination of human-led curation that will “do the doomscrolling for you” and advanced features that will continue BuzzFeed’s existing investment in AI. “This social media platform will use AI to give users agency instead of stealing their agency,” Peretti explained.

If the idea of using social content to uplift users sounds familiar, it’s because BuzzFeed has championed that approach for nearly two decades. The company’s video push was initially driven by content that celebrated users’ unique identities rather than pitting those groups against one another. BuzzFeed’s rapid growth convinced thousands of creators to rip pages out of the brand’s playbook in search of their own social media success stories.

Unfortunately, the nature of internet discourse changed sometime around 2016 (couldn’t say why) and BuzzFeed — which was already grappling with internal disputes with its talent — struggled to stay positive within a difficult media environment. Peretti and co. have endured multiple rounds of layoffs over the past decade.

In Peretti’s manifesto, he argues that the cultural tide is shifting once again. He cited a survey that outlined Gen Z’s growing discontent with TikTok and the widespread belief that their lives would be easier if the addictive platform had never existed at all. Spurred by that level of discontent, BFisland is accepting pre-launch sign-ups on its website, even though few details about the platform are currently available.

Even if social media users are eager for a more positive experience, there are still questions about how BuzzFeed will build BFisland without abandoning its mission. After all, most tech companies embrace SNARFy content for a reason: It sells.

Perhaps BuzzFeed’s recent financial transactions can help provide a runway to get its new platform off the ground. The company did good business when it offloaded 2021 acquisitions Complex Networks and First We Feast in a pair of sales. Will the returns from those deals wash up on the shores of BFisland? The nascent platform’s website is the best place to check for forthcoming updates.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on An upcoming social feed will “do the doomscrolling for you.” Will that make its users more positive?

People across the U.S. are seeing significantly higher prices on goods from China–because, though some folks seem determined to remain blissfully ignorant of this fact, when a country imposes higher tariffs, its own citizens are the ones who end up paying higher prices, not the other country’s.

Almost immediately after the tariffs kicked in, shoppers buying from massive Chinese ecom outlets like Shein and Temu noticed their packages getting held up at U.S. customs and charged extra fees, generally between $20 and $50–which, again, the American buyers had to pay before receiving their items.

But those extra package charges aren’t the only changes happening at Shein as a direct result of Trump’s tariffs. The company has also decided to shut down partnerships with content creators until at least March, according to a report from Business Insider.

In two separate emails to talent managers shared with BI, Shein said it was both pausing current collaborations and holding back from starting new ones. In both cases, it said these changes are specific to creators with U.S. audiences, and cited the tariffs as its reason.

Halara, an ecommerce activewear brand owned by Hong Kong-based CEO Joyce Zhang and which has sold over 125,000 items through TikTok Shop, is similarly pausing partnerships.

It told sponsored creators not to make any more content until March, and added that it’s “changing its warehouse strategy to adapt to U.S. tariff policies,” BI wrote.

This nervousness from China-based companies will result in lost income for content creators–and, if the tariffs persist or get worse, creators who have long worked with these companies may have to end partnerships entirely. While there are ethical concerns about fast fashion companies like Shein and how they produce their items, those companies are a major financial force within the $250 billion creator economy, and have worked to establish deep roots within the U.S. creator community. Thousands of creators will be affected if these companies pull out of deals because working with American creators and consumers is no longer as financially appealing as it once was.

And what about creators who don’t just work with Chinese companies, but Chinese manufacturers?

Creators like TikToker Alyssa McKay, who uses a Chinese manufacturer for her streetwear brand Beyond Lost. Brian Nelson–co-founder of The Network Effect, which reps McKay and helped develop Beyond Lost–told Business Insider they’ve faced logistical stresses since the tariffs were introduced.

“Currently we have a pretty big shipment for us on a boat on the way over” with UPS, he said. “If any of this kicks into gear with China, we don’t even know who pays what when it gets here.”

He added that The Network Effect is trying to change up its manufacturing structure and that it plans to deal with the increased costs itself for now, rather than passing them on to McKay’s buyers. But that temporary solution “wouldn’t be fine in a long-term scenario,” Nelson said.

Right now, Beyond Lost, Shein, Halara, and every other company that does business between China and the U.S., are in a holding pattern. It’s not clear if Trump’s whim will clear out and he’ll reduce the tariffs, or if this is something companies will have to adjust to for the foreseeable future.

For these companies, one of the biggest problems here is Trump’s notorious back-and-forth with implementing policies. They’re hesitant to make any expensive, permanent changes to their manufacturing, because he may decide to abruptly release the tariffs months or years down the road.

Meanwhile, as all this is happening, there’s still no certainty about whether TikTok will be permanently banned in the U.S. It’s possible these companies may see the tariffs reduced and reinstate their partnerships with creators, only to then lose their biggest source of views and sales. But, considering TikTok has bene cozying up to the Trump administration–including splashing $50K on an inauguration party celebrating pro-Trump creators–it might be safe…for now.

Filed under: Homepage Feature by James Hale
Comments Off on Companies like Shein are pausing creator partnerships thanks to Trump’s tariffs

This year, tax season is causing some additional headaches for individuals who benefit from the burgeoning creator economy. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the national tax agency of the United Kingdom, has announced its plan to crack down on earnings from “side hustles” like live shopping and affiliate marketing.

As reported by Bloomberg, the HMRC decree applies to individuals who made at least £1,000 ($1,244) from their secondary income sources. That threshold allows the British tax agency to target supplemental income from sources like eBay and Airbnb without punishing people who are hawking household items in small quantities.

To help taxpayers understand the new rules, HMRC has shared some “tax help for hustles” guides, including a dedicated primer for content creators. “Nobody wants an unexpected tax bill, so anyone with a side hustle should check HMRC’s straightforward guide and make sure they’re getting their tax right,” said Angela MacDonald, the deputy chief executive at HMRC.

HMRC set up its new rules after a committee of MPs warned the agency that it is “vastly underestimating” the amount of income Brits owe in taxes. The explosion of the creator economy is one factor contributing to that widespread underreporting. Though many people now secure full-time earnings through social media-related revenue, the creator economy is still filled with hundreds of millions of part-timers who treat their digital careers as the sort of “side hustle” HMRC is targeting.

The rise of ecommerce within the creator economy makes questions about taxation even more complicated. During the 2024 holiday season, shoppable streams on platforms like TikTok gained popularity in the West. TikTok is looking to capitalize on that momentum by building a bigger ecommerce operation in the U.K. in 2025. As creator earnings skyrocket, there will be further questions about how much of that money goes to local and national governments.

Luckily, there are a number of platforms creators can turn to if they want to simplify the tax prep process. Companies like Karat and Creative Juice have supplied ample financial tools catered to the influencer class, and fintech startups like Cookie Finance and Boring Stuff recently put themselves on the map as well. Creators in the U.K. might want to give those solutions a peek, because HMRC looks determined to take in every shilling it’s owed.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on Tax authorities in the U.K. are cracking down on undeclared creator income

YouTube and Spotify have been duking it out in the podcast space for years, with YouTube just this morning declaring it’s the #1 spot for U.S. listeners to find podcasts. But as the podcast industry has grown, both companies have become interested in its next frontier: video podcasts.

YouTube is the biggest home for video on the internet, so naturally sees plenty of podcasters (many of whom started as YouTubers) uploading their shows to its platform. Spotify, meanwhile, has signed major content deals with shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, and recently ran a campaign highlighting creators who’ve seen success with video podcasts on its platform.

Now, a new challenger may be entering the ring.

Netflix.

According to four people familiar with the matter who spoke to Business Insider, Netflix is exploring potential video deals with podcasters. This interest is spurred by YouTube’s consistent rise to not just podcast, but TV dominance (again, as CEO Neal Mohan mentioned in this morning’s letter to users).

Netflix wants to know what the secret sauce is there, and thinks (correctly) that it might be content creators. So, it wants video deals with them.

It reportedly wanted to throw its hat in the ring when Alex Cooper was shopping around for a distributor for her Unwell network. She ended up at SiriusXM for a $125 million deal instead (and it’s worth noting Unwell recently announced it plans to only distribute video episodes of its shows on YouTube instead of both YouTube and Spotify).

This report also tracks considering Netflix has done some deals with YouTube creators, like The Sidemen and Ms. Rachel. Not to mention the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight, which drove record new account signups. Netflix also poaching non-podcast shows that started on YouTube, like The Amazing Digital Circus.

However, as Business Insider points out, Netflix’s past attempts at talk shows (the closest it’s gotten to video podcasts) didn’t last very long, and were mostly helmed by well-known comedians.

Netflix execs were reportedly put off the idea of podcasting by those experiences, but are now warming up again, BI writes.

“More recently they are exploring: Is this doable? Which one would make sense for us? They ask about specific names,” a person familiar with the matter said. “It’s a way to get an amazing volume of content at a fraction of what they pay for scripted and unscripted budgets.”

The cost-effectiveness is apparently a big draw for Netflix. Other people familiar with the matter said creators’ and podcasters’ self-adherence to regular release schedules is an attractive asset, too.

But even though Netflix is chasing YouTube’s heels here, it might be trying to bring something unique to the party. Sources told Business Insider that when Netflix was pursuing Cooper and Unwell, it wanted to create original TV shows with her at the center–something similar to Smartless: On The Road, a TV show based on Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes‘ podcast of the same name.

That means even if Netflix didn’t sign creators for exclusive video podcast rights–which is likely, if creators already have established video audiences on YouTube and/or Spotify–it would still have an exclusive component. One that creators’ audiences might be willing to pay to access.

Now, all that being said, the sources who spoke to Business Insider said they don’t think Netflix will challenge YouTube for the video podcast crown anytime soon. And we don’t either. YouTube is simply too far ahead, and Netflix obviously isn’t going to redirect its entire business model to focus on digital content creators and video podcasts.

But we can see it picking up some creator-led podcast deals over the next year, and using those deals to launch a new subsection of its ever-more-pricey streaming service.

Filed under: Homepage Feature by James Hale
Comments Off on YouTube and Spotify want to be video podcast kings. But they might have a new challenger: Netflix.

Promise is out to show the creative potential of generative AI models, and it has revealed the first class of filmmakers who will bring that vision to the masses. The studio co-founded by George Strompolos, Jamie Byrne, and Dave Clark has shared profiles of the “groundbreaking Gen AI talent” it will work with moving forward.

Details about Promise’s first development deals are available via the studio’s website, where a message from Byrne restates the mission at hand. “At Promise, we are welcoming into the studio some of the most innovative Gen AI artists and directors from around the globe—creators who have already drawn audiences in with their ability to craft original stories, create breathtaking visuals, and build immersive worlds,” Byrne wrote. “As Gen AI directors and artists-in-residence, they’ll incubate bold ideas, develop groundbreaking IP, and explore the limitless potential of AI-enabled storytelling to produce films, series, and other innovative formats.”

Promise’s collabs with AI artists are led by Clark, who Byrne described as the company’s “fearless creative leader.” Though a mix of development deals and in-house residencies, Clark is amassing a “groundbreaking” group of directors.

At first glance, the worldly nature of Promise’s partner roster is immediately apparent. The genAI directors working with the company include China’s Junie Lau, France’s Guillaume Hurbault, and England’s Ryan James Phillips. As upstarts like DeepSeek remind U.S. tech companies that AI development is a global game, Promise is incubating a diverse group of forward-thinking creators.

The company is also looking to uplift AI artists who have gained footholds on platforms like YouTube. Dale Williams, known as The Reel Robot, is one recipient of a Promise development deal. Creators like Cyncratic and MetaPuppet will work in-house to concoct fresh artistic experiences developed with the help of emerging technology.

Promise’s connections to YouTube communities are no surprise. Both Byrne (ex-YouTube) and Strompolos (ex-Fullscreen, YouTube) have many years of experience in the creator world, and they are now looking to apply their learnings within the realm of AI.

Tensions between creators and generative AI models are an ongoing sore spot, but several ambitious startups are looking to usher in more copacetic relations between artists and tech companies. Promise is part of that movement, and its take on AI-assisted creation is going full speed ahead.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on Promise announces development deals for “groundbreaking” AI artists

20 years ago this week, the world was introduced to a platform that went on to redefine video sharing, internet culture, and creator content. On February 14, 2005, ex-PayPal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim officially founded YouTube.

As the story goes, YouTube was initially conceived as a video-forward dating site before eventually taking shape as a home for user-generated videos of all types. Years after the fact, Karim noted that the “Nipplegate” — i.e. the fallout from Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s NSFW Super Bowl routine — influenced the YouTube founders’ decision to develop an on-demand video service.

The rest, as they say, is history. YouTube went on to become a pop culture behemoth, spawning wave after wave of influential creators. Chen, Hurley, and Karim ceded control to Google after a $1.65 billion deal that closed in 2006. Now, two decades after its founders first registered the YouTube name, the indomitable video platform is still leading the industry it represents in many consumers’ minds.

YouTube has faced numerous hurdles along the way, including internal controversies and challenges from upstart platforms. But as the likes of Vimeo, Revver, Blip, Vessel, Vine, and TikTok have come and gone, YouTube has endured as a go-to source for creator content, music videos, podcasts, and much more. Its continued relevance at age 20 is a reminder of the powerful name recognition it has cultivated and a sign of Google’s dominant place in the tech industry.

Though YouTube turns 20 in February, its first video won’t reach that milestone until April 23. That’s the date Karim cataloged his momentous trip to the elephant enclosure by uploading “me at the zoo.”

If you’re eager to reminisce about YouTube culture past and present, keep an eye on this space. We’ll have more to say later this year about YouTube’s two-decade run and the culture changes the platform has ushered in along the way.

In the meantime, we can take a moment to celebrate another seminal video platform that is due for a round-number milestone. If you think 20 years is a long run online, take a look at Newgrounds. The pioneering hub known for its pre-YouTube flash animations is turning 30 this year. It’s official: The internet is all grown up.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on February 14 marks the 20th anniversary of YouTube’s founding

In the age of ephemeral short-form content and endless doomscrolling prompted by the ever-worsening political news cycle, we here at Tubefilter like to keep an eye out for cool internet projects that reminds us good things do, in fact, exist. There’s YTCH, which presents long-form YouTube content in the style of 80s TV channels, and IMG_001, which collects unedited candid videos uploaded straight from people’s iPhones between 2009 and 2012.

And now, there’s WikiTok.

The site is the brainchild of Patina Systems founder Tyler Angert, who tweeted on Feb. 3, “Insane project idea: all of wikipedia on a single, scrollable page.”

insane project idea: all of wikipedia on a single, scrollable page

— Tyler Angert (@tylerangert) February 3, 2025

Web developer Isaac Gemal spotted the tweet and ran with it. The “WikiTok” site was live two hours later.

All people have to do is go to https://wikitok.vercel.app, and they’ll be greeted with a new Wikipedia page every time they scroll. The articles pop up with full-screen images and short text excerpts; if users are interested in reading the full article, they just have to click “Read More” to be taken to the actual Wikipedia archive.

As you can see from our header image above, we were treated to a page about the Mindoro striped rat, a little rodent found only in the Philippines. The Wikipedia page has a hand-drawn rendition of it, but biodiversity-focused social network iNaturalist managed to snag some photos, if you’re curious.

WikiTok has no ads and no algorithms–just an endless scroll of factoids and in-depth information about millions of topics. Doomscrolling on this site will only expose users to more chances to learn. We’re not going to lie–it’s a refreshing brain cleanse after scrolling platforms like TikTok and X.

Gemal recognizes that: “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” he told Ars Technica. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

Like the original Wikipedia, WikiTok is shaping up to be a community project. Gemal made its core code available on GitHub, which means other developers can contribute to the site. Right now, it has the aforementioned article previews, a sharing feature, and can translate articles into 14 different languages. Fast Company reports more features are expected to be added.

Even if WikiTok doesn’t get additional features and stays exactly the way it is, it’s a snapshot moment in digital culture that reminds us why the internet is so important. When we go online, we’re connected to a limitless pool of knowledge. People alive right now have the opportunity to learn more about our world than ever before–and we can’t afford to forget that.

Filed under: Homepage Feature by James Hale
Comments Off on What if TikTok, but Wikipedia?

Spotify is taking action to address the impact of the recent wildfires in Southern California. The streaming platform is inviting affected creators to apply for an initiative based out of Spotify Studios L.A., a facility located within the company’s downtown office.

For a limited time, Spotify is offering recording space at its L.A. Mateo campus. Approved creators can also take advantage of technical support and guidance from the Spotify team, as well as up to three recording sessions per creator.

Access to those perks will be reserved for creators, musicians, and podcasters who are struggling in the wake of the wildfires. To collect applications for the initiative, Spotify has published a pair of surveys that assess individual needs. The survey for podcasters can be found here, while music industry professionals can use the link here. Spotify noted that it is expecting high demand, so applicants should keep in mind that “not all requests may be fulfilled.”

“At Spotify, creativity is at the heart of everything we do,” said Spotify Senior Director of Content Partnerships Jordan Newman in a statement. “We understand how challenging this time has been for many impacted creators and artists, and we’re extending our studio spaces to ensure their voices remain amplified.”

The widespread devastation caused by the wildfires has catalyzed action from the major tech platforms that support significant creator communities in Southern California. YouTube — where harrowing first-person accounts of the fires have gone live — has pledged $15 million to support relief efforts. Disney+ and Hulu teamed up to broadcast a “FireAid” benefit concert, and companies like Snap and Meta have also supported recovery organizations.

Spotify, which has made its own $5 million contribution to relief efforts, is opening up its studio space as part of ongoing overtures to creators. It announced its “state-of-the-art” L.A. recording facility in 2022 amid a flurry of developments meant for professional videomakers, podcasters, and musicians. More than two years later, Spotify creators can take advantage of perks big and small, ranging from a full-featured monetization program to YouTube-style milestone plaques.

The latest piece of creator-friendly Spotify activity has a more personal touch. For more information about the studio space offering, head over to Spotify’s For The Record blog.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Homepage Feature, News by Sam Gutelle
Comments Off on Spotify opens its doors to assist creators impacted by L.A. wildfires

Neal Mohan is crowning YouTube the king of TV.

In his 2025 letter to creators, the CEO of the internet’s biggest video site pointed out that this year will bring YouTube’s 20th anniversary. And a lot has happened in those two decades–including a major push from YouTube to challenge not only streaming services like Netflix, but also top TV networks.

That push is paying off. YouTube gets over a billion hours of watch time on living room TVs every day, and has been the most-watched streaming service on TVs for two years straight, according to Nielsen.

Now, Mohan reveals, living room TVs are officially the #1 place for people in the U.S. to watch YouTube content. This means that, for the first time in YouTube history, when people are watching videos, they’re more likely to be watching on a TV than on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

YouTube “is the new television,” Mohan said. (That being said, whether YouTube TV–a separate, pay-to-watch service that doesn’t get as much traffic as YouTube’s core free content–can succeed when it now costs a whopping $82.99 per month remains to be seen, though Mohan did say it’s up to eight million subscribers.)

Creatorpreneurs are going big

The platform itself isn’t the only one taking on the old guard: Creators, he added, “are becoming the startups of Hollywood.”

“Last November, I attended the opening of Alan Chikin Chow’s 10,000 square foot studio in Burbank. It was a bold, fun and colorful space filled with cutting edge equipment that produces incredible entertainment watched by millions around the world,” Mohan wrote. “And this isn’t just happening in Hollywood: Kinigra Deon is building a studio in Birmingham, Alabama, and last November the creators behind channels Mia Plays and Kouman opened their studio in North Vancouver.”

We here at Tubefilter have been tracking these developments, following creators who are opening full-scale production businesses and putting their own full-length movies in theaters. Not every creator wants to end up in Hollywood, but it’s clear that as the $250 billion digital content industry grows more and more powerful, more creators are able to access the sort of production resources that were previously gatekept to big-league studios, and use those resources to build impactful projects and long-lasting creative businesses.

Mohan also pointed out that these entrepreneurial creators are finding ways to make money off YouTube. He said more than 50% of channels earning five figures or more in 2024 made money from sources other than AdSense and YouTube Premium. He noted that affiliate marketing has become a significant source of revenue for these top-earning creators, citing South Korean fashion creator Bora Claire, who got “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in affiliate sales from one video about cashmere cardigans. (Although creators’ collective affiliate earnings may have been greater if Honey wasn’t around…)

While all this fresh, diverse cash flow is positive for creators, it’s clear YouTube is paying attention to the fact that creators are monetizing their audiences away from its platform. Mohan called attention to Hype and Communities, two recent updates aimed at connecting creators and their fandoms within the YouTube bubble, and pointed out that the number of Channel Memberships went up 40% year over year from 2023 to 2024.

Shifting away from gen AI?

As for what else YouTube plans to introduce in 2025, it’s still on the AI train, but has apparently realized creators have reservations about generative AI. Mohan said YouTube plans to continue investing in its gen AI tools like Dream Screen and Dream Track, but is shifting its primary focus to production support tools that’ll be located within the “Inspiration Tab” on YouTube Studio (which uses YouTube parent Google‘s AI Gemini).

“As impressive as the generative models are, creators tell us they’re most excited about the ways AI can help with their bread-and-butter production. That’s why we’re investing in tools to help them in the everyday work of creation, like coming up with a new video idea, title or thumbnail,” Mohan said.

Basically, YouTube is pivoting similarly to companies like Spotter, which also expanded its original business model (licensing creators’ content in exchange for cash injections for production support) to introduce a suite of AI production pipeline tools.

On top of challenging TV networks and streaming services, Mohan reaffirmed YouTube’s position as a competitor in the podcast space. Spotify has been aggressively pursuing success with video podcasts, but despite that, YouTube has become “the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the U.S.,” Mohan said, citing data from Edison Research. (And we certainly know what effect right-wing podcasts had on the latest U.S. election, thanks in part to their audiences on YouTube.)

So, as YouTube heads into its 20th year, it’s the internet’s biggest video platform, is home to some of the most-watched content on TVs around the world, and is the U.S.’s #1 podcast destination. Not a bad run.

“As we embark on our next chapter, we’re committed to empowering creators, fostering community, and continuing to redefine how the world watches, listens, and connects,” Mohan said. “Thank you to our incredible community of creators, artists, viewers, advertisers and partners for making YouTube the platform it is today. We can’t wait to see what we create together in the next 20 years.”

Filed under: Homepage Feature, YouTube by James Hale
Comments Off on Neal Mohan says YouTube is the new TV–and creators are the new Hollywood