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, there’s a familiar name at the top of the Twitch leaderboard, the Big Game is becoming more creator-centric than ever, and the latest papal decree concerns AI and VTubers.
Creator commotion
Jynxzi ends Neuro-sama’s run atop Twitch’s subscriber leaderboard. The latter streamer made history by becoming the first AI personality with more active subscriptions than any other Twitch account. That triumph was short-lived, as the world’s most popular Rainbow Six Siege player stormed back to the top of the heap with a Hype Train run.
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Cici’s Pizza took CaseOh’s internet handle seriously. The pie-slinging chain is clearly a fan of CaseOh and his high-energy Twitch streams, so it renamed its Mac & Cheese Pizza, which is now known as the “Mac & CaseOh.” I’m surprised a Mexican chain didn’t try this partnership first, but maybe those brands prefer “queso” to be spelled correctly.
KSI’s six-figure monthly YouTube revenue was leaked live on TV. During an appearance on the BBC’s Big Show, KSI handed over his phone to host Michael McIntyre, who learned from the creator’s YouTube Studio app that his average 28-day YouTube income is estimated at $105,000. You know you’re a big deal when a six-figure monthly income feels like a lowball estimate.
Events and happenings
The NFL’s Super Bowl creator blitz has turned Dhar Mann into the league’s Chief Kindness Officer. That unique moniker is a fitting title for a man who is best known for his moralizing videos on social media. Dhar Mann may be the biggest winner at Super Bowl LX, but he is hardly the only creator who will be featured during pregame broadcasts, ads, and alternative streams.
Twitch doesn’t have the NFL Sunday Ticket package, but it does have the Streamer Bowl. For the seventh year, pro athletes and streaming stars will join forces to participate in a gauntlet of real-life and video game challenges. The player list includes Cam Skattebo, the New York Giants rookie who has cultivated a unique approach to the Twitch streamer lifestyle.
Creators are still relevant in that other football sport, too. The latest soccer showdown contested by creators and retired athletes featured teams captained by Chunkz and Aboflah. I love how nonchalantly the soccer legends play during these charity games — it’s a good reminder of how much skill it takes to make it to the pros. Thierry Henry’s inspired laziness is particularly iconic.
Keke Palmer and Demi Lovato are on the docket for the TikTok Live Fest. The app wants its next live music production to be a star-studded affair, so it has recruited Palmer as the emcee and Lovato as the headliner. Those luminaries will share the stage with artists who have gotten big on TikTok.
Movers and shakers
YouTube Canada has a new head. Congratulations to Nicole Bell on her promotion. The 10-year YouTube vet is now heading up the platform’s north-of-the-border operations. Her previous work included a key role in the development of YouTube Space Toronto a decade ago — does that mean that YouTube’s Canadian community can look forward to more in-person events now that Bell has been promoted?
A Dude Perfect alum will help the LPGA approach the greener pastures of the creator world. Women’s sports is blowing up on social media, and Chad Coleman will help the LPGA ensure that top female golfers are part of that boom. As the association’s CMO, Coleman will look to engage with the growing golf community on YouTube.
The ad world
TikTok is sorry that its switch to a U.S.-only app screwed up so many campaigns. The tech company apologized to advertisers after those buyers experienced decreased volume and missing elements. TikTok blamed the slip-up on the same data center outage it scapegoated for concurrent video upload issues. We’ll see how long that excuse lasts.
Are Meta’s partnership ads serving their purpose? The tech giant’s new format is meant to make its ads a more tempting offer for creators who are used to the favorable economics of YouTube and its 55/45 revenue split. In practice, scaling partnership ads might not be such a simple proposition. The Next In Media newsletter has the details.
Will Super Bowl commercials make us less anxious about AI slop? AI companies are spending big on Super Bowl spots so that they can regain the trust of jaded consumers. It’s a bit counterproductive — even if the ads make us feel better about AI, they’ll be cancelled out by all the weird generative AI imagery we’re bound to see in other Super Bowl ads.
The internet is a strange place
Pope Leo XIV is worried that AI chatbots and VTubers will hurt our ability to “distinguish between syntax and semantics.” So claimed the leader of the Catholic Church in a public letter. I understand Leo’s concerns, but has he consider that our favorite VTubers have funny voices and eccentric costumes?
Gabriella Carr wants to be rejected 1,000 times. In a world filled with yes-men, Carr is determined to be a magnet for the word “no.” She is tracking her rejections in a notebook, but if she keeps trying to advance this clever idea, she might find that potential partners want to say yes to her instead.
A Thai cinema with beds instead of seats brings a new meaning to the phrase “home movies.” I would advise the theater to avoid applying this gimmick to kids’ films, because youngsters jumping on the bed would definitely distract other moviegoers.
