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, a TikTok star delivers an Olympic-sized shrug, a short-form sensation gets tart, and the mad wizard of Roller Coaster Tycoon is back with another vee-dee-o.
Creator commotion
Khaby Lame is an ambassador for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The Games are being held in Dakar, Senegal, where Lame — the most-followed personality on TikTok — was born. If the Olympics are meant to be a celebration of global collaboration and communal spirit, than a creator who communicates wordlessly with fans around the world is an ideal partner.
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
FaZe Lacy and Sketch got kicked out of a March Madness game. The two streamers had courtside seats in Houston for the Elite Eight, but they were asked to leave after illegally broadcasting the action from their personal devices. With the way sports partnerships are going these days, it won’t be long before creators get the express written consent of the NCAA.
LeBron James hit the links with Bob Does Sports. The brightest star in the NBA universe likes to golf during his spare time, so he ingratiated himself into the booming world of golf creators on YouTube. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Bob Does Sports gang and a reminder of the media presence LeBron has built since moving to L.A. and joining the Lakers.
The biz
ZHC is the latest creator moving into the candy aisle. The short-form superstar teamed up with Warheads to deliver a colorful — and piquant — product to retail and digital shelves. The “Extreme Sour Chewy Candy” is not for the faint of heart, which incidentally makes it the perfect foodstuff for a YouTube challenge.
The U.S. men’s national soccer team debuted its World Cup kits on Roblox. In partnership with the hard-working Roblox agency Gamefam, the USMNT showed stars-and-stripes faithful what their uniforms will look like on the pitch this summer. Activating on Roblox is a great way to reach kids, but it didn’t help the USMNT in their recent friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, as they lost both matches.
The Jim Henson Company has a new manager for its YouTube channels. The audience growth company Viewed will help the late puppeteer’s brand scale up its operations on YouTube. Kermit the Frog has already become a brainrot character on YouTube Shorts. Will the Jim Henson Company lean into those silly videos or move in a different direction?
Pop culture minute
You might remember the ‘Pizza Movie’ filmmakers from their time on YouTube. The upcoming stoner comedy is the product of BriTANicK, a sketch duo that has led a cult classic YouTube channel since way back in the day. Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher are well-versed in short-form laughs. Now, in their college-set flick, they’ll try to keep our attention for over 90 minutes.
Captain Disillusion signs first-look deal with Nebula. On YouTube, Alan Melikdjanian produces videos that stylishly and thoroughly debunk fakes, hoaxes, and other shams. Now, the man known as Captain Disillusion is headed to the creator-led streaming service Nebula, where he’ll move into scripted territory. Per Variety, one of the first projects he’s planning to launch is a sci-fi series.
Kid Cudi is your Big Bro in a new digital series. Luminaries like Kylie Jenner will be guest stars for a show that will fall somewhere between an unscripted web series and a video podcast. It seems like celebrity podcasts are a dime a dozen these days, but maybe Kid Cudi’s big brother persona has some sage advice for making his entry pop.
Platform headlines
YouTube is testing the ability to like comments in bulk. The platform is already employing AI to automate fan interactions for some creators. Now, a new batch liking tool turns the thumbs-up into a streamlined signal, and YouTube is also offering to automatically “heart” comments that read as positive.
Should Instagram let users pay to keep their lurking anonymous? The app is testing a feature that would let paying customers hide their viewing activity on other people’s stories. On one hand, letting people pay to be a little more stalker-y is an odd choice. As a long-time lurker, however, I can’t say I wouldn’t pony up for this particular product.
Australia is threatening social platforms over questionable compliance with teen social media ban. Are hubs like TikTok and Snapchat doing enough to prevent Aussie youngsters from evading federal rules? The government Down Under has its doubts, but if Australian leaders think it’s so easy to keep kids from making dummy social media accounts, I’d like to see them try to root out those fakes.
The internet is a strange place
A Roller Coaster Tycoon creator made a ride that takes longer than the history of the universe. You need 227 zeroes to express the number of years it would take to ride Marcel Vos‘ latest in-game creation. If, like me, you think Roller Coaster Tycoon is the greatest game ever made, you’ve likely heard of Vos. We may be a small community, but we are mighty, and Vos’ mainstream recognition is proof.
A case of on-stream theft had a heartwarming conclusion. Streamer Musa_usa had his tip jar pilfered while he was broadcasting from the inside of his food truck. A few days later, the thief’s mom returned with the stolen money. Get that woman a Musa_usa Subscription, stat!
McDonald’s has a solution for people who don’t want to get fry grease on their controllers. The chain’s “Pro Gamer Menu” in Turkey includes a doohickey that lets you use a controller while eating dinner, no greasy mess added. Or you could just wait until you’ve finished eating to hop into your next game of Overwatch, but I suppose that’s against the spirit of fast food.
