James Hale

• Netflix CEO says YouTube “is TV”: “We all compete with them in every dimension”
• Neal Mohan’s 2026 letter to creators: A lot of AI, a TikTok Shop competitor, and “beautifully produced” TV to compete with Netflix

  Surprising no one, Neal Mohan's 2026 letter to creators asserts that "the lines between creativity and technology are blurring," and talks up Google's plans to push even harder on generative AI over the next 12 months.

  
• The BBC is joining forces with YouTube to make original shows combating disinformation (Report)

  Just days after Barb Audiences--the U.K.'s audience measurement/TV ratings organization--announced that YouTube pulled more viewers than the BBC in December 2025, the network has sealed a "major content deal" with YouTube, Financial Times reports

  
• Dr. Fran is battling the TikTok era of medical misinformation

  We are living in a new age of medical misinformation. The snake oil salesmen and panacea peddlers of the past had to pull their wagons from town to town or shout their messages through snail-mail advertising. But in today's world of widespread social media and AI-generated answers, people are surrounded by sources of misinformation.

  
• Governments are confronting the reality of dealing with AI-generated deepfake porn
• Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: Doki Doki Mustard Club
• Dubai continues its creator-wooing efforts with a splashy Amazon partnership
• Microdramas are getting Hollywood investments and top creator talent
• Fortnite’s new developer-made item sales: Loot boxes yes, outfits and emotes no
• Elon Musk is suing his biggest AI rival over its “ill-gotten gains”
• Discord is going public
• Spotify is slashing monetization requirements for video podcasters