James Hale

• Reed Hastings leaves Netflix, which says it “really built our M&A muscle” during failed deal with Warner Bros. Discovery
• Nas Daily’s AI ecom biz just closed a $27 million round led by Vinod Khosla

  He's raised a $27 million Series A for Nas.com, a platform he says will let "solopreneurs" turn a single product image into an ecommerce business, complete with a brand name and logo, digital storefront, and generated ads to spam out on social media.

  
• Northernlion is holding a 6-day fan “supercruise.” But he’s not the only creator traveling with viewers.

  On April 13, Twitch streamer Northernlion announced plans to hold a six-day "ultimate streamer cruise" that will give fans a chance to spend six days sailing with him on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas. With cabin prices starting at $1,800 (up to $2,159 for a premium "squad up" room), the cruise will take participants on a round trip from Tampa to Cozumel and Costa Maya.

  
• YouTube is actually giving viewers fewer ads on livestreams

  That might come as a shock, considering YouTube has spent the past couple of years pushing more, longer ads--especially on TV screens. YouTube also just bumped up the price of Premium, its monthly subscription service where the biggest perk is no ads on videos. (The cheaper version of Premium got a bump, too, bringing it to $8.99/month.)

  
• Jacksepticeye is making a Bloodborne movie
• Roblox’s new Plus program will pay creators for signups–and eat the cost of item discounts so their earnings don’t go down
• Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week: “Can you hear me now?”
• YouTube just made a Shorts deepfake machine so creators don’t have to be in their own videos
• NAB Show wants to be the meeting ground for creators and legacy entertainment: “These two segments have so much to offer each other right now”
• Hollywood has a lot to learn from creator animators (and their IPs), YouTube says in latest Culture & Trends report
• ChatGPT can now tell you what to watch on Tubi
• Copyright lawsuits against AI companies are starting to pay off. Three YouTubers are filing class actions to make sure creators get their cut.