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It’s Tuesday and while YouTube doubles down on battling deepfakes, fellow Alphabet subsidiary Google is devoting time to another AI-centric mission: eavesdropping on dolphins.

Today’s News

TALKING POLITICS

Creator content upended U.S. politics. Now, it’s influencing Canada’s elections.

The restriction: With Canada’s federal election just two weeks away, more and more social media users are consuming political content—and they’re getting it from creators, not traditional news sources.

There’s a reason for that imbalance: In 2023, the Canadian government passed the Online News Act, a law that requires social media platforms to compensate news outlets if they wish to disseminate content from those organizations. The act was designed to protect news providers on social media, but Meta responded by going nuclear: instead of paying up, it banned news posts on the Canadian versions of Facebook and Instagram altogether.

The consequence: That loss of visibility for traditional news outlets has led to commensurate increases for political creators, who are now getting “millions of views”. According to Emily Laidlaw (the Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity at the University of Calgary), Meta’s ban on news posts has sent political junkies rushing to TikTok, where influencers are “filling the space” and viewers are “not drawing a distinction between news from traditional media and influencers on social media.”

The Globe and Mail noted that right-leaning organizations like Fox News and the Daily Mail are seeing some of the strongest gains on Canadian TikTok—a phenomenon that mirrors Fox News’ social media success during the U.S. federal election. That stateside rise supported a wave of young, influential conservative pundits, some of whom received kudos from Donald Trump for contributing to his presidential win.

If conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre enjoys a similar boost in Canada’s 2025 election, north-of-the-border officials may be forced to admit that social media restrictions like the Online News Act play into the hands of right-wing parties. But then what?

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

YouTube Pro Q&A: How Can Creators Stay Ahead with Spotter Studio? 

Creators are always looking for ways to make better videos more consistently without getting stuck. Getting into that flow isn’t easy, so Spotter asked pro creators how they up their game using Spotter Studio to help.

So, how do pro YouTubers stay ahead?

⏰ Saving time with Thumbnail Generators: “If I have an idea using Brainstorm to say, ‘Hey, my title is a day in the life in New York City,’ and then find one [thumbnail] that will perfectly match my video, like that to me is just mind-blowing.” (Sofiyat Ibrahim, 219K Subscribers)

📈 Analyzing viral content to create your next big hit: “Since using Spotter Studio, there's definitely an uptick in my analytics. In one month using it, I only released two videos, but both were my number one and number two on my scale of one of ten." (Mitch Boyer, 3M Subscribers)

From generating personalized thumbnails to analyzing Outlier videos, Spotter Studio has everything creators need to grow. 

Try Free for 7 Days →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Eleven YouTube channels snagged over 1 billion views each during the week of April 13th, pointing to the impact of YouTube’s updated view measurement system. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• According to monthly data from Appfigures, ChatGPT was the most downloaded non-gaming app in the world in March 2025. (TechCrunch)
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• 400,000 users are now on the waitlist to try out Neptune, a TikTok alternative that allows creators to hide their like and follower counts. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• The FTC kicked off its antitrust trial against Meta yesterday by citing a 2012 email in which Mark Zuckerberg framed acquiring Instagram as a way to "neutralize a potential competitor." (Ars Technica)

GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Branded Videos of the Week: The dark side of math, South Korea, and Disney

Shorts may be soaring up the main YouTube charts, but long-form videos still snagged the top spots in Gospel Stats’ latest branded ranking. Among this week’s most-viewed branded videos: two foreboding edutainment uploads and a thorough investigation of Disney food.

🥇 #1. Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell x Ground News: SOUTH KOREA IS OVER (10M views)
Kurzgesagt scored a spot at #1 by exploring South Korea’s ongoing fertility crisis, the impact of global warming and cultural erosion, and residents’ disenchantment with the military. We’re not sure if South Korea is necessarily over, but the 14-minute video—which was sponsored by anti-bias news org Ground News—definitely taught us a thing or two about the country’s current state.

🥈 #2. Veritasium x Brilliant: The Man Who Almost Broke Math (And Himself…) (5M views)
Fellow edutainment channel Veritasium adopted a similarly dire tone while exploring the life of German mathematician Ernst Zermelo. Like Kurzgesagt, the channel (and its sponsor, online course provider Brilliant) consistently appears in Gospel’s top five, demonstrating the demand for educational content.

🔎 #975. Cruise With Ben and David x Squarespace: We Try All the Food on Disney’s BRAND-NEW CRUISE SHIP! (92.6K views)
Head down the list to #975 and the most threatening thing you’ll find is a warning about lukewarm food on Disney’s newest cruise ship. That cautionary tale comes from Ben and David, a pair of creators devoted to evaluating cruise lines. With the number of House of Mouse fans on YouTube, we’re not surprised Squarespace was interested in backing the duo’s on-board investigation.

Check out the full branded ranking here and head over to Gospel Stats for more YouTube sponsorship insights.

REAL TALK

Fans have more ways than ever to financially support creators. But what if a recession hits?

The pandemic response: Thanks to COVID-era lockdowns, people watched record-setting amounts of digital content in 2020—and, as a result, ended up financially supporting creators to an unprecedented degree.

That increase was well-timed for creators, who earn the bulk of their income from ad revenue and brand deals. When both were predicted to drop in early pandemic days, fans stepped up by purchasing channel subscriptions and contributing money directly to creators through hubs like Twitch, Patreon, and OnlyFans (where sales jumped 615%). In response, those platforms expanded ways for fans to financially support creators.

The recession response: For creators, that was the best possible scenario in an earthshaking crisis. But what happens if the next crisis cuts into fans’ disposable income?

With a recession looming, creators are bracing for the potential impact of less financial support from fans. TikToker/Instagrammer Max Schneider told Digiday that he aims to create more long-form YouTube content in order to leverage the platform’s robust AdSense program—a strategy Loaded SVP of Talent Gaylen Malone says is growing increasingly popular among prepping creators.

Creators are trying to bulk their revenue with brand deals. Twitch streamer Swearin told the outlet that his revenue is currently split 50/50 between fan-paid channel subscriptions and brand deals. Going forward, he wants to tilt that ratio toward 60/40 in favor of brand deals.

Many creators are taking a similar approach, but they’re not looking for just any brand deals. During Spotter’s recent upfront presentation, multiple YouTubers talked about how they’re now seeking long-term partner brands rather than one-off deals. Dude Perfect, for example, has an ongoing deal with bev brand BODYARMOR and is currently seeking six more sponsors (including ones for its upcoming global tour).

WATCH THIS 📺

Influencers got creative for the 2025 Masters

The tournament: Fans who regularly tune into the Masters might describe the 91-year-old annual tournament as a phone-free haven of pro golf and pimento cheese sandwiches.

Those elements make for a thrilling (if traditional) sports event, but they also pose a challenge for influencers: how do you promote a tournament that doesn’t allow phones or video recordings?

The promo: This year, creators seem to have figured it out. While the Masters itself reeled in millions of TikTok and YouTube views with highlights and compilations, creators invited to attend the event made the most of “before” videos. GRWM and OOTD videos allowed influencers like Allison Kuch to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament—without violating its ‘no recording’ policy.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.