TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and all those SuperWhovian Tumblr posts you made in middle school might just end up training ChatGPT. Our question: can chatbots feel teenage angst?

IN THE FAST LANE

A new “Black-focused family streaming platform” offers 1,000+ hours of animated content

The “first and only Black-owned, Black-focused family streaming platform” has arrived.

The platform: That quote comes from a press release on BLKFAM, a free, ad-supported streaming service that recently launched with 20 syndicated series, 1000+ hours of animation content, and hundreds of hours of music content.

• BLKFAM’s substantial library answers an ongoing call for more Black family-focused video content. Despite the staggering popularity of YouTube channels like Gracie’s Corner and Doggyland, kid-friendly Black-led content remains hard to find on both streaming services and online video platforms.
  
  

• Whoopi Goldberg hopes the launch of BLKFAM will combat that imbalance by introducing Black culture “to broader audiences.” The EGOT-winning actress is a BLKFAM equity partner. Other brands working with the app include The Africa Channel, Playwatch Kids, and ATTN.

Why it matters: BLKFAM’s arrival brings much-needed inclusivity to the rapidly growing FAST (free, ad-supported TV) industry. Although studies show that Black consumers are 11% more likely to use free streaming services, there’s a lack of FAST channels that cater to audiences of color.

• As subscription-based streaming services continually raise prices and cut down on password sharing, more and more viewers are switching to FAST hubs. BLKFAM Founder and CEO Larry Adams aims to ensure that those growing audiences “can be entertained without having to face” the stereotyping and exclusion of Black culture endemic to other platforms.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

What does 360° talent representation look like for creators? Here are the answers to 3 FAQs—from the industry’s top agents:

As a creator, having the right support system can revolutionize your career. That’s why Viral Nation Talent offers 360° creator representation—including personalized support from industry-leading agents.

Here’s an inside look at talent representation from 3 Viral Nation agents:

1. At what stage should talent start considering representation? 🤔
Elysia Wong - Director of Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Talent: Creators should get in touch with a talent agent when “brands, media outlets, or even the platforms themselves are reaching out on a consistent basis to work with you.”

2. What is one area of talent representation that really impacts the talent you rep? 🤝
Joanna Giunta - Director of Talent, Image: “I focus on the holistic strategy of my talent's careers…while closing deals is important, any agent can do it, but good agents are focused on what happens between the deal making.”

3. What is the biggest misconception about a full-time career in content creation? 💸
Michael Chew - Director of Comedy, Entertainment, Gaming, Music & Sports: “It's a foolproof line to making money and success. Our entire approach is to diversify a talent's revenue portfolio so you as a talent should too!”

Hit the button below to learn how Viral Nation Talent can supercharge your growth:

Take your content to new heights →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• YouTube plans to scrub its standalone YouTube Kids app from TVs in July 2024. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• Talent management firm Kensington Grey has signed five new fashion & beauty creators and reality TV stars, including plus-size model Tabria Majors and TikToker Gabi Fresh. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• According to AdWeek, Google is reportedly paying some news outlets “a five-figure sum” to publish stories using its AI tools. (AdWeek)
  ​

• TikTok is now legally required to remove “all songs that have been written or co-written by a songwriter signed to UMPG” (even if the songs themselves are owned by other labels). (TechCrunch)

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📈

Forget Gen Z: This channel is all about the power of Generation Alpha

Climbing the charts on YouTube is no easy feat—but a channel called Rainbow Friends Fans may have found a Gen A-approved shortcut.

The strategy: Rainbow Friends Fans has fought its way into our Global Top 50 chart by keeping its eye on another creator-centric ranking: Roblox’s top ten games. According to the platform’s latest financial update, 30% of all Roblox play time in 2023 went to the top ten games.

• As you might have guessed, Rainbow Friends is one of those chart-topping hits. By tapping into the game’s popularity among Gen A players, Rainbow Friends Fans has attracted an enormous fanbase of young viewers.
  
  

• The channel’s colorful content reflects that target audience (although not all of it is strictly age-appropriate). In addition to Roblox videos, Rainbow Friends Fans’ most popular Shorts feature The Amazing Digital Circus memes, skibidi toilets, and plenty of potty humor.

The stats: Rainbow Friends Fans’ Roblox-themed handle and propensity for fart jokes have earned it a loyal audience of young viewers. Since launching in 2022, the channel has collected nearly 2 billion lifetime views.

• More than a fourth of those views flooded in this month. Over the course of our last seven-day count, the U.S.-based hub picked up a whopping 323 million views.
  
  

• All that traffic added up to a week-over-week increase of 84%.
  
  

• The result: Rainbow Friends Fans jump-scared its way to #17 in the Global Top 50.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

A creator business startup just scored €1.4M in a pre-seed round led by Serena Williams’ venture fund

A new funding round has contributed €1.4 million to KLIQ’s mission of helping creators launch their own businesses.

The investment: That pre-seed round was led by Serena Williams’ early-stage venture capital fund, Serena Ventures. In a statement, the tennis legend noted that she is “excited” to back KLIQ as it seeks to “redefine how we perceive creators as the backbone of the next generation of small and medium-sized businesses.”

The mission: KLIQ has big plans for its new capital. The startup—which was launched in 2022 by CEO Ben Camara—aims to expand its team and hone its no-code app development platform, which caters to creators who want to deliver exclusive content or launch educational courses.

• AI development is a major part of that mission. One of KLIQ’s most notable resources, its AI Business Assistant, equips creators with audience analytics and business management insights.

Why it matters: In a statement, Camara noted that KLIQ hopes “to shift the creator paradigm from content generation to comprehensive business ownership.” Entrepreneurial creators like MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI are living proof of the importance of that shift.

• As YouTube experts Colin and Samir noted in a recent collaboration with Ludwig Ahgren—aka today’s Watch This—creator business ventures can be split into two categories: unscalable (companies that rely 100% on a creator’s digital brand) and scalable (companies that remain solvent even if a creator stops consistently making content).
  
  

• MrBeast’s Feastables, Ahgren’s Offbrand, and KSI and Paul’s Prime are all examples of scalable companies, which offer creators long-term, sustainable revenue streams in an ever-fluctuating creator economy.

WATCH THIS 📺

Mogul Moves is kind of “a dying company” (and Ludwig is okay with that)

Colin and Samir x Ludwig: Colin and Samir’s latest creator interview was an on-the-go adventure. The YouTube duo headed to Ludwig Ahgren’s studios to find out more about two of his companies: Offbrand and Mogul Moves.

• For those unfamiliar, one of Ahgren’s companies is a forward-thinking production studio dedicated to helping creators “make cool stuff.” The other—which happens to have the same name as the streamer’s wildly popular game show—is probably on its way out.
  
  

• That’s not a bad thing, either: as Ludwig explained, Mogul Moves was created entirely to support his individual brand as a creator. He’s now moving on to even bigger things—including ensuring that his production studio, Offbrand, has all the resources it needs to thrive.
  

• Fans can find out more about Ahgren and Offbrand’s next steps here.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.