TOGETHER WITH

It's Monday, June 2nd—and despite what you might have heard from Google’s AI Overviews, it is, in fact, still 2025. (Unless Alphabet has a secret time machine we haven’t heard about?)

Today’s News

MONEY MOVES

Can TikTok maintain its U.K. growth spurt?

The growth: TikTok might be on thin ice in the U.S., but it’s doing just fine across the pond. According to Kris Boger (aka the app’s U.K. commerce lead), TikTok’s revenue went up 50% in the U.K. last year.

The exec believes those numbers could continue to grow as British culture takes a turn in the spotlight. 1.5 million U.K. businesses already use TikTok (per the New York Times), and Boger predicts that happenings like the upcoming Oasis reunion will lead to a Britcore revival. Along with the upcoming U.K. rollout of tools like search ads, that kind of renaissance could help expand TikTok’s status as a “cultural engine.”

The context: Analysts have projected that TikTok’s global ad revenue could reach $32 billion over the 2025 calendar year—if the app can dodge a U.S. ban. As lawmakers in Washington continue to push for a divestiture or total shutdown, ByteDance decision-makers are hedging their bets by turning their attention to worldwide expansion.

The U.K. is a logical jumping-off point for that strategy. Despite challenges from British data protection watchdogs (including one that issued a £12.7 million fine against TikTok in 2023), the app’s operating status is relatively secure in the U.K., where Brexit has provided protection from E.U. regulatory pressures.

TikTok has already capitalized on those conditions by using British consumers as test subjects for its Trendy Beat sales platform and brick-and-mortar pop-up locations, as well as by promoting ad products like GMV Max in the U.K. Now, a potential U.S. ban offers even more incentive for TikTok to reach viewers across the pond.

🔆 PRESENTED BY CREATORS HQ 🔆

12 Months in 3 Hours: Map out the road to a successful YouTube channel with Moktar Larbi

With $40.8 million in backing and partners like Meta, YouTube, Komi, and Colin and Samir, Creators HQ offers everything creators need to thrive in Dubai—from Golden Visa assistance to cutting-edge studio space and expert-led workshops.

Next on the Creators HQ agenda: “12 months in 3 hours: The road to a successful YouTube channel” with Moktar Larbi.

Moktar Larbi helped turn The Anazala Family into one of the U.S.’s top five family YouTube channels by gathering 10M+ subscribers and 2B views in just 3 years. Now, the creator economy expert will lead Creators HQ members in a power-packed June 24th workshop that will condense a year’s worth of YouTube growth strategies into just three hours. 

From defining your content strategy and mastering monetization to understanding the algorithm, you’ll get a step-by-step roadmap to build a thriving YouTube channel. 

Learn how to craft high-retention videos, design effective thumbnails, and turn views into subscribers and income. 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Twitch marked the tenth anniversary of TwitchCon by announcing the rollout of dual-format streaming and vertical viewing. (Twitch)
  
  

• As AI-driven content continue to go viral, some TikTok creators are leaning into the hype by pretending to be in videos generated by Google’s Veo 3 model. (Ars Technica)
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• X has begun rolling out the beta version of XChat, a messaging system that is rumored to offer features like group messages and vanishing DMs. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• Nebraska has passed the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act, a law that would require platforms to allow users to opt out of recommendation-based feeds and certain content categories. (The Verge)

STEM NEWS

DOGE cut science departments—so 200 researchers turned to YouTube

The livestream: In the wake of Trump admin budget cuts, over 200 weather and climate scientists joined a five-day YouTube livestream to demonstrate the value of their research.

Hosted on a dedicated channel called The Weather & Climate Livestream, the five-day event was organized by roughly a dozen researchers, including global warming expert Margaret Duffy, climate scientist Jonah Bloch-Johnson, and Union of Concerned Scientists fellow Marc Alessi. A slate of mini lectures, discussion panels, and Q&A sessions featured marquee presenters like former National Weather Service directors, glacier researcher Britney Schmidt, and triple Emmy-winning meteorologist John Morales.

By the end of that 100-hour event, the Weather & Climate Livestream channel had attracted over 9,000 subscribers. As Space.com notes, the marathon’s organizers hope those viewers—armed with a bevy of fresh knowledge—will ask Congress to prevent further cuts to scientific departments that do things like predict cataclysmic hurricanes and monitor droughts. The livestream links out to 5 Calls, which helps American constituents reach their reps.

The context: Aside from the political circumstances surrounding the stream, what’s interesting here is the approach scientists took to reach the general public. YouTube’s ongoing struggles with misinformation have drawn the ire of orgs like Poynter‘s International Fact-Checking Network—but the platform has also actively combatted the issue by introducing tools like info panels and front-loading authoritative sources in search. And it’s maintained those features, while other platforms (such as Meta) have slashed fact-checking in an attempt to cozy up to Trump.

Thanks to those efforts, YouTube could become an invaluable link between scientists and civilians as the current admin marches on—especially if DOGE budget cuts continue to impact decades-old research departments.

FESTIVAL CIRCUIT

Tribeca Festival will promote digital voices who are “up next”

The festival: For over a decade, the Tribeca Festival has served as a spotlight for creators who display their artistry on social media.

In the days of Vine, Tribeca hosted a competition for six-second films. As digital creators pursued more expansive projects, the festival evolved to support them. It held premieres for creators affiliated with the multi-channel network Maker Studios in the early 2010s. In 2016, a partnership with actor Josh Hutcherson brought more digital-native content to attendees.

The 2025 slate: Now, Tribeca is further deepening its creator-oriented slate. In addition to featuring speakers like TikToker/podcaster Tinx, the 2025 Tribeca Creator Economy vertical will offer a showcase of social media creators who are “UP NEXT.” The members of that cohort—which includes Ari at Home, Christina Young, Coco Mocoe, Danny Cortez, Eric Jeng, Lauren W, Patrick Hicks, Public Opinion, Spencer Lackey, Stef Dag, and Walker Ward—will screen their passion projects at the AMC 19th Street East 6 theater on June 12.

For the second year in a row, Tribeca’s partner for its Creator Economy vertical is Whalar Group. The multifaceted company (which just secured a strategic investment from backers like Salesforce’s Marc Benioff) will provide backing for programming like a June 9 conversation with Tinx. The host of the It’s Me, Tinx podcast will head to the Crosby Street Hotel on that date to dish on everything from comedy content and pop culture to dating.

The 12-day Tribeca Festival will run from June 4 to June 15. You can check out all the ticketing tiers—including festivals passes, multi-screening packages, and memberships—here.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

“Creators Don’t Steal My Vibe”: Lauren Schnipper and Josh Cohen are packing their linen pants and heading to the south of France. On the latest episode of Creator Upload, the two hosts break down a preview of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity—and explain to listeners why they’re stoked to attend the event.

Also on the discussion list: the "Beige Lawsuit" has run its course, YouTube and Disney are in a battle for key talent, and Kai Cenat's Streamer University is out for the summer (and possibly much longer).

Check out the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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