It's Tuesday, and YouTube science guy Mark Rober is bringing his larger-than-life experiments to a new platform: Netflix.

Today’s News

THE BIZ

And the Oscars broadcast goes to…YouTube?

The inquiry: YouTube may be angling for a chance to broadcast the Oscars. According to a report from Bloomberg (which cited “two people familiar with the matter”), Google’s video hub has reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences regarding a deal that would see it supplant Disney/ABC as the official distributor of the Oscars.

That inquiry comes at a key moment. While the awards ceremony has been broadcast on ABC since 1976, recent developments suggest that Disney may forfeit its Oscars rights after its current broadcast deal expires in 2028. Notably, back in March, the exclusive negotiation window between the Academy and ABC lapsed.

Disney’s willingness to let that window close could be tied up in the Oscars’ flagging popularity among viewers. A show that topped 46 million viewers in 2000 dropped to an average of 19.69 million viewers in 2025, even though that ceremony was the first to be simulcast on the Disney-owned streaming service Hulu.

The motivation: From YouTube’s point of view, however, a deal with the Academy could still present a major marketing opportunity. After all, if the platform aims to propel its homegrown creators into Hollywood circles, where better to situate them than as commentators and interviewers on the Oscars red carpet?

The awards show would also be another crown jewel for a company that has positioned itself as a modern-day distributor of live events that were previously aired by networks. A notable example of that phenomenon is the NFL Sunday Ticket package, which has helped YouTube become the most-watched platform on U.S. TV screens.

🌟 SPONSORED 🌟

Here’s everything creators should know for VidSummit 2025:

VidSummit is the only event where the top 1% of influencers unite with industry pros to share exclusive biz dev insights. 

Here’s a quick FAQ before VidSummit 2025 kicks off in October:

1. Who is this event for?
VidSummit is for video creators and influencers, marketers, agencies, and brands involved in digital media. So you can get access to the world's leading experts all in one place.

2. What makes VidSummit different?
Industry pros converge at VidSummit to share insights and offer mentorship—not to connect with fans. That means speakers are 100% focused on furthering your career and brand goals, not hosting meet-and-greets.

3. What can I expect from the 2025 event schedule?
From October 7-9, speakers like HopeScope, Codie Sanchez, Jordan Matter, and Mia Maples will travel to Dallas to unravel the intricacies of data-driven monetization, the AI revolution, and more in expert-led keynotes, panels, and roundtables.

4. How can I snag a pass to VidSummit?
Hit the link below to find out:

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• MrBeast’s primary YouTube channel added 2 million new subscribers during the second full week of August, bringing the hub to a total of 423 million subs—120 million more than the closest runner-up. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• After facing a 44% year-over-year drop in new Android installs last month, X is seeking to hire employees for an “Android Dream Team” dedicated to rebuilding its Android app. (TechCrunch)
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• Roblox has updated its policies to prohibit “content, settings, or behavior that implies sexual activity” in the wake of multiple lawsuits focused on child safety. (The Verge)
  
  

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating Meta AI Studio and Character.AI over allegations regarding “deceptive trade practices” and “misleading” marketing tactics. (TechCrunch)

GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Branded Videos: MrBeast, Dave Ramsey, and an otamatone walk into a bar

MrBeast is back at #1 in Gospel Stats’ weekly ranking of most-viewed branded YouTube videos—but this time, it’s the creator’s gaming channel sitting at the top of the pile. Per usual, MrBeast’s winning video was followed close behind by The Ramsey Show. (You’ll have to venture slightly further down the charts to find out what all the otamatone hype is about.)

🥇 #1. MrBeast Gaming x Shopify: $1,000 Every Minute You Survive (10M views)
It’s a common occurrence for Shopify to back videos on MrBeast’s primary YouTube channel. This week, however, the ecommerce biz threw its financial weight behind a clip on one of the creator’s secondary hubs: MrBeast Gaming. That sponsorship might not reach quite as many eyes as one tied to the creator’s main account, but we’re guessing Shopify isn’t mad about a solid 10 million views.

🥈 #2. The Ramsey Show Highlights x Zander Insurance: $1.8 Million In Debt… Good Lord (6.7M views)
Ramsey uploaded ~30 sponsored videos to YouTube this week across his channels, with this two-minute Short snagging the highest spot on Gospel’s weekly chart at #2. The video’s unfortunate subject: a nurse in Montreal who has $1.8 million in debt thanks to buying two homes, two new cars, and more.

🎰 #2,106. moshibass x PCBWay: LIZARD LIZARD (Otamatone Version) (40K views)
PCBWay showed off its savvy in the makerspace earlier this year as a principal sponsor of creator STEM convention Open Sauce. Now, the manufacturing/assembly services company is once again giving the people what they want by backing nineteen seconds of lizard-themed ridiculousness.

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

TOONING IN

Can bite-sized anime help Webtoon reach Gen Z?

The adaptations: Webtoon is jumping on the vertical video bandwagon. To drive more traffic to its top titles, the company told Business Insider that it’s producing short-form adaptations designed with Gen Z in mind.

Webtoon and its sister platform Wattpad claim around 150 million users, and have collectively cornered the market on user-uploaded digital novels and comics. Their business plan involves turning those webnovels and comics into official adaptations, which—until now—has primarily meant developing webnovels into comics, and novels and comics into long-form films and TV shows.

The process: Short-form and vertical video adaptations represent a Gen Z-friendly departure from that strategy, although it’s unclear whether Webtoon plans to post that content on video giants like YouTube and TikTok (in addition to its own platform).

What we do know is that 14 English-language comics have been selected for the first slate of adaptations, which will involve some still images interspersed with full animations, fleshed-out voice acting, sound effects, and music. Star Catcher creator Jessica Ramsden—whose project is among those selected for vertical video—describes the short-form adaptations as webcomics’ version of anime. Ramsden (aka Ro-taniah) told BI that she worked with the Webtoon team on character design and voice acting to ensure that the vertical video version matched her creative vision.

As for the biz/rights side of things, webcomic creators keep total ownership of their IPs, but share ownership of the video adaptations with Webtoon. With webcomics, Webtoon has a 50/50 ad revenue split with creators, so that could end up being the model for video as well (although video adaptations will be ad-free and free to watch at launch). Webtoon also noted it plans to add advertising to videos in the future.

WATCH THIS

Take it from Double Date: There’s safety in numbers

Quadruple trouble: Couple channels have claimed spots near the top of our viewership charts ever since Shorts became a thing—and especially since YouTube loosened up its approach to short-form view tracking in April.

Even within that category, however, Double Date’s success is extraordinary.

Australia’s premier couples channel often claims over 1.5 billion weekly views and has even moved past the two-billion mark on multiple occasions.

The secret to that success: four starring cast members. Double Date videos like this one feature two couples (Cadel and Mia and Jasmin and James), who respectively operate their own chart-topping couples accounts. In an era when frequent uploads are a must for channels looking to break the Top 50, having two stars (or even four!) makes everything a lot easier—and that’s one reason couple channels continue to show up in the Global Top 50.

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