It’s Wednesday and ‘90s kids could soon find the magic of Scholastic book fairs online thanks to the publisher’s $182 million gamble on animated YouTube content.

Today’s News

GAME ON

Roblox will let devs make games based on IPs like Twilight and Stranger Things

The platform: Roblox is giving creators the legal A-OK to make games based on properties like Squid Game, Stranger Things, Twilight, Saw, Divergent, Now You See Me, Like a Dragon, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

While plenty of Roblox games are already based on established IPs, it’s unlikely that they all have agreements with the IP owners—in part because 1) securing rights can be tricky, 2) some of the “fandom” experiences may technically count as transformative works (and are therefore protected under U.S. copyright law), and 3) teenagers making Roblox games don’t know any better.

The problem: When games start making millions of dollars a month, things can turn litigious quick. So, to avoid those kinds of conflicts, Roblox is introducing a new platform that will allow devs to make games based on blockbuster IPs without worrying about cease & desists.

The details: The procedure behind that initiative is relatively straightforward: an IP owner can list their property on the platform, set rules for who can use it and how, and then automatically collect monetization shares if/when a dev makes a game based on their IP.

Owners can also add their IP to the platform after a fanmade game has already been published. That’s an important option, because it means if a game blows up, the IP owner can choose to share in the resulting revenue rather than forcing a takedown.

That process already seems to be in motion for Blue Lock: Rivals. The fanmade soccer Roblox game—which was recently acquired for $3 million by DoBig Studios—is based on the hit manga/anime owned by Kodansha. That IP will officially hit Roblox’s platform next month, meaning Blue Lock: Rivals will be on the up-and-up in the knick of time for DoBig.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Brazilian YouTube sensation CazéTV will have the broadcast rights for all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Google has officially begun indexing Instagram content, bringing posts from creator and business accounts to Search results. (Glossy)
  
  

• In Indonesia, TikTok’s merger with Tokopedia has triggered a drop in ecommerce sales and thousands of layoffs. Should U.S. creators and Shop sellers prepare for a similar future? (Rest of World)
  
  

• Reddit is the latest platform to require age verification for users located in the U.K. (TechCrunch)

PLATFORM UPDATES

The fight against “unoriginal” content is coming to Facebook

The crackdown: At the start of July, YouTube announced new rules governing the sort of repetitive, reposted videos that are currently running amok on Shorts. Now, Meta is joining Google’s video hub in the fight against “unoriginal content”—including the kind generated by AI models.

To do that, Meta is hitting producers of “spammy content” where it hurts. As part of a new crackdown, the company formerly known as Facebook has announced that offending accounts on its namesake platform will be stripped of monetization and “receive reduced distribution” for future uploads:

The context: This isn’t the first step Meta has taken to discourage the production of AI slop. A recent Facebook blog post notes that 500,000 channels engaged in “spammy behavior” have received sanctions since the start of 2025. Another 10 million profiles have been eighty-sixed for impersonating notable content creators.

That kind of targeted moderation could be a big win for creators of original content—if Meta can cut down on the number of false positives. Earlier this year, a rash of mistaken account deactivations led to the launch of a petition that asks Meta to stop issuing takedowns without offering human customer support. So far, more than 30,000 people have co-signed that measure.

THE BIZ

After another shutout, do creators need the Emmys?

The shutout: For months now, YouTube has lobbied on behalf of its biggest stars, arguing that standouts like Hot Ones, Good Mythical Morning, and Michelle Khare deserve Emmy nominations.

This isn’t the first time the platform has pushed for Emmys recognition, either. With the help of YouTube, creators have been trying to break into the awards show for nearly a decade—but the TV Academy has repeatedly blocked those efforts. That’s what happened in 2024. And now, YouTubers have once again been shut out of the Emmys.

In the Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special category, Khare was shunned in favor of Hollywood notables like Conan O’Brien, Stanley Tucci, and David Letterman. Rhett & Link similarly didn’t see Good Mythical Morning get into the Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series category, where web companions for unscripted TV shows took up all the available spots. And in the Outstanding Talk Show category (where the Sean Evans-hosted Hot Ones hoped to earn recognition), late-night hosts Kimmel, Colbert, and Stewart are the only ones in the running.

The question: At this point, creators have been shut out so completely that it bears asking whether continuing to push for Emmys recognition is even worth the cost and effort. And do they even need it?

Some creators may say yes. Khare, for instance, said she hoped to use an Emmy nod to help book high-profile guests on Challenge Accepted. But it’s worth noting that Khare is already prestigious enough to collab with YouTube’s biggest stars. Meanwhile, Evans and his producers have no trouble booking Hollywood big shots for Hot Ones.

Could an Emmys nod bring in more advertising dollars and influence? A few years ago, yes. Today the answer seems more unclear. YouTube is rapidly overtaking Hollywood in terms of influence. The platform gets more TV viewership than any cable network or streaming hub and is outpacing traditional platforms in terms of ad spend, while creators are already becoming feature film directors and streaming giants.

WATCH THIS

Grant Horvat is bowing out of a PGA Tour event. Here’s why:

The creator: If you’re not hip to the YouTube sports world, Grant Horvat is basically one of the biggest golf creators out there—so big, in fact, that he’s repeatedly attracted the attention of the PGA Tour. 

This year, the creator was even invited to participate in the prestigious Barracuda Championship. So, why won’t viewers see him out on the green?

The announcement: As Horvat explained in a recent video, his absence at the event comes down to “the rules and regulations around media rights and filming during tournament play,” which would have prohibited him from capturing his round on camera. And since the support of online viewers is what caught the attention of the PGA Tour in the first place, Horvat said, he doesn’t want to play in one of its events until fans can follow along:

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