It's Tuesday and one YouTuber is risking it all (or at least their phone) for science. The goal: putting Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 to the test by folding it 200,000 times in a row.

Today’s News

CREATORS IN THEATERS

Another creator group is headed to the big screen? Dude, perfect!

The theatrical run: Dude Perfect has already attached its name to an NFL broadcast, a 3,600-square-foot facility, and even a cruise. Now, thanks to a deal with Regal, the trick-shooting quintet is coming to a movie theater near you.

On August 3, Dude Perfect announced that the second-largest theater chain in the United States will distribute a recorded version of their recently concluded cross-country swing. The Hero Tour brought classic Dude Perfect hijinks to large-scale venues across the United States; by adapting those thrills to the big screen, the Texas-based crew says fans can look forward to “the ultimate family movie night.” 

Dude Perfect: The Hero Tour will arrive at Regal locations on September 26. According to Regal Chief Commercial Officer Adam Rymer, the big-screen adaptation has been slotted in for a two-week theatrical stint, which may be extended if demand is high enough. 

The context: Regal has been leveraging creators to sell movie tickets since the days of Vine, but that strategy has become more popular in recent years. Creator groups as diverse as Critical Role and Sam and Colby have drawn fans to theaters by releasing big-screen specials. Now—with former NBA EVP Andrew Yaffe at the helm as CEO—Dude Perfect is well-positioned to become the next creator outfit to get the Taylor Swift Eras Tour treatment. 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Shorts stars are still blocking AI slop channels from the top of our YouTube viewership rankings. This week, KIMPRO snagged the #1 spot with 1.87 billion views. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Katie Feeney is ESPN’s new Sports & Lifestyle Content Creator. In that role, the TikTok star says she’ll be “the daily lead for SportsCenter on Snapchat” and will create content “across ESPN’s social platforms.” (The Sun)
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• ChatGPT head Nick Turley says the chatbot is poised to reach 700 million weekly active users, “up from 500M at the end of March and 4x since last year.” (Nick Turley via X)
  
  

• Spotify is reportedly raising costs for Premium subscribers in parts of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. (Engadget)

THE BIZ

Amazon is reshuffling its podcast biz

The context: As the popularity of podcasts surged during the pandemic, major players like YouTube and Spotify threw themselves into the expanding medium with huge investments. Amazon made one such big swing with its $300 million buy of podcast network/publisher Wondery—but that was four years ago and now, the tech giant says it’s time to switch gears. 

The shakeup: According to VP of Audio, Twitch, and Games Steve Boom, Amazon is restructuring Wondery in an effort to shift its attention to the rise of video podcasts—especially those led by creators.

The tech giant is laying off 110 people, including Wondery’s CEO Jen Sargent. What remains of Wondery will be cut in half: its in-house, narrative-driven studio (responsible for shows like Dr. Death, American History Tellers, and Scam Factory) will merge with Audible, which Amazon acquired in 2008 for a reported $300 million. Wondery Chief Content Officer Marshall Lewy will join Audible as well.

At the same time, celebrity-hosted shows like Jason and Travis Kelce‘s New Heights and LeBron James’ Mind the Game (pictured above) will continue to publish under the Wondery branding. The actual responsibility for handling those programs, however, will move to a newly formed creator services team within Amazon, which Bloomberg says is focused on “selling large sponsorships.”

The memo: In a staff memo, Boom said that the new team “unites Wondery’s growing slate of hit creator-led shows […] with Talent Services’ portfolio of strategic deals that span multiple businesses across Amazon.” 

He added that its members will work with “a select number of top creators to drive scaled listenership and unlock broader and long-lasting relationships across Amazon.”

TOP 50 MOST-SUBSCRIBED

Mexico and Spain are having a big moment on YouTube Shorts

The chart-toppers: Spanish-language content is already trending on platforms like Twitch—and now, it’s making un impresión on YouTube, too.

This week’s ranking of Top 50 Most Subscribed YouTube Channels features an unusually high representation of hubs hailing from Spain and Mexico, with the former country claiming five entrants and the latter contributing three.

Ricky Limon has arguably benefited the most from this surge of Spanish-language viewership. After adding 600,000 new subs over the course of just seven days, the Shorts star-slash-musician jumped 33 spots in our ranking to snag a place at #16.

The context: So, why are Spanish-speaking creators like Limon seeing such a significant boost at the start of August? The national pastime could be part of the answer. After all, soccer channels like CR7 Shorts and the official hub of FC Barcelona both cracked our latest ranking.

But the mix of Mexican and Spanish channels in this week’s Top 50 suggests that the shockwaves of Ibai Llanos’ July 26 influencer boxing event could also be affecting YouTube viewership. Every year, La Velada del Año sets new viewership records on Twitch. Now, it looks like the event’s impact is being felt on other platforms, too.

WATCH THIS

Critical Role’s latest campaign announcement might be its biggest yet

The reveal: Matthew Mercer is finally getting a break—at least, when it comes to leading campaigns. Critical Role’s beloved “forever GM” has announced that he’s ceding the title of Game Master to a surprise host for the tabletop group’s next campaign. 

Brennan Lee Mulligan—who has built up a vibrant fanbase of his own by running games for Dropout’s Dimension 20 and Critical Role’s Calamity miniseries—will take the reins for Campaign 4.

Mercer dropped that news as part of a live keynote at Critical Role Direct, during which he took the stage alongside Critical Role vets and game devs Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Jeremy Crawford, and Chris Perkins.

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