It’s Friday and a metaverse company has scored $10.5 million to help fund its game engine. One of the hub’s biggest selling points: a feature that lets creators build their own personal planets.

Today’s News

PINK TAXES

Is paying for private security just another cost of being a female streamer?

The attacks: On March 2, just before midnight, streamer Amouranth posted a concerning tweet: “I’m being too [sic] robbed at gunpoint.”

She had woken to find three men standing over her, who beat her and held her at gunpoint in an attempt to steal her cryptocurrency assets. Thankfully, Amouranth was able to reach her husband, who was waiting with a firearm to scare off the intruders. Both she and her husband were unharmed, and Houston police are investigating.

Less than 24 hours later, streamers Emiru, Cinna, and Valkyrae were accosted by a male “fan” while hosting an IRL stream at the Santa Monica Pier. The man had used the live broadcast to track them, proposed, and then asked for one of the creator’s phone number. When she refused, he lunged forward, threatening to kill them. The streamers called for pier security while their cameraperson and assistant held off the stalker.

The context: Incidents like these are more common than male streamers might realize. It’s no secret that female creators encounter more online harassment; when that behavior goes offline, it’s costly in more ways than one.

In a recent interview with Colin and Samir, streamer Pokimane revealed that she spends over five figures a month on security, including protection from doxxing, deepfakes, and stalking. She’s not alone: QTCinderella—who has been swatted multiple times—tweeted this week about the private security company GoldnBear she hires to protect her at public events. Another private security firm, Fast Guard Service, has put out press releases specifically targeting the creator community.

More than a few male content creators have been swatted, and some have had their homes broken into. But these recent incidents highlight how female content creators are at a particularly high risk of stalking—and since law enforcement doesn’t take significant steps to stop digital threats, relying on expensive security seems to be one of the only protective measures available.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• FremantleMedia‘s production arm Talkback Thames has launched a reboot of Supermarket Sweep hosted by YouTube supergroup the Sidemen. (Tubefilter)
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• Instagram is reportedly working on an internal prototype of a “community chat” feature that would allow users to organize Discord-style groups of up to 250 members. (Engadget)
  
  

• House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed Alphabet over claims that YouTube was “a direct participant in the federal government's censorship regime” under the Biden administration. (U.S. House Judiciary Committee)
  
  

• Netflix plans to follow up the much-hyped bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson with another live boxing event: an exclusive July 11 rematch between fighters Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. (The Verge)

SEEING THE LITE

YouTube’s Premium Lite tier has arrived, offering cheaper access to ad-free viewing

The new tier: Over the last couple years, YouTube has ramped up its crackdown on ad-blockers—and at the same time, it’s made YouTube Premium progressively more expensive. That move has frustrated users who are fatigued by the volume and duration of ad breaks on YouTube, especially since Premium—which offers perks like YouTube Music and an ad-free experience—currently goes for $13.99 per month.

Now, however, YouTube is giving cost-conscious viewers another option. The platform has begun expanding a new Premium Lite tier to U.S.users, which—at $7.99/month—is cheaper than pre-existing YouTube Premium plans. That discount comes with a predictable downgrade (Premium Lite subscribers will have to live without YouTube Music and offline downloads), but freedom from ads is available at every price point.

The stats: YouTube shared some stats about its Premium tier alongside the announcement of its new subscription option. 125 million accounts are now subscribed to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium around the globe. YouTube continues to dominate on TV screens, too. After previously becoming the first streaming hub to account for at least 10% of all TV watch time in March 2024, YouTube has endured as the #1 streaming platform in Nielsen’s latest ranking of TV consumption.

In other words, everyone knows about YouTube these days. That’s good news for the platform’s cultural legacy, but it also raises an important financial question: how does a video site with so much saturation continue to grow?

So far, YouTube’s strategy seems to involve the optimization of its revenue streams. A redesign of its TV app will bring more attention to the lesser-known Primetime Channels hub (which allows users to subscribe to other premium subscription platforms from within YouTube), while the introduction of Premium Lite will allow the platform to promote one of its longest-running revenue streams to a fresh wave of thrifty customers.

BEZOS BOYCOTT

As an “economic blackout” targets Amazon, Twitch gets caught in the middle

The blackout: While the U.S. government sets its sights on TikTok, the People’s Union USA is looking to rein in another ecommerce giant: Amazon. The advocacy group—which protests America’s economic system—has organized a 24-hour boycott of Jeff Bezos’ companies. That protest is set to take place today, one week after a broader “economic blackout” targeting major corporations and credit card companies.

That initial blackout may have harmed some retailers, but it actually seemed to help Amazon, which enjoyed a slight sales uptick on February 28. Now, the People’s Union USA is hoping a focused attempt to hurt Amazon’s bottom line will prove more impactful.

The targets: Twitch is one of the subsidiaries caught up in the advocacy group’s boycott. The streaming platform might not be the first Amazon property that comes to mind at the thought of the corporation, but the companies’ ties have strengthened in recent years. Amazon initially kept its hands off Twitch in the aftermath of its 2014 acquisition (a roughly $1 billion purchase), allowing the platform to operate more-or-less independently. Since revealing Twitch revenue for the first time last year, however, Amazon has exerted more influence on the platform.

By including Twitch in its boycott of Amazon-owned businesses, however, the People’s Union may inadvertently harm its own cause. The platform is a hotbed for political organization and a home to left-wing firebrands like Hasan Piker, who may be unable to reach some viewers during the blackout.

If The People’s Union really wants to hurt Amazon, it will need to convince people to give up scrolling entirely. The Amazon Web Services unit is one of the most profitable arms of its parent company, and it’s difficult to browse the internet at all without encountering an AWS-hosted site.

WATCH THIS 📺

Kai Cenat just made his Tonight Show debut

The episode: Kai Cenat has officially left his mark on 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Twitch’s most-subscribed streamer made his first-ever appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, in a recent episode that included a whole lot of hugging and an overview of Cenat’s impressive streaming stats.

At the end of the segment, Fallon dove into one of Cenat’s latest brand campaigns: a Batman-themed commercial for State Farm. Check out the episode (including a sneak peek at Cenat’s big ad) here.

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