TOGETHER WITH

It’s Tuesday and AI truly has found its way into every industry. The latest institution to hop on board: a Swiss church where parishioners can now confess their signs to an “AI Jesus” backlit by a “heavenly hologram.”

Today’s News

TEAM PLAYERS

The Sidemen Charity Match is one of the year’s biggest creator spectacles. Here’s how it comes together.

The event: The Sidemen are bringing their annual creator showdown to the largest stadium in the U.K.—and every single seat has already been filled. The seven-member supergroup needed just three-and-a-half hours to sell approximately 90,000 tickets to their Sidemen Charity Match, which will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium on March 8.

For the sixth edition of the match, the Sidemen will once again team up with a few buddies to compete against a group of “YouTube All-Stars.” As in the past (when participants included stars like MrBeast, Kai Cenat, iShowSpeed, and xQc), the funds raised by this year’s face-off will be donated to a selection of organizations chosen by the Sidemen. The 2023 iteration of the match set a new high mark by raising £2.4 million for charities like CALM, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Rays of Sunshine.

The strategy: If the Sidemen want to surpass that total in 2025, they’ll need to continue ramping up the entertainment factor of the match’s evolving storylines—and that means selecting the right participants. iShowSpeed, for example, would be a solid choice thanks to his years-long rivalry with KSI. By putting the two creators on opposing teams, the Sidemen would guarantee some riveting drama.

According to Jordan Schwarzenberger of Arcade Media (aka the management firm that reps the Sidemen), “creating an international mix that appeals to a global audience” is another important factor for the Sidemen to consider. Given that their charity match reached a peak of 2.5 million concurrent viewers in 2023, it’s no surprise that the group is taking the global breadth of their audience into account for 2025. After all, while 90,000 fans will enjoy an IRL experience at Wembley, the majority of the Sidemen’s worldwide fanbase will tune in via the group’s official YouTube channel.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Artlist just released its 2025 Trend Report. Here are 3 takeaways brands should embrace over the next year:

Artlist—a creative technology company that provides royalty-free digital assets to empower brands and content creators worldwide—just released its annual Artlist Trend Report 2025. 

Backed by data from 5000+ creators and industry leaders from Google, Meta, Canva, and more, Artlist’s 2025 report is the ultimate resource for forward-thinking brands.

Here are 3 predictions that should influence your marketing strategy in 2025:

1. AI will spark new quality and safety concerns. Brand success will depend on the adoption of quality-driven, compliant AI solutions that ensure innovation and legal security. 

The stats: 31% of creators consider the quality of AI tools their top priority, while 26% focus on ownership concerns.

2. Collective creator marketing power: Savvy brands are forging deep connections with influencers who drive storytelling. As more creators seek meaningful relationships, successful marketers will build lasting partnerships that foster trust.

Check out the report here to find out more insights for your brand.

3. Cross-generational content: Creators and marketers will tap into shared cultural touchpoints for cross-generational appeal. As diverse demographics converge in digital spaces, brands will be able to maximize reach across age groups.

Access the full report for free to build your brand for 2025 and stay ahead of the competition:

Download the Artlist Trend Report 2025 →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• One billion views in a single week is a rare occurrence on YouTube, but T-Series is almost there. The Indian record label brought in 971.6 million views between November 17 and 24. Will it hit the big bil next week? (Tubefilter)
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• After featuring top creators like Adam Rose, Golloria George, and Under The Desk News, Creator Spotlight has welcomed a new digital visionary to the studio: TikTok sensation Jordan The Stallion. (What’s Trending)
  
  

• YouTube has released a blog post written by Susan Wojcicki in the final weeks of her life. In her message, the former YouTube CEO outlines her experience with lung cancer and her efforts to support disease research. (YouTube Blog)
  
  

• After being banned on Twitch and demonetized on YouTube, Dr Disrespect has sealed a deal with Rumble that will see him create content and act “as an advisor” for the platform. (The Verge)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Branded Videos: SWAT clock, seitan turkey, and Shaq on stream

From questionable turkey recipes to Netflix watch parties, Gospel Stats’ latest weekly report is a smorgasbord of tech, cultural tentpoles, and holiday content. Check out this week’s top branded videos below:

🥇 #1. Tyler Blanchard x SIREN Blasters: World’s Most Dangerous Alarm Clock (18.5M views)
If you’re really, really desperate to wake up on time, Tyler Blanchard’s newest invention might be for you. While we wouldn’t personally recommend surrounding your bed with guns from Nerf competitor SIREN Blasters and hooking them up to an alarm clock, the concept seems to have paid off for both Blanchard and SIREN.

🥈 #2. The W.A.D.E Concept x Manscaped: Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson LIVESTREAM Watch Party From Dallas With Papa Plem!! The W.A.D.E. Concept (9.5M views)
Millions of people saw more buffering than punching during Netflix’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight—but Wade Plemons wasn’t one of them. The YouTuber and his father cohosted a seven-and-a-half-hour ringside stream of the event, during which they peaked at over 100,000 viewers and even interviewed Shaq. According to commenters, Plemons and his dad closed fight night with more than 6 million views. That’s a lot of eyeballs for Manscaped, which also paid for nearly 40 other videos this week.

🔎 #1,030. Sauce Stache x Rocket Money: I Made a Vegan Thanksgiving Turkey (34.7K views)

Last time we saw Sauce Stache in a Gospel report, he was busy whipping up a biohacking salad for Miracle Made. This time around, the culinary creator is sponsored by Rocket Money— and instead of mixing leafy greens, his latest video features a “turkey” made from seitan, a wheat gluten substance that can come kinda close to tasting like the real thing.

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

CASE BY CASE

As Spotify revamps its podcast creator program, it’s highlighting successful shows with a video edge

The trend: Spotify’s investment in video content is paying off in a big way. More than 170 million people have now watched a video podcast on the platform, which has seen an 88% surge in the number of users who choose video podcasts over audio-only. To capitalize on that shift, Spotify is revamping creator monetization with a new Spotify Partner Program that will roll out in January 2025.

The case study: Ahead of that launch, the platform is shining a spotlight on creators like Dropouts hosts Jared Bailey and Zach Justice, who have successfully used video to grow their audience. Bailey, Justice, and former co-host Indiana Massara started the comedy podcast on YouTube in June 2020, and uploaded video versions of the show’s episodes right from the jump. Three years later, they decided to expand video content to Spotify. Within three months, the platform tells Tubefilter, Dropouts saw a 40% surge in audience size.

According to Justice and Bailey, that change comes down to far more than a numbers game:

The takeaway: Ultimately, Justice said, “If I was to talk to a creator and they aren’t using Spotify video, I would go, ‘Why?’ and I’d go, ‘That’s not a good reason,’ because you should be. It only helps brand awareness and to reach more people and for people to stay longer.”

Spotify is a Tubefilter partner.

WATCH THIS 📺

Kai Cenat will celebrate Turkey Day on stream with Kevin Hart and Druski

The trailer: Kai Cenat is pulling out the big guns in his mission to reclaim the title of Twitch’s most-subscribed-to streamer. Just weeks after unveiling a collab with Kim Kardashian, the creator and AMP member dropped a trailer for his next celebrity team-up: a Thanksgiving stream featuring comedians Kevin Hart and Druski.

That holiday extravaganza is a surefire way to end Cenat’s month-long Mafiathon 2 event with a bang. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take out his entire kitchen in the process.

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