It’s Tuesday and the launch of Uber Eats’ TikTok-style video feed wasn’t on our 2024 bingo cards. But then again, what’s more addictive than food delivery and FYPs?

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Instagram collected more ad revenue in 2021 than YouTube. Why isn’t it paying creators year-round?

The context: Last October, Instagram head Adam Mosseri made a sobering admission to creators. According to the exec, Instagram’s two-year-old Reels Play bonus program—which served as a main revenue source for many creators—had shuttered months earlier because the platform simply “couldn’t afford” to pay U.S. creators year-round.

The stats: Now, new information is casting doubt on that claim. According to Business Insider, a recent case filing from Meta (which is currently angling to get an antitrust claim dismissed) noted that Instagram collected a whopping $32.4 billion of ad revenue in 2021.

• That annual haul accounted for 27% of Meta’s total 2021 revenue, across all its platforms and products.
  
  

• The kicker: YouTube brought in $28.8 billion of ad revenue in 2021—$3.6 billion less than Instagram—and still managed to pay creators 55% of revenue for ads run on their long-form videos. (Shorts ads didn’t fully come into the picture until 2023.)

The takeaway: Instagram’s pivot from consistent creator payouts to seasonal bonuses probably wasn’t wholly motivated by financial necessity. According to Meta’s filing, the platform brought in $11.3 billion in ad revenue in 2018, $17.9 billion in 2019, $22 billion in 2020, and $16.5 billion in just the first half of 2022. The next year, it shut down its Reels Play program and began paying creators via intermittent seasonal bonuses.

• That revelation is bad news for creators hoping that a positive quarterly report or two will trigger the return of a year-round monetization system. The good news: Instagram might feel more pressure than ever to keep creators and viewers coming back.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Twitch viewers can watch the first episode of Amazon’s Fallout series live on April 11 by tuning into streams hosted by creators like Shroud, BrookeAB, and TheOnlyRyann. (Tubefilter)
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• Look out, Instagram: TikTok has reportedly begun notifying users about a “new app for photo posts” called TikTok Notes. (TechCrunch)
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• This year’s Gamers for Giving event raised nearly $1.26 million to bring video game devices to hospitalized children. (VentureBeat)
  
  

• Free ad-supported TV is on the rise. According to a report from Bloomberg, Tubi now “accounts for more viewership than Max, Peacock or Paramount+.” (Bloomberg)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: Buying an island is a lot more fun than surviving on one

MrBeast has reclaimed his spot at the top of Gospel Stats’ Weekly Brand Report with not one but two viral sponsored videos. The YouTuber’s closest competitor: an edutainment hub with a knack for schooling viewers.

🥇 MrBeast x Western Union: 7 Days Stranded On An Island
Two months after touring a $250 million private island, MrBeast hit the beach for a less glamorous challenge. The YouTuber recruited several friends to survive on an island for a full week (with a few Feastables s’mores for sustenance, of course).

• That adventure served as the basis for Western Union’s only sponsored video, which claimed more than 103 million views. Is it still beginner’s luck if MrBeast is involved?

🥈 Veritasium x Brilliant: Why is this number everywhere?
Brilliant sponsored nearly 60 videos this week, but none went quite as viral as Veritasium’s latest mathematical exploration. That 24-minute video examined the frequent appearance of the number 37—a subject likely to appeal to viewers interested in taking an online math course.

🥉 Beast Philanthropy x Lectric eBikes: Changing the Lives of 600 Strangers
MrBeast‘s philanthropy channel also made an appearance in this week’s Branded Top 3. The hub—which devotes its AdSense revenue to the Beast Pantry food bank—teamed up with Lectric eBikes to donate $600,000 worth of electric bikes to people around the world.

• This isn’t Lectric’s first Beast Philanthropy rodeo. The company donated a number of bicycles last year and has since sponsored more than a dozen Beast Philanthropy videos.

FYI: This report is just a snapshot of Gospel Stats’ treasure trove of YouTube data. Check out the full site here for in-depth info on branded partnerships, rising creators, and more.

WATCH THIS 📺

iShowSpeed just risked it all for KSI and Logan Paul’s beverage brand

The smackdown: It’s been less than a month since news broke of Prime’s partnership with the L.A. Lakers, but KSI and Logan Paul’s beverage brand isn’t resting on its laurels.

• Prime fought its way back into the limelight earlier this week, when creator iShowSpeed made a special hydration-themed appearance at Paul’s WrestleMania match.
  
  

• Donning an energy drink costume and challenging a WWE star might not be the safest marketing strategy, but one thing is certain: from the Super Bowl to the squared circle, Prime’s creator founders know how to keep their brand in the headlines.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.