It’s Monday and Twitch teamed up with SoundCloud late last week to present SoundCloud Sessions, an “all-day DJ party” featuring livestreamed sets and an exclusive emote.

BRING THE DRAMA

The boom: Six years ago, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s ~$2 billion short-form streaming platform failed within a matter of months. At the time, Quibi’s spectacular demise didn’t come as much of a surprise—but now, microseries studios are thriving. So, what’s changed?

Second Rodeo Founder/CEO Scott Brown has some insight into that question.

The Emmy-nominated director/writer/producer has directed 750+ episodes of Larry King‘s digital series on Hulu, executive-produced The Rock‘s YouTube channel while at Studio71, served as a creative producer for MrBeast, and now leads his own microseries studio. He also witnessed Quibi’s inner workings firsthand when he made a show for it.

So, why are the conditions faced by microseries studios today so different than those that overtook Quibi?

Brown adds that today’s “vertical microseries moment is also contextualized within the larger scripted boom happening in digital,” whereas “five years ago we didn’t have Dhar Mann, Alan Chikin Chow, Brooklyn Coffee Shop, so many other channels doing narrative content that’s working for what they are.”

The studio: With Second Rodeo, Brown is “building infrastructure that allows us to create formats where creators, brands, and people that facilitate audiences finding this content can meet on common ground.”

Playback is the latest product of that strategy. Starring longtime digital creator Hannah Stocking, America’s Next Top Model winner Sophie Sumner, Amber Laird, Royce Lundquist, and Sarah Sampino, the show follows an aspiring singer who gets her big break when a struggling rockstar invites her onstage with him.

With fast-paced microseries like Playback, Brown says Second Rodeo is “scratching an itch not being addressed in most narrative content.” Check out a trailer for the show here.

SHORTS STUFF

The button swap: Shorts is now over five years old, and YouTube seems to have decided that the format is ready for some quality-of-life upgrades. Among recent updates are the introduction of a few features borrowed from the long-form side of YouTube—including the removal of the “dislike” button.

YouTube’s initial choice to hide dislikes on long-form videos proved controversial, but the platform claimed that it was necessary due to differences in user behavior. While some people used the button to express their personal tastes, others saved dislikes for videos with irrelevant information. (Female creators also received a disproportionate number of thumbs down.)

To account for that inconsistency, YouTube tested a layout for its long-form version that replaced the dislike with a “not interested” button. Now, that look is coming to Shorts, where the “not interested” button will be paired with a heart icon.

The Clear Screen: YouTube’s big Shorts makeover isn’t limited to hidden dislikes. In addition to offering the same playback speeds enjoyed by long-form users, Shorts is adopting features typically associated with TikTok, including the rival app’s distraction-limiting “clear mode.”

An option titled Clear Screen now brings the same text-free, icon-free look to YouTube Shorts. Third-party tools have offered that experience on YouTube in the past, but Clear Screen figures to be more convenient for most users.

ON THE BALL

The victory lap: On June 13, the New York Knicks ended a 53-year title drought by defeating the San Antonio Spurs to win the 2026 NBA Finals.

According to the NBA, content from the Finals has since received “15 billion views and counting on social media”—the most social traffic garnered by any NBA Finals series, ever.

That engagement was just the beginning. Videos of Knicks fans’ celebrations have also gone viral, with Sidetalk content leading the wave. Every Knicks fan knew that New York’s favorite man-on-the-street channel would be present at the postgame revelry, and the resulting content did not disappoint. Sidetalk even recruited N.Y.C. Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a correspondent.

The culmination of the Knicks’ social media surge came on June 18, when millions of fans flocked to Lower Manhattan for a celebratory parade. The NBA streamed the festivities, a performance from Alicia Keys received millions of YouTube views, and, in a memorable address, Mamdani drew comparisons between the Knicks and the gritty city it calls home. Then he remembered some guys.

“Let’s Remember Some Guys” is the informal name of a format associated with the sports blog Deadspin and its spiritual successor Defector. In semi-regular posts, Defector writers list unremarkable pros from the past.

The brand angle: Nostalgia from Knicks fans turned this particular edition of the NBA Finals into the kind of social media phenomenon that platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook are trying to sell to brands. Ad products that put buyers at the center of cultural conversations were a major theme at this year’s NewFronts pitchfest.

As the Knicks’ victory shows, the timing of those cultural tentpoles isn’t always predictable. That’s why brands that had already leaned into YouTube and TikTok’s new ad products were in the best position to capitalize on Manhattan’s big moment.

ON YOUR MARKS

The fund: TikTok and Strava have unveiled the Pan-European Local Movement Fund, a €100,000 pool that will be split among 20 European running creators. Those so-called “creator-ambassadors” will receive both direct funding and ad credits as they highlight local run clubs and fitness communities.

Some recipients of Local Movement Fund payouts—including Zahra Rose, who will kick things off by hosting a fun run in Brussels—are active on both TikTok and Strava. In a recent Newsroom post, TikTok presented the two platforms as complementary, noting that “for many, this journey naturally spans both platforms: discovery often starts on TikTok, while progress and achievements are celebrated on Strava.” The video hub added that “last year alone, the global Strava community shared 14 billion Kudos."

The safety aspect: As with many other sports, running has attracted much-needed spectators by inviting creators to high-profile races. At the same time, however, some of those appearances have raised questions about how well creators can follow racing rules. The 2024 NYC marathon disqualification of Matthew Choi only fueled that skepticism.

To address those concerns, Dr. Nikki Soo (TikTok’s Safety and Well-being Public Policy Lead for Europe) emphasized TikTok and Stravas’s dedication to safe exercise.

That commitment to safety extends beyond an introductory blog post. Strava and TikTok have also commissioned research from Praesidio Safeguarding, which will explore practices platforms can use to promote physical and mental well-being as their communities translate digital passions into real-world activities.

WATCH THIS 👀

The pilot: The Amazing Digital Circus is officially a wrap, but that doesn’t mean the studio behind the show is slowing its roll. In April, GLITCH Productions unveiled a pilot for The Gaslight District, “a gothic crime drama following an undead family who cheat, lie, and steal their way to survival long after the world has ended.”

Now that the grand finale of TADC has finished its theatrical run, its creator (aka Gooseworx) is urging fans to “go support Gaslight District.” Viewers can fulfill that wish by tuning into the pilot on YouTube, or by snapping up some limited-time merch like this big Breadhead plush. Either way, you’re bound to come across a few friendly(ish) zombies along the way.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter’s audience? Sponsor the newsletter.

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