TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and Kick is taking its name literally by signing on as an official partner of the UFC. For Twitch’s sake, we’re hoping the streaming platform doesn’t learn too much from its time in the Octagon.

TESTING, TESTING

Is YouTube hiding view counts and upload dates? 👀

The test: A possible experiment could change the way content shows up on YouTube. First spotted by vidIQ, the platform appears to be running a test where it hides videos’ view counts and upload dates on the homepage unless viewers click through to a dedicated section.

The ambiguity: But is that change an actual experiment, or just an glitch? YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie retweeted a post about the homepage change, saying he and his team are “looking into it and we’ll come back with more info soon!” Since YouTube typically admits when it’s testing features (and sometimes even promotes them as Premium perks), Ritchie’s response could indicate that the hidden stats are an error—not an experiment.

On the other hand, this wouldn’t be the first time YouTube has removed some stats. It hid videos’ public dislike counts in 2021, and lets creators choose if they want to hide like counts and subscriber counts.

The response: Either way, creators aren’t waiting to find out if the change is intentional. Objecting commenters include tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, who accused YouTube of imitating the clean look of certain rivals:

The motivation: So, let’s say the test is real: why would YouTube want to hide view counts and upload dates in the first place?

It’s possible that the platform is looking to serve up older content, or hopes to level the playing field for videos with smaller view counts. Viewers typically use view counts and timeliness as metrics for whether a video is worth their time or not—something that can make it difficult for small creators to gain visibility.

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Viral Nation has already helped social media sensations like The McCartys, Like Nastya, and The Montana Boyz take their content to new heights with original animated series, live-action shows, and unscripted reality entertainment. 

Now, the award-winning digital talent agency is teaming up with legendary producer Trip Taylor (Jackass, Nitro Circus, and Bad Grandpa) to introduce something entirely new to the industry: Full Tilt Network. 

As a first-of-its-kind platform, Full Tilt Network marks the next evolution in syndication by seamlessly blending traditional entertainment with 1,000s of hours of creator content from icons like Nick Pro, The Dudesons, Legendary Shots, Josh Horton.

From creating innovations like Full Tilt to fostering cross-industry connections, Viral Nation’s in-house experts create unique opportunities for you to expand your reach through platform syndication, original programming, OTT, and more.  

Visit the agency website to find out more:

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Justin Flom conquered YouTube Shorts with magic tricks and airbrush art. Now the creator is bringing his own family-friendly airbrush kit to Walmart shelves. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Reddit has turned a profit for the first time in its nearly 20-year history by collecting $348.4 million in revenue during the third quarter of 2024. (The Verge)
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• X has announced an update to its user-driven moderation system that will allow fact-checking “lightning notes” to appear on posts less than 20 minutes after they first hit the platform. (Engadget)
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• In its latest effort to reach young voters, the Harris/Walz campaign has unveiled its very own Fortnite map: Freedom Town, USA. (Engadget)

DATA • U.S. TOP 50

U.S. Top 50: Globetrotting siblings and a pint-sized seafood expert rule the charts

Every week, we identify the most-viewed YouTube channels in the U.S. and dive into the trends, content changes, and data driving their respective rises and falls. Here’s a snapshot of the last full week of October:

The Slavic-American triumvirate: Vlad and Niki, Like Nastya, and Kids Diana Show have a lot in common. All three are globetrotting family vlogs led by titular figures and respective siblings, and all have roots in Slavic countries. Thanks to those similarities, the trio frequently jostle for spots in the U.S. Top 10.

This time around, however, only Vlad and Niki made the cut. The young brothers finished at #6, while Diana scored a spot at #15 and Nastya followed at #16.

Crawfish craze: Louisiana Crawfish Company might be coming up on 40 years in the seafood biz, but the food supplier knows how to keep up with the times. The secret behind its YouTube success: a pint-sized seafood aficionado known as the “Craw Kid.” Thanks in large part to its young star, the Louisiana Crawfish Company got 131.6 million weekly views and cracked the U.S. Top 50 for the first time, topping out in 26th place.

This week, there are 36 Shorts channels and 14 long-form hubs in the U.S. Top 50. Check out the full ranking here, or head over to Gospel Stats for more data.

MAKING BANK

ByteDance’s founder is China’s richest person with a net worth of $49.3 billion

The billionaire: TikTok might be on shaky ground in the U.S., but its parent company is doing just fine—so fine, in fact, that its co-founder is now the richest individual in China with an estimated net worth of $49.3 billion. Bytedance co-founder Zhang Yiming is the 18th person to top the Hurun Rich List, a wealth tracker that has ranked China’s 1% for the last 26 years.

Although Yiming stepped down from his position as ByteDance’s CEO in 2021, the BBC reports that the 41-year-old billionaire still owns about 20% of the company. That stake is nothing to sneeze at: the TikTok parent operates several properties that thrive in the domestic Chinese and Southeast Asian markets and reported a $25 billion profit in 2022.

The context: The Hurun Rich List’s ever-changing ranking can be seen as either a representation of China’s economic diversity or its volatile relationship with the 1%. Alibaba Co-Founder Jack Ma (who once stood as China’s richest person) is one of several “vanishing billionaires” who has his net worth gutted as a result of disputes with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. So far, ByteDance has retained a seemingly strong relationship with the CCP—a factor that has likely allowed Yiming’s personal wealth to grow.

The takeaway: The billionaire’s success is a sign of Bytedance’s own financial might and bargaining power. While multiple potential buyers have stepped forward in response to the passage of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversaries Act (a law that would force either a ban or divestiture of TikTok in the United States), ByteDance has repeatedly insisted that it will not divest. If the company’s legal battles against PAFFAA don’t pan out, that decision would result in a huge loss—but unfortunately for U.S.-based creators, it’s one Bytedance can likely afford.

WATCH THIS 📺

How much would you pay to break into the creator economy?

The offerings: As the creator economy continues to grow, more and more people are offering advice to creators who want to level up their careers—for a price. Professional development can take the form of annual events like VidSummit (one ticket: $995), brick-and-mortar collaborative workspace like Whalar‘s Lighthouse initiative (annual membership: $5,750), or even courses like Ninja‘s much-memed “Become a Streamer” masterclass (the price of an annual MasterClass subscription, which is required to access the class: $180).

Then there’s Creator Method: a $3,000-a-year creator “academy” launched by fashion/lifestyle influencer Valeria Lipovetsky. A lot of the advice offered by Creator Method could be classified as common sense (this clip being a good example)—but is that what some creators need to get their channels off the ground?

Check out this video to get a peek at Creator Method’s content (or read our deep-dive into the complicated world of creator education here).

Creator economy marketing starts here. Get in touch to advertise with Tubefilter.

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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.