TOGETHER WITH

It's Friday and FaZe Rug’s ambitious goal to create “the world’s sourest candy” has come to fruition. So…does the YouTuber’s new line of gummies really live up to the hype?

ON BRAND

YouTube drives more TV traffic than any other streaming service

YouTube’s 2023 Brandcast presentation delivered one major takeaway: the Alphabet-owned video platform is absolutely killing it on TV. This year’s ad pitch marked Neal Mohan’s first Brandcast since taking over for former CEO Susan Wojcicki, and the new head exec had plenty of data to share.

According to a Nielsen report cited by Mohan, YouTube accounts for 8.1% of all traffic on TV screens—more than any other streaming service. The stats behind that viewership are equally impressive: YouTube now reportedly reaches 150 million monthly users on connected TV; overall, video advertising company Precise TV says the platform’s CTV viewership has more than doubled year-over-year.

YouTube has a lot to offer, even for the most traditional advertisers.

Mohan highlighted two TV-based offerings during the platform’s Brandcast: 30-second unskippable ads and pause ads. The first of those options will join the YouTube Select premium ad tier (formerly known as Google Preferred) and will allow for a more traditional TV-style commercial experience. Peacock and Roku viewers may be familiar with YouTube’s second offering. In this case, pause ads will appear on TV screens when viewers stop playback within the YouTube app.

Those expanded ad offerings reflect a shift that has been in the works for a while: in Mohan’s words, “more and more, viewers are tuning into YouTube on the biggest screen in their home.”

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Fiverr's influencer program puts creators first—offering fair compensation, creative freedom, and potential long-term opportunity

As a global marketplace for digital freelancers, Fiverr knows what it takes to make incredible content. That’s why their Influencer Program offers creators more—including higher rates and free credits for hundreds of services, from video editing and copywriting to growth hacking and SEO.

Here’s why creator Steve Wright says “partnering with Fiverr as a creator is a game-changer”:

Free Credits & Exclusive Promo Codes 
As a Fiverr influencer, you’ll get free credits to try out services relevant to your interest—so you can create videos that incorporate your unique point of view. Plus, you’ll be able to offer your fans a promo code for 10% off their first purchase.

Competitive Rates 
Fiverr knows great content requires big investments. That’s why they offer best-in-industry commission rates and personalized flat rates—so you can  choose the compensation option that works best for you .

Audience Growth 
Influencers’ promotional posts about Fiverr tend to perform better than other sponsored and non-sponsored posts—meaning more views and higher engagement.

Ready to discover what partnering with Fiverr can do for your channel?

Submit your application today → 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• YouTubers Colin and Samir are partnering with Discord to launch a server that will allow them to foster stronger ties with their audience members. (Tubefilter)
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• Wheelhouse DNA’s Additive Creative Partners wing has added eight channels to its talent management roster, including TikTokers Lauren Kettering and Simba Jones. (Tubefilter)
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• In the cases of Twitter v. Taamneh and Gonzalez v. Google, the Supreme Court has ruled that platforms cannot be held liable for terrorist acts connected to user-created content. (TechCrunch)
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• Meta has revealed designs for new AI data centers that will be “optimized for both AI training and inference.” (Venture Beat)

DATA • YOUTUBE MILLIONAIRES 📈

From Hulu films to sports collectives, this basketball star has accomplished it all

It’s hard to believe that Anthony Hamilton Jr.’s basketball career was nearly over before it started. Since recruiting “the top 10 greatest dunkers on the planet” to join his iconic company (aka The Dunk Collective), Hamilton has “had talks with NBA TV” and partnered with major leagues like the Drew League.

But when he was 14 years old, the creator almost lost his ability to play basketball for good. Just as he was gearing up to play varsity (as a high school freshman) Hamilton was sidelined by “the worst basketball player injuries that you could have knee-wise.” He tore his ACL and his meniscus and broke his tibia—all at the same time. And then, three months later, he sustained all the same injuries again.

Hamilton refused to let even that catastrophic obstacle stop him.

By college, the man known as Ant was breaking records with Clemson track and field and playing basketball for Chicago State University. And the more he played, the more his online fanbase grew.

Nowadays, Hamilton does social media “full-time”—but he also does pretty much everything else. Since transitioning to content creation, the influencer has hit 1 million followers on TikTok, launched his iconic collective of basketball stars, founded a record label, started writing a children’s book, and landed a role in a film that premieres on Hulu today: a Calmatic-directed remake of the 1992 classic White Men Can’t Jump.

But although Hamilton now hopes to go into acting full-time, he’s not leaving basketball (or his legions of fans) behind anytime soon:

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

Meet the Twitch creators championing accessibility across the platform

Global Accessibility Awareness Day was yesterday and the occasion didn’t go unnoticed on Twitch. The platform marked the date by highlighting creators who have used their online presence to champion inclusivity and accessibility.

Here’s a bit of info about that talented bunch:

• The host of Cooking Without Looking describes herself as “Twitch’s first 100% blind cooking streamer.” Learning to cook improved her health and wellbeing, and she now shares that journey with her viewers.
  
  

• CocoConfession is an “animal lover,” “video game enthusiast,” and “Lupus Warrior” who has leveraged her streaming career to raise money for Lupus awareness.
  
  

• TiffanyWitcher has similarly used her platform to support Lupus awareness, while also discussing the ways in which VTubing opens doors for disabled creators:

Twitch is supporting the disabled community with a few tips of its own.

The platform has encouraged creators to avoid ableist language and turn on closed captions while streaming. To share additional ways streamers can make their channels more accessible, Twitch has teamed up with disabled creators like BlindGamerSteve, Nikatine, and NoHandsNZ to publish advisory articles as part of its Creator Camp initiative.

WATCH THIS 📺

Montana just banned TikTok. Here’s what that means in 30-ish seconds:

The first statewide TikTok ban has officially been signed into being by Montana governer Greg Gianforte. So…what exactly does that mean for users located in The Treasure State?

For the time being, nothing. As the Washington Post explained on TikTok, Montana’s ban won’t go into effect until January 2024—and when it does, it will be platforms facing big fines (not users).

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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.e on