TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and according to leaker Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram’s latest in-development tool lets users pick their favorite things—from books to bands—and “find overlap with friends who are all about it too.”

Today’s News

THE BIZ

Taskmaster is big on British TV. In the U.S., it’s a hit on YouTube.

The evolution: Ten years after hitting TV screens across the U.K., Taskmasker has become a viral sensation on YouTube. So, what happened to make the British panel game show such an online hit?

Following Taskmaster‘s initial arrival on Channel 4, the show’s producer—U.K.-based studio Avalon—looked to capitalize on its rising popularity by reaching more English speakers. The result was a Comedy Central spinoff that premiered for U.S. audiences in 2018.

When that show proved to be “unsuccessful,” however, Avalon Co-Founder and Managing Director Jon Thoday says Avalon “thought we’d blown our chance.” Then, “almost by accident,” the studio decided to “just put [Taskmaster] on YouTube and see what happens.”

The success: Avalon went all in on that approach. The official Taskmaster YouTube channel now offers all 19 seasons—as well as compilations, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes featurettes—in a free, ad-supported format. As a result, the show quickly caught on with Americans. Today, its YouTube hub claims nearly two million subscribers and more than 1.1 billion lifetime views.

Thoday speculates that the globalization of the TV industry partially drove that trend. Other British panel shows, such as The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, have also collected millions of YouTube views, in large part because “the global barriers for TV have broken down.” Thoday argues that Netflix “played a role” in that shift by creating “a global market for comedy” through its distribution of stand-up comedy specials.

Now, emboldened by its success on YouTube, Avalon has adopted a multi-pronged approach to distribution. Traditional TV networks like Channel 4 will continue to lead the way. (Because as Thoday puts it, that hub is “a great place for originating TV shows, and it has the finances to do it.”) Then, once a name brand is established, it’s off to YouTube where Avalon can scale up audience sizes.

🌟 SPONSORED 🌟

Creators HQ has taken the industry by storm. Here’s the FAQ every creator should read:

1. What is Creators HQ?
With $40.8 million in backing and partnerships with Meta, X, and New Media Academy, Creators HQ is a creator community that offers expert mentorship, cutting-edge studio spaces, workshops with industry leaders, and more. 

2. Who’s involved?
Creators HQ was pioneered by the organizers behind the 1 Billion Followers Summit. Founding Members include dozens of top creators—from Dhar Mann and Yes Theory to Anazala Family, JianHao Tan, and Dose of Society.

3. What perks come with membership?
At $40/month, Creators HQ membership includes… 

• Subscriptions to Komi and Spotter Studio

• Access to studios and podcasting facilities

• Golden Visa nomination and relocation services

• One all-access pass to the 1 Billion Followers Summit

• Consultations with social media platform reps

4. How can I find out more?
Hit the link below to discover details on Creators HQ’s programs, facilities, and services:

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• As of yesterday, YouTube has officially started using generative AI to estimate how old users are and restrict those determined to be under 18. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Igor Babuschkin has announced his departure from xAI, which he co-founded alongside Elon Musk in 2023. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• Recent updates to Google Gemini allow the chatbot to remember more details from previous conversations and gives users the ability to select a temporary chat option. (Ars Technica)
  
  

• Meta’s push to hire outside AI experts for “10 to 50 times higher compensation” is reportedly causing rifts among its existing AI and engineering teams. (Business Insider)

LET’S KICK IT

Can MrBeast Kick it? Yes, he can.

The charity stream: MrBeast is going live on one of Twitch’s most controversial rivals: Kick.

The creator—whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson—has his first Kick stream slated for August 14. On a fresh account (which already claims nearly 45,000 followers), Donaldson will go live alongside streamers Adin Ross and xQc to support #TeamWater, a $40 million mission to bring clean drinking water to underdeveloped communities. Kick itself has pledged $2 million to support that effort, and Donaldson plans to use his inaugural stream on the upstart platform to add another $5 million to that fundraising tally.

The context: Until now, Donaldson has mostly treated streaming content like a curiosity. YouTube’s most-followed creator went live on Twitch during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he donated thousands to streamers with no followers. But that account has been dormant for months, and based on Donaldson’s criticisms of Twitch, it seems unlikely he’ll return anytime soon.

But that doesn’t mean Donaldson is turning a blind eye to the power of blockbuster streaming sessions. The Feastables founder’s 2024 Twitch collab with Kai Cenat generated millions of views, and iShowSpeed has so effectively translated his streaming success to YouTube that he’s putting up numbers that rival MrBeast himself.

Those numbers may inform MrBeast’s decision to hit up Kick. The Stake.com-affiliated hub has endured its fair share of controversy, but it has also incubated a homegrown creator community. Donaldson’s collab with noted pot-stirrer Ross may raise further questions about the overall tenor of Kick culture, but the man known as MrBeast is no stranger to deflecting criticisms. Donaldson often uses his charitable missions as shields against controversy—and we’re guessing he’ll have that strategy in his back pocket during his time on Kick.

CREATOR COMMOTION

Roblox banned a creator for hunting predators

The hunters: These days, more and more creators are making content that revolves around catching bad actors on platforms frequented by kids—including Roblox. One of those predator hunters is Schlep, a 22-year-old YouTuber with nearly a million subscribers across two channels.

As a child, Schlep says he personally experienced the dangers faced by young users when he was “groomed on Roblox by a popular developer.” His mother reported the developer to Roblox, but the YouTuber alleges “they brushed her off” and “that predator went on to groom more victims before Roblox finally banned him.”

Despite that bad experience, Schlep continued using Roblox. Over the past couple years, Schlep has worked with fellow predator-hunting creators like JiDion by making fresh accounts and going into various Roblox games pretending to be kids. They say they never initiate discussions, especially not illicit ones. If a potential predators pushes the conversation in that direction, Schlep collects the evidence and sends it to Roblox and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

He says his efforts have results in six arrests, at least some of them on felony charges. But while law enforcement has acted swiftly, Schlep and JiDion both argue that Roblox hasn’t done the same—and now, the platform has permabanned Schlep’s account and sent a cease-and-desist threatening to sue him if he makes a new account.

The response: In regard to that action, a Roblox spokesperson told Tubefilter that “while we maintain comprehensive on-platform abuse reporting tools, and actively encourage our users to use them…we believe that safety enforcement should be left to trained professionals.”

But are Roblox’s reporting tools and moderation system enough? Schlep and JiDion don’t think so—and they’re not alone. The news of Schlep’s permaban comes shortly after a California family filed suit against Roblox and Discord, alleging their 10-year-old daughter was “groomed and manipulated,” then kidnapped, by a 27-year-old man who met her on Roblox and later conversed with her on Discord.

WATCH THIS

Should you hate AI art?

The remix: Kirby Ferguson is back with another explanation of how “everything is a remix”—and this time generative AI is at the center of that deep dive. In a ten-minute video posted earlier this week, the YouTuber tracks our current AI-powered timeline from “The Great Upload” to “The Ghibli Moment.”

As Ferguson points out, it makes sense that Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki hates AI art, but not for the reasons you may think. Should we all hate it too?

If you’re not sure, check out Ferguson’s channel here to see where the creator stands.

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