TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and of all things, we’re guessing the triumphant return of RadioShack probably wasn’t on your 2025 bingo card.

FACT OR FICTION

Meta plans to work with the Trump admin to “promote free expression.” Its first order of business: axing its fact-checking program.

The announcement: Meta is changing the way it approaches misinformation. In a video posted yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company is working directly with the incoming Trump administration to “push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more.” The first order of business: eliminating Meta’s official fact-checking program and replacing professional checkers with an X-clone Community Notes system.

Launched in 2016 as a partnership with nearly 100 authoritative organizations, Meta’s fact-checking program was designed to “identify and address viral misinformation” by empowering pros to label and, at times, repress the spread of “provably false claims that are timely, trending and consequential.” Now, however, Zuckerberg says the program’s “fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.”

The context: The demise of Meta’s fact-checking program is only the beginning. The company is also bringing on UFC President and longtime vocal Trump supporter Dana White as a board member, and plans to move its trust & safety content moderation teams from California to Texas. According to Zuckerberg, the latter change is meant to help Meta “build trust” by handling moderation “in places where there is less concern about the bias of our teams.”

As for what that new moderation system will look like? In true X fashion, Meta says it has decided to loosen content moderation rules around user discussions of topics like “immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate.”

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Creators deserve unlimited support. That’s why Viral Nation offers 360° representation to talent across all verticals.

With an award-winning roster of 900+ creators, athletes, and celebrities, Viral Nation has the industry expertise to offer 360° representation across all verticals. 

🤝 Lucrative Brand Partnerships: As the world’s #1 creator talent agency, Viral Nation connects with top companies like Amazon, Nike, and Warner Bros. to secure partnerships tailored to each creator’s goals. The result: Viral Nation creators earn 33% more value in every deal.

🌟 Content Diversification: Viral’s Nation’s content diversification experts will bring your content to additional streaming services, platforms, and FAST (free, ad-supported TV) channels, so you can unlock new revenue streams.

📣 Original Programming & Content Services: From original programming and podcasts to a full-service content syndication program, Viral Nation is always finding new ways to expand your IP and build your brand.

Take your content to new heights →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• The debut of Beast Games hasn’t pulled interest from MrBeast’s YouTube channel. The creator’s primary hub just raised its traffic 25% week-over-week by bringing in a whopping 699.8 million weekly views. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Peacock is following YouTube’s lead by testing out mini-games and a vertical video feed. (TechCrunch)
  ​

• A new report found that Instagram blocked underage viewers from seeing a wide range of LGBTQ-related hashtags. (Engadget)
  ​

• Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary is reportedly joining forces with billionaire Frank McCourt in an attempt to purchase TikTok. (Gizmodo)

CONTENT CONUNDRUM

Has Netflix’s approach to viewership data “destroyed the meaning of success”?

The breakdown: N+1 writer Will Tavlin is drawing attention to Netflix’s questionable business philosophy. In a long-form dissection, Tavlin asserts that the streaming giant has “created a pyramid scheme of attention” by promoting content that can easily exist as a second screen.

That argument is supported by references from multiple Hollywood screenwriters, who claimed that Netflix told them to “have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.” Here’s a prime example:

The takeaway: Tavlin’s insights add up to one overarching point: the passive nature of many Netflix originals makes the streamer’s viewership data difficult to take at face value. After spending years offering cryptic statements about the success of its original content, Netflix recently began releasing half-year rundowns of its global viewership data. Those reports indicate that some programs rake in more than 100 million views over six-month periods—but Tavlin argues that Netflix’s numbers paint an incomplete picture, especially since it officially registers a view after just two minutes of viewership.

That measurement system doesn’t account for the passivity of subscribers who might be scrolling through TikTok or doing chores while Netflix plays in the background—meaning programs like The Night Agent can amass impressive viewership numbers without making much of a cultural impact.

GOING UNIVERSAL

Comcast just made a platform to “steal” ad dollars from YouTube

The context: Over the last few years, YouTube has set itself up as a rival to traditional TV networks. It moved its annual advertising presentation to the TV-focused Upfronts, promoted its ability to reel in over a billion hours of viewership on living room TVs per day, and repeatedly encouraged advertisers to ditch shrinking television networks.

As a result, YouTube went from earning $15 billion in ad revenue in 2019 to over $30 billion in 2023 and (most likely) around $40 billion in 2024. By contrast, eMarketer estimates that linear TV networks made a combined $66 billion in 2023 ad revenue, while individual networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and The CW brought in between $8 and $10 billion each for their 2021-22 primetime schedules (per Variety).

The competition: Comcast hopes to curb the uptick in the world’s largest video sharing site’s revenue with the launch of Universal Ads, an ad-buying platform intended to “steal market share” from social media sites like YouTube. According to CNBC, the platform’s interface was designed to mimic the simple, self-service process of social media ad-buying while allowing marketers to purchase inventory on streaming services owned by major networks and studios. The goal: attracting small businesses and “advertisers who’ve built their businesses…on the backs of social video” (per Comcast Advertising President James Rooke).

Comcast believes those businesses have traditionally been deterred from purchasing inventory on major streaming services and TV networks because of the complicated ad-buying process. Universal Ads solves that problem: it’s free to use, makes major streaming inventory accessible to small businesses, and plans to implement generative AI so advertisers will be able to make and deploy marketing through its platform.

So far, Universal Ads has signed Comcast subsidiaries NBCUniversal and Xumo, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Roku, DirecTV, A+E, AMC Networks, Fox Corp, and TelevisaUnivision. The media conglomerate expects to onboard more outlets—and expand inventory traditional linear TV—in the near future (according to CNBC).

WATCH THIS 📺

What’s in Bill Hader’s shopping bag? David Bowie records are just the start.

The series: After more than 800 episodes, Amoeba Music’s What’s in My Bag? series is still going strong. (Editor’s Note: We first covered the program here at Tubefilter back in 2010!) The award-winning program has been digging into celebrities’ music taste for over 15 years, giving viewers a chance to (virtually) check out vinyls with everyone from Weird Al Yankovic to Lana Del Rey.

The episode: The latest celebrity visitor to Amoeba’s iconic Hollywood record shop might not be an obvious choice for a music-themed series, but we’re not complaining. For his turn on What’s in My Bag?, comedian Bill Hader dove into his childhood love for hair metal, his most controversial takes on David Bowie, and the classic horror movies he can’t live without. Check out the full episode here.

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

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

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