It's Tuesday and according to a new study, 1 out of 3 Gen Z users turn to TikTok as their main source for health advice. I guess an apple dance a day really does keep the doctor away.

TOTAL BEAST MODE

MrBeast hit 300M subscribers, released a video starring 50 top creators, and gave away $1M

The record-breaker: Jimmy Donaldson spent most of June becoming the owner of YouTube’s most subscribed-to channel and the first creator to score 28 million subscribers in a single month.

Now, the man known as MrBeast is celebrating two more accomplishments: the arrival of his 300 millionth subscriber and the release of his biggest video of all time.

• The stats behind that first record are pretty incredible. In fact, it took MrBeast just 38 days to go from 270 million subscribers to 300 million:

• The creator followed up his 300-subscriber milestone by bringing together 50 of the world’s top creators—and promptly pitting them against one another. You can check out the full list of challengers here, but the tldr is that everyone from Kai Cenat to Logan Paul showed up in North Carolina to compete for a $1 million prize (to be dispersed among the winner’s fans).

The context: The importance of MrBeast’s 50-creator challenge isn’t limited to the fact that it scored 70 million views in 24 hours (a new record for Donaldson). In fact, the level of influence needed to unite 50 chart-topping creators for a single video is probably more staggering than any view count.

• That prominence has made Donaldson a much-desired partners among leading brands, including the sponsor of his latest viral hit. Samsung enjoyed a wave of publicity for its Samsung Galaxy Ring and Z Flip6, both of which made appearances in MrBeast’s video.
  
  

• Amazon will be the next company to capitalize on MrBeast’s unprecedented sway among Gen Z viewers and creators. The streaming service has teamed up with Donaldson to produce Beast Games, a $100 million game show that has the ability to expand Donaldson’s audience even more.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• After four years, Ibai Llanos’ annual influencer boxing event is still breaking Twitch records. La Velada del Año’s latest claim to fame: 3.85 million concurrent viewers. (Tubefilter)
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• Sorry, Shazam: YouTube Music’s hum-powered song discovery feature has finally arrived on both iOS and Android. (Engadget)

• 10-year-old TikTok star Bella Brave has passed away following a lifelong battle with Hirschsprung's disease. (New York Post)
  
  

• X’s attempt to dismiss a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by X Social Media (a marketing firm with no ties to the Elon Musk-owned platform) has been rejected by a U.S. District judge. (Bloomberg Law)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: Murder, morality, and MrBeast

Gospel Stats’ latest Weekly Brand Report was a veritable microcosm of top YouTube genres. During the first week of July, true crime, morality tales, and MrBeast dominated our ranking of most-viewed branded videos.

🥇 Dr Insanity x LifeGard: Parents Discover Their Daughter Is A Mаss Killer
It’s safe to say that MrBeast has carved out his very own category on YouTube—but even he can occasionally be elbowed out of first place by a well-timed true crime story.

• Case in point: a gut-wrenching revelation helped Dr Insanity score a #1 finish and 11 million views for its latest sponsor, self-defense brand LifeGard. The stars of that video were less lucky; the titular “mass killer” was sentenced to life in prison, leaving behind two heartbroken parents.

🥈 Beast Philanthropy x Lectric eBikes: We Rebuilt a Village
MrBeast’s #2 finish comes with a bit of a qualifier. Videos released on the creator’s main channel are nearly impossible to beat, but his secondary hub—Beast Philanthropy—claims roughly 80% fewer subscribers. The latter channel was home to Donaldson’s recent collab with creator and activist Dora Moono Nyambe, which picked up a cool 6.4 million views.

🥉 Dhar Mann Studios x Zenless Zone Zero: BOYFRIEND and GIRLFRIEND Keep Fighting | Dhar Mann
Dhar Mann Studios’ own take on inspirational content involved a moral tale of love and loss rather than the reconstruction of a Zambian village. Two minutes of that narrative were reserved for a skit about Zenless Zone Zero, a new game from Genshin Impact developer miHoYo.

FYI: This Weekly Brand Report is just a snapshot of Gospel Stats’ data-driven platform. Check out the site here for in-depth analytics on branded partnerships, rising creators, and more.

WATCH THIS 📺

The first look at Stranger Things Season 5 has arrived

Back in Hawkins: Netflix is giving fans a sneak peek at the final chapter of Stranger Things. A new “Behind the Scenes” video offers a brief look at the making of Season Five, complete with nostalgic reflections from the hit show’s OG cast.

• Based on that 2-minute preview, the last season of Stranger Things will include a dramatic return to Hawkins High and plenty of Upside Down-style gore—but that retro fun probably won’t be hitting screens anytime soon. According to Netflix, the crew is only halfway through filming.

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