TOGETHER WITH

It's Wednesday and AI is coming to a cell phone near you. Because who wants to scroll through DoorDash when a chatbot can do it for you?

OFF TO THE RACES

MrBeast is putting X’s ad revenue system to the test

It’s been just over six months since X began paying creators—including MrBeast, who scored about $25,000 during the platform’s first payout period. So, why isn’t YouTube’s most-subscribed creator taking full advantage of X’s new monetization system?

The lead-up: Elon Musk discovered the answer to that question earlier this month, when he encouraged MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) to post his YouTube videos on X. The creator’s response was brief and characteristically data-driven:

The experiment: Now, Donaldson is putting that claim to the test. In an X post published Monday, the creator re-uploaded a sponsored video that had amassed more than 200 million views on YouTube: “$1 Car vs $100,000,000 Car.” His mission: finding out “how much ad revenue a video on X would make.”

• Multiplatform creators will want to keep an eye on Donaldson’s X account over the next few days. In a move that has big implications for both the platform and its creator community, the YouTuber has promised to share the results of his ad revenue experiment online.

The big picture: As advertisers continue to flee under Musk’s scandal-studded tenure, X seems to be hoping that its upcoming slate of content led by conservative celebrities will be enough to entice brands and users to stick around.

• An endorsement from an industry leader like MrBeast is more likely to do the trick—especially if he deems X’s monetization system legitimate enough to merit uploads of his own viral videos.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

2024 is your year. Stick to your New Year’s Resolutions with a little help from Viral Nation creators:

By mid-January, most New Year’s resolutions get kicked to the curb—except for those made by followers of Nicole Doyon, Kelley Lorraine, and Steph Grasso. With support from Viral Nation, Nicole, Kelley, and Steph keep viewers engaged and on track with daily wellness strategies, fresh fitness challenges, and consistent posting schedules.

The result: unbreakable fan communities that stay connected—and committed to their wellness goals—all year round.

Get inspired with Nicole Doyon: Nicole inspires listeners of her Girl Therapy Podcast and female audiences across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram with daily health and wellness practices.

Challenge yourself with Kelley Lorraine:​​​ Kelley and husband Luis Joel are bound to inspire you—and pique your interest in brand partners Jow and Dollar Shave Club—as they document their #75hardchallenge journey.

Stay informed with Steph Grasso: TikTok's resident dietician was selected as an expert panelist for the Best Diet rankings—a massive accomplishment for pros in the health and wellness field. Is it any wonder brands like Barilla and Liquid IV love her?

Become a household name with Viral Nation: While creators like Nicole, Kelley and Steph keep audiences engaged with relatable wellness content, Viral Nation works behind-the-scenes to bring them lucrative brand deals, mainstream press coverage, and more.

​​Visit the website to learn more →​

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Underscore Talent has launched a culinary division repping more than 40 top food creators, including The Korean Vegan (shown above) and Albert Can Cook. (Tubefilter)
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• Google is reportedly laying off hundreds of ad sales employees as part of a pivot towards AI-driven sales. (Ars Technica)
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• Streaming services claimed the most honors at the 75th Primetime Emmys “by a solid margin,” with Hulu alone taking home 6 trophies. (Engadget)
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• Twitch may have ended 2023 on a high note in terms of viewership, but CEO Dan Clancy says the platform isn’t “profitable at this point.” (VentureBeat; IGN)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: Class is back in session for YouTube viewers

YouTube viewers hit the books in our latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report. Over the last seven days, edutainment channels and brands took fans to school with viral sponsored videos on everything from aerodynamics to ballistic warfare. Here’s how the rankings shook out:

🥇 Mustard x Nebula: Could This Change Air Travel Forever?
4 million viewers have already tuned in to watch Mustard’s thorough and thoughtful video essay on oblique wing research.

• Luckily for Nebula, that kind of informational content is exactly what viewers look for when subscribing to the service’s edutainment-focused video platform.

🥈 Ballistic High-Speed x SDI: RPG-7 vs Human Torso! – Ballistic High-Speed
The high-speed weaponry and imaging specialists behind Ballistic High-Speed routinely blow up fake human torsos—but their latest video involves an especially explosive partnership.

• With certificates in firearms technology, gunsmithing, and aerial systems, SDI (aka the Sonoran Desert Institute) offers all the resources High-Speed’s 550,000 subscribers need to become ballistics experts in their own right.

🥉 The Why Files x Factor: Project 8200 Exposed | CIA Psychics Find Alien Bases Underground  
This last branded video might land a bit outside the definition of ‘edutainment,’ but The Why Files’ 3 million subscribers don’t seem to mind. In fact, the conspiracy channel’s fans always seem hungry for more.

• Luckily for those sci-fi junkies, Factor has plenty of “dietician-designed” meals to chew on until the next extraterrestrial-themed video drops.

FYI: Our weekly brand report is just a sneak peek at Gospel Stats’ in-depth analysis of YouTube sponsorships, top creators, and rising stars. Visit the full site here for more info.

GLOBAL TOP 50 📊

This Bangladeshi news channel is drawing millions of eyes towards Gaza

For the most part, channels featured in our Global Top 50 chart tend to revolve around short-form comedy and family-friendly skits. Jamuna TV isn’t that type of content destination.

The content: With detailed coverage of domestic affairs and global news, Jamuna TV has become a go-to source for both local Bangladeshi subscribers and international viewers seeking up-to-date information on the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Ukraine.

The response: Although Jamuna has maintained an active presence on YouTube since 2017, the channel’s viewership has ballooned over the last several months. 16 million subscribers now tune in to catch the news channel’s daily “I-Desk” updates and long-form coverage of protests, elections, and military conflicts.

The stats: Jamuna’s lifetime view count is teetering on the edge of 14 billion—a figure that grew by 224.8 million views over the course of our last weekly count.

• In total, that seven-day traffic amounted to a 57% week-over-week increase.
  
  

• The result: Jamuna rose to #39 in our Global Top 50 chart.

WATCH THIS 📺

Teddy knows he’s cute (but he’s not so sure about you)

Golden Retrievers have long made the list of America’s favorite dogs, and Teddy might be the sassiest of them all.

Caught red-pawed: The YouTube-famous pup has a habit of raiding his dad’s wallet, scheming with equally fuzzy friends, and pulling what might be the judgiest face we’ve ever seen.

• Get to know Teddy and his human (aka Jesse) here.

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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.