It's Tuesday and Palworld—aka an action-adventure survival game that’s basically “Pokémon with Guns”—is taking Twitch by storm after selling 5 million copies in just three days.

SHOW BUSINESS

Amazon reportedly plans to pay $100M to bring a MrBeast TV show to Prime Video

The $100M deal: Jimmy Donaldson’s latest project seems to be off to a hot start. The YouTube icon (aka MrBeast) is reportedly in the process of closing a “nearly $100 million” deal with Amazon Studios after just one week of pitching a TV show concept to streaming services.

• Per Matthew Belloni at Puck—who cited a source “familiar with the matter” when breaking news of the big deal—MrBeast’s alleged collaboration with Amazon is being spearheaded by Head of Amazon & MGM Studios Jennifer Salke.

The big show: According to Belloni’s cited source, Donaldson’s upcoming show will be an unscripted competition series styled after his usual YouTube videos. The first episode will reportedly hit the creator’s channel before heading to Prime Video.

• So far, both Amazon and the MrBeast team have refused to comment on the alleged deal, and its $100 million valuation remains unconfirmed—but if a TV show does come to fruition, the resulting views could mean big things for Prime Video.

The timing: If news of Donaldson’s deal with Amazon is legit, its finalization is likely to occur just days before another major Prime Video milestone: the introduction of ads to all subscribers on January 29.

• Given that Donaldson’s main YouTube channel lays claim to 233 million subscribers and collects over 2 billion views monthly views (per Gospel Stats), Amazon stands to gain some major ad revenue by courting MrBeast fans.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• MaviGadget scored 588.5 million weekly views during our last seven-day count, bringing the “product discovery” YouTube channel to #1 in our U.S. Top 50 chart. (Tubefilter)
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• Alphabet has confirmed layoffs affecting dozens of workers at its innovation-focused X lab (a division unrelated to the platform previously known as Twitter). (Engadget)
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• TikTok has reportedly laid off around 60 employees as part of a “routine reorganization” concentrated on the platform’s sales and advertising division. (NPR)
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• Hilton and 11:11 Media—aka Paris Hilton’s global entertainment company—are joining forces to launch a Roblox-based loyalty program. (VentureBeat)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

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

From underwater aliens to bone-chilling crime reports, this week’s top branded videos took viewers down some truly terrifying rabbit holes—and scored millions of views in the process. Here’s how the latest Gospel Stats Weekly Brand Report shook out:

🥇 MrBeast x Acorns: Protect $500,000 Keep It!
In this week’s #1 most-viewed branded video, MrBeast offered $500,000 to competitors willing to stare down weaponized tanks. The video’s sponsor, on the other hand, aims make financial decisions a little less intimidating for the 91.5 million viewers who tuned in to watch.

🥈 The Why Files x Aura: Baltic Sea Anomaly, Atlantis, and Underwater Alien Bases | Mysteries of the Ocean Pt 1
The Why Files has a knack for drawing viewers in (and creeping them out) with scary tales of aliens, UFOs, and government surveillance. The conspiracy channel’s latest top-ranking video fit that bill to a tee, giving Aura the perfect opportunity to promote the importance of data security.

🥉 MrBallen x DraftKings: Every parent’s worst nightmare | Places You Can’t Go Pt. 36
YouTube’s true crime king brought viewers to three terrifying locales—but not before he regaled fans with a tall tale featuring an ill-fated trip to Colorado and a belligerent walrus. The moral of that story: signing up for DraftKings might not save you from scary situations (or angry walruses), but it will get you “jacked up about football season.”

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

LEVELING UP

Rhett & Link’s Mythical Entertainment is reorganizing its executive team

Major changes are coming to Mythical Entertainment’s upper ranks.

The big announcement: Mythical vet Brian Flanagan is moving up the executive ladder. The former COO—who joined Rhett & Link’s company in 2016—has been tapped to serve as Mythical’s president.

• According to the entertainment company, Flanagan will remain “closely involved in all aspects of the core operating business” while also leading Mythical’s “content-commerce-community flywheel,” spearheading its $5 million creator accelerator, and directing global growth strategies.
  
  

• The goal: turning Mythical into a household name.

The new COO: In light of Flanagan’s updated position, Westbrook alum Jacob Moncrief will oversee content production and post-production, distribution, production finance, branded entertainment, office operations, business affairs, and HR as Mythical’s new COO.

• Moncrief previously served as Mythical’s SVP of production and operations before joining Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith‘s Westbrook as general manager
  
  

• There, the exec oversaw all aspects of operations, production and post-production, finance, and people management across shows like Off the Leash with Megan Thee Stallion on Snapchat, Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache on Meta, and Will Smith’s Class of ’88 on Audible.

Why it matters: Mythical is the creator company to watch in 2024. Over the last few months, Link & Rhett’s studio has beefed up its line of physical products, hired YouTube Strategy vet Gwen Miller to lead its $5 million creator accelerator fund, and announced the launch of a live tour.

• Now, Flanagan says the expansion of Mythical’s executive team “signals our ambition to be the definitive television studio for the internet generation.”

WATCH THIS 📺

MrBeast’s big X experiment pulled in $263K in 6 days

Last week, MrBeast—aka Jimmy Donaldson—decided to test out X’s monetization system by re-uploading a car-themed video that had scored around 211 million views on YouTube.

The results: In six days, MrBeast’s video made $263,655 from 156.7 million impressions and 5.2 million engagements (or around $1,690 per million impressions). (For comparison, MrBeast’s manager, Reed Duchscher, says the creator averages $3,000-$5,000 per million views on YouTube.)

The catch: Some users noted that MrBeast’s X video seemed to be promoted on timelines more frequently than usual, while others pointed out the possibility of an inflated rate. Donaldson himself expressed skepticism about his $263K score in a recent post:

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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.