TOGETHER WITH

It's Thursday and WWE fans are in luck: the wrestling media company has reversed its Twitch policy, allowing stars like Zelina Vega to return to streaming.

STORY TIME

Snapchat’s Stories monetization program is expanding. Are you eligible?

This year's Snap Partner Summit included  some major revelations . At the top of that list: Snap Head of Talent Development Brooke Berry revealed that Snapchat's Stories monetization program is expanding in a big way:

Snap first began sharing revenue on  midroll ads that appear in its Stories  last year, but only a select group of creators were included in that pilot program. Now, Berry says creators with at least 50,000 followers and 25 million monthly views "may be eligible" for the app’s Stories monetization program. (You can check out a full rundown of the criteria  here .) To create more impressions for that fledging monetization program, Snap is introducing Public Stories.

Snapchat's Stories monetization program isn't the only option for creators hoping to bring in a little extra revenue.

Snap is also opening up new monetization opportunities on Spotlight by increasing the total payout pool for the creators of top posts.

Those monetization options might be in the early stages, but Snapchat's large user base offers creators a valuable opportunity to expand their viewership. According to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, "750 million people use Snapchat every month, reaching the vast majority of 13-34 year olds in more than 20 countries." That number includes a fair number of paying customers: the app's $3.99-per-month subscription— Snapchat+ —now has more than three million users.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Looking for a camera with a lightweight design and high-quality features to match? The Nikon Z 30 has it all!

The Nikon Z 30 is more than just a top-of-the-line streaming camera. From its lightweight design to its cutting-edge technology, the Z 30 is  the perfect creator toolkit —with 4K video features, top-tier autofocus, and a flip-out vlogger screen with livestreaming capabilities.

What else makes the Nikon Z 30 a creator must-have? Just ask your favorite social media icons:

• Ashlynne Eaton: “The autofocus is so fast, even when I’m moving around the frame.”
  The Nikon Z 30’s autofocus automatically repositions anytime you hold something up to the camera—meaning creators can snap high-quality product closeups and selfies in seconds.
  
  

• Cathrin Manning: “This camera has it all, which is so incredibly nice.” 
  With powerful image stabilization technology, wireless sharing features, and  innovative eye tracking technology , the Z 30 has everything creators need to keep rolling.
  
  

• Erin on Demand: “This Nikon Z 30 is a one-stop-shop: Quality sound, quality video…” 
  The Z 30 is packed with everything streamers need to stand out, including full HD 60p and 4K 30p quality, remote recording options, selfie controls, artistic filters, and slow mo settings.

Those creator-friendly features are only the beginning. Ready to discover everything else the Z 30 has to offer?

 Hit this button to learn more →​ 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• A selection of Jellysmack creator partners will now upload weekly video episodes on Spotify  thanks to a deal  between the creator company and the audio platform. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• At this week's Snap Partner Summit, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had  only three words  to say in response to a potential TikTok ban: "We'd love that." (TechCrunch)
  
  

• BeReal users can now "share music and podcasts" through the app by  connecting their Spotify accounts . (Spotify)
  
  

• Pinterest has tapped former Google exec Sabrina Ellis to  serve as its chief product officer . (TechCrunch)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50 📈

Meet the cruise singer eating her way around the world

Karissa Dumbacher's trip to China  didn't exactly go  the way she expected. Instead of jumping right into her work at Universal Studios Beijing, she ended up stuck in quarantine—for weeks. There wasn't much to do in isolation, but Dumbacher knew a friend who had used her own quarantine experience as a vlogging opportunity. So, she decided to do the same.

Making videos about food seemed like the obvious choice.

After all, Dumbacher had "been watching YouTube foodies" for as long as she could remember:

Quarantine eventually came to an end, but Dumbacher's food adventures didn't. She returned to the States and then set sail to travel the world as a cruise ship performer. That on-the-go lifestyle was the perfect opportunity to continue posting food vlogs—and, as it turns out, her viewers were more than happy to continue watching:

• To date, Dumbacher’s  YouTube channel  has racked up nearly 400 million views.

• Her audience has grown, too: she now claims nearly 800,000 subscribers.

• And on TikTok? the creator claims more than 2 million followers.

LOVE HURTS

Netflix's Love is Blind live stream didn't go so well (and its latest earnings call wasn't great, either)

Netflix's  second-ever live broadcast  didn't go so well. The subscription service had heavily promoted its April 16th Love Is Blind reunion, in which contestants from the show's fourth season would relive their dramatic storylines. Fans were hyped—until the time came to tune in, and viewers found themselves unable to access the stream. Netflix was ultimately forced to  delay the release  of the reunion.

The timing of that snafu couldn't have been worse.

Netflix's quarterly call with investors came only a few days after its bungled live stream. Co-CEO Greg Peters addressed the Love is Blind flub during that call, saying that efforts to optimize Netflix's infrastructure had introduced a bug into the system. That explanation was accompanied by a so-so earnings report: Netflix’s Q1 2023 numbers included $8.16 billion in quarterly revenue, $2.88 of earnings per share, and 1.75 million new subscribers. According to Bloomberg, the earnings-per-share figure was the  only one  that exceeded expectations.

Neither event seems to have inspired confidence.

As investors reacted to the Love Is Blind fiasco, Netflix stock dipped in the first hours of trading on Monday morning. It partially rebounded from that dip, but those gains proved short-lived: after its Q1 2023 earnings, the streamer's share price  fell more than 10%  before recovering again.

WATCH THIS 📺

Would you rather throw the world's largest paper airplane, or eat the biggest Oreo known to man?

If you're Ross Smith, then you've already done both. The YouTube-slash-TikTok creator is best known for filming hilarious videos with his grandmother, but he also dabbles in the occasional record-breaking build—including a  pumpkin tank  and this  ridiculously huge  paper airplane.

Smith's  enormous Oreo  is probably our favorite creation on his channel. (Although we'd definitely need a giant glass of milk to go with it.)

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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.