TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and Hollywood is embracing the power of podcasting. Come January, the Golden Globes will hand out an award for best podcast of the year.

Today’s News

BACK TO SCHOOL

Kai Cenat’s “Streamer University” is really happening. Here’s the trailer.

The reveal: Kai Cenat is stepping into the role of “headmaster” at Streamer University, a unique academic-style setup that will allow content creators to act as both students and teachers.

In a live broadcast earlier this year, Cenat (aka the most-watched Twitch broadcaster of 2024) outlined his plan to rent out a college campus, put up aspiring streamers in the dorms, and recruit stars like MrBeast and Mark Rober to teach classes.

That vision came to life on Tuesday, when he uploaded an official trailer for Streamer University. The Hogwarts-inspired X video describes the upcoming venture as “a school where chaos is encouraged and content is king”:

The details: Streamer University isn’t an accredited program like MrBeast’s East Carolina University team-up and it doesn’t seem to be a content creation crash course like Airrack’s YouTuber Film School, either. Instead, the program presents more like a social gathering place—one where creators can have fun, collaborate, and rub shoulders with stars (and maybe learn a thing or two along the way).

Cenat hasn’t yet revealed which campus will host Streamer University, but he did say that “an all-inclusive trip” will be open to both general content creators and streamers. While the number and identities of the program’s professors are still a secret, Cenat clarified that 150 students will be accepted into the first class.

Applications for both pupils and professors are now open on the Streamer University website.

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With OpusClip, one-click thumbnail generation isn’t just possible—it’s the key to your next viral hit

12M+ creators have already used OpusClip’s AI video editing platform to turn long videos into social media-ready shorts with a single click. 

Now, one click can get you something even more revolutionary: a personalized thumbnail optimized for max viewership.

OpusClip Thumbnail is a single-click AI thumbnail generator. We’d walk you through how it works, but it really only takes one step: simply paste the link to your video—even if it’s unlisted or private—and OpusClip will automatically generate personalized, high-performing thumbnails in seconds.

There’s no easier way to generate contextually relevant, personalized thumbnails—and since OpusClip draws on winning thumbnail formats and data from top creators, every result is optimized for high performance.

Ready to create click-worthy thumbnails that align seamlessly with your video content and titles?

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• According to new data from Streams Charts, viewership on political streams has gone up 56% year-over-year. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Snapchat has announced the upcoming launch of Under the Ghost, “a new music performance series” designed to appeal to the “79% of US Snapchatters” who are “passionate about music.” (Snap Newsroom)
  
  

• OpenAI has reportedly met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (aka the FDA) to discuss the application of AI to accelerate drug trials. (TechCrunch)
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• Newly-revealed documents from 2022 illustrate Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s concerns that TikTok was beating Facebook “badly” in the quest to become users’ “default discovery engine.” (TechCrunch)

20 YEARS OF YOUTUBE

In 2007, a 300-page phone bill demonstrated the power of “lifecasting”

In February 2025, YouTube turned 20. The video site has gone through a lot over the past two decades, including an acquisition, an earnings glow-up, and multiple generations of star creators. In our 20 Years of YouTube series, we’ll examine the uploads, trends, and influencers that have defined the world’s favorite video site — one year at a time. Click here for a full archive of the series.

The 300-page phone bill: On August 13, 2007, iJustine—aka Justine Ezarik—vaulted to internet stardom by vlogging about a seemingly innocuous item: her iPhone bill.

The catch? Thanks to AT&T’s paper packaging, Ezarik’s bill was 300 pages long.

The creator’s one-minute YouTube vlog about that ridiculous mailer arrived at the peak of iPhone mania, when consumers couldn’t wait to get their hands on the first generation of Apple’s now-ubiquitous smartphone. That popularity led 3.8 million people to tune into Ezarik’s clip—but the video’s impact went far beyond view counts. It showed that the profession then known as “lifecasting” could have considerable cultural sway (although Ezarik told us her “favorite response” was A&T’s decision to eliminate its bulky bills).

The creator: Ezarik’s clever use of editing techniques and background music also identified her as part of the vanguard of rising online video stars during a period when platforms like YouTube were facilitating a cultural shift. While older hosting sites (such as Newgrounds and Albino Blacksheep) tended to emphasize videos themselves rather than their makers, creators took center stage on YouTube.

Without Ezarik’s affable personality attached to it, would the 300-page iPhone bill vlog have taken off in the same way? It’s hard to say for sure, but after nearly twenty years on YouTube, the creator has outlasted most other first-wave YouTubers, experienced everything from MCNs to NFTs, and seen first-hand the diversification triggered by platforms like TikTok and Instagram. And through it all, she’s remained a beloved tech reviewer for an audience of over seven million subscribers.

STREAMING BIG

Netflix is rolling out a TikTok-style feed and a revamped homepage

The announcement: Netflix is making it easier for subscribers to settle into their next binge-watch. The streaming service has announced both a redesigned homepage for its TV app and a TikTok-style feed of infinitely scrolling vertical videos for indecisive mobile app users.

The revamped homepage: Netflix’s recommendation system has long been lauded for its algorithmic power—and yet, many subscribers still struggle to choose their next watch. (So much so that the image of aimlessly-scrolling Netflix viewers has become the stuff of comedy bits.)

Netflix’s new homepage is meant to speed up that selection process. In a video posted to the Still Watching Netflix YouTube channel, Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim noted that the “clean and contemporary” new design is centered around four principles (summed up by the acronym “FIRE”): flexible, inclusive, responsive, and elevated.

The video feed: Netflix’s mission to keep viewers watching doesn’t end at a FIRE new homepage. To engage the increasing number of customers who watch on mobile devices, the platform says it will begin testing a vertical video feed “in the coming weeks.”

That endless vertical array will offer up clips from vaunted originals like Bridgerton and Squid Game—a system that will (theoretically) help Netflix promote its content to subscribers while simultaneously keeping pace with other platforms that dispense short-form film and TV clips. Many of the top clips on TikTok and YouTube already come straight from Netflix originals; on Shorts, for example, some of the most popular channels are glorified Squid Game meme accounts.

Netflix has previously taken on TikTok with short-form collections like “Fast Laughs” and documentaries that examine the app’s culture. This effort, however, feels like a more concerted attempt to bring TikTok’s signature layout to Netflix—and appeal to younger generations in the process.

WATCH THIS 📺

Hundreds of thousands of YouTube viewers are trying to get a glimpse of the papal conclave

The papal paparazzi: If you watched Conclave late last year, then you’ll know that the election of the next Catholic pope happens behind a set of very closed doors. But despite the secrecy surrounding those proceedings (or perhaps because of it), the internet is desperate to get some insight into the papal conclave.

Cue the “conclave cam” trend. According to TechCrunch, there are now “dozens of global broadcasters streaming 24/7 coverage of the Sistine Chapel’s exterior online.” Next to nothing actually happens in those streams (as you can see by checking out one conclave cam here), but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of thousands of YouTube viewers from tuning in.

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Today's newsletter is from: James Hale, Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.