TOGETHER WITH

It's Wednesday and the results are in: after a sub-a-thon-filled 2023, Kai Cenat has ended xQc’s three-year reign as Twitch’s most-watched creator.

PRIME TIME

Meet the new face of Prime Hydration: NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Logan Paul and KSI‘s beverage brand is joining forces with one of the NFL’s finest.

The big announcement: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has come aboard as the new spokesperson for Prime’s core Hydration product.

• According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mahomes’ involvement with Prime will span social media content, special events, and charity fundraisers.
  
  

• Prime has already made a $100,000 donation to Mahomes’ own charity—15 and the Mahomies Foundation—as part of the football pro’s sign-on.

Prime partnerships: Mahomes isn’t the first sports star to join Prime’s celebrity roster. The brand has already arranged partnerships with hockey player Auston Matthews, soccer player Erling Haaland, MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski, boxer Shakur Stevenson, and other pro athletes—not to mention deals with the Dodgers and the UFC.

By the numbers: Prime has the capital to back up its star-studded list of celebrity spokespeople. As 2023 draws to a close, the beverage brand is set to surpass $1.2 billion in annual sales.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Year in Review: Looking back at Viral Nation’s biggest wins of 2023

Viral Nation’s 800+ digital stars were unstoppable in 2023. The world’s #1 talent agency took creators from VidCon to the red carpet with 360° representation, PR, marketing, original content production, and syndication services. 

Check out Viral Nation’s biggest wins of the year:

#1 Unparalleled Audience Growth 💪
Viral Nation started the year by helping Tyreek Hall become YouTube’s most-subscribed-to NFL player—and wrapped up 2023 by producing Amber Rose’s upcoming YouTube podcast and bringing Steven He 1 million Facebook followers.

#2 Featured VidCon Creators & Streamy Award Nominees 🏆
Viral Nation’s PR team was on fire this year. 14 Viral Nation creators attended VidCon as Featured Talent, 6 scored Streamy Award noms, and others appeared in Time, Forbes’ 30 Under 30, and People.

#3 New Viral Nation Divisions and Creator Product Launches 🥗
Viral Nation kicked off its Podcasting arm with 45 podcast partners before announcing a brand-new Ventures division with 3 creator product launches: Yuri Lamasbella’s MYEAHH apparel line, Blonde Brewer Coffee, and Salad Lab’s artisanal bowls. 

#4 Major Original Programming Announcements 🎥
Viral Nation partnered with Trip Taylor’s Sunny Skye Productions and Buck Productions to bring 3 original series to life.

Ready to discover how Viral Nation can revolutionize your career in 2024?

Visit the website to learn more → 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Cultural impact agency Black Menswear is joining Pixability, YouTube, and Whalar‘s Inclusive Media Initiative. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• According to Pew’s latest social media study, 90% of teens say they use YouTube—as compared to 63% who report using TikTok. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• Disgraced YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke will face prison time after pleading guilty to four counts of child abuse. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• Whalar’s upcoming members-only creator campuses hark back to the days of YouTube Spaces. Can they succeed where the video giant bowed out? Find out on Creator Upload. (Tubefilter)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50 📈

These brothers are serving up food-fueled comedy to millions of fans

Is there anything more universal than food and family? As the creators behind Brothers Vlog have proven time and time again, YouTube viewers are always up for videos that fuse hilarious sibling dynamics with a little culinary intrigue

Hacking the system: Creators hoping to attract global audiences often need to look beyond spoken language.

• By infusing their videos with physical comedy and embracing popular Shorts genres—including life hacks, family skits, and food content—Brothers Vlog has successfully attracted 14.6 million subscribers from all over the world.

By the numbers: Since launching in 2014, Brothers Vlog has generated more than 7 billion lifetime views. The Pakistani channel’s top three food-driven Shorts alone have earned over 430 million views.

Climbing the charts: Brothers Vlog claimed a spot in this week’s Global Top 50 chart by picking up 204.1 million views over just seven days.

• In total, that sum added up to a 38% week-over-week viewership increase.
  
  

• The result: Brothers Vlog rose to #37 in our worldwide ranking.

A VERY NINJA NEW YEAR

Ninja’s 6-hour New Year’s Eve spectacular will be sponsored by Domino’s and State Farm

Twitch’s most-followed streamer is ready to party like it’s 2024. Ninja—aka Tyler Blevins—has announced a multi-platform New Year’s Eve spectacular that will feature a star-studded guest list of fellow creators.

When: Ninja’s NYE will kick off at 6 PM Central Time on December 31st and pass the time until midnight with six hours of games, branded segments, and special guests.

• (No word yet on whether this year’s party will feature the same kind of dance moves Blevins brought to his 2018-2019 NYE celebration.)

Who: Ninja’s big event will include appearances from TimTheTatman, SypherPK, DrLupo, BasicallyIDoWrk, and LEGIQN—four creators who broadcast to impressive multiplatform audiences across Twitch and YouTube.

• Brands will also play a major role in Ninja NYE. Domino’s Pizza is on board as the event’s title sponsor, while State Farm plans to back a segment during the third hour of the broadcast.

Where: It’s been a year since Blevins announced that he would make his content available “everywhere,” and the creator is already making good on that declaration. Ninja’s NYE will be available on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.

WATCH THIS 📺

Lego is bringing the spirit of 2008 into 2024

Picture this: the Jacob vs. Edward feud is alive and well, Twilight is showing in theaters, and everyone’s Instagram posts seem to be marked by a moody bluish tint.

• Thanks to Lego (and Lego Ideas winner LobsterThermidor), vampire fans will soon have a chance to hail back to those days of yore by building their very own “Cullen House.”
  
  

• Check out this video from Brick Fanatics to find out more about the winners of Lego’s latest Ideas round.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

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