TOGETHER WITH

It’s Monday and Instagram is keeping #couplegoals alive with Blended, a test feature that creates private feeds based on two users’ shared interests.

VIP ACCESS

YouTube’s latest Shorts monetization stream is all about exclusivity

The announcement: A brand-new revenue stream is coming to Shorts. YouTube has revealed a Members Only option, which will give creators the ability to restrict individual short-form videos to paying subscribers.

How it works: Creators will be able to place Shorts behind paywalls by selecting “Members Only” in the “visibility” menu. To tune into those exclusive videos—which will be marked with a star icon—viewers will need to purchase a Membership to the creator’s channel. (YouTube’s Memberships were first introduced in 2018 and are comparable to Twitch’s Subscriptions.)

• YouTube has already offered its own suggestions for the deployment of Members Only videos. According to TechCrunch, the platform sees the feature as an asset for creators looking to draw in subscribers with informal Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes content, and sneak peeks at upcoming projects.

The context: The introduction of YouTube’s Members Only option comes shortly after TikTok’s own announcement that creators of VOD content will be able to charge for Subscriptions. (The availability of TikTok LIVE Subscriptions has been on the rise since 2022.)

• By broadening paywalled offerings to include exclusive short-form content, YouTube gives creators new ways to interact with paying fans while remaining competitive in a rapidly changing industry.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Your perfect creator funding partner is just one click away (and that’s no April Fools’ joke)

It might be April Fools’ Day, but Viewture’s creator-friendly funding is the real deal. Just ask the Sidemen. In 2023, the UK supergroup made a multi-million-dollar finance deal with Viewture—and invested in a series of groundbreaking projects soon after (including their very own Netflix documentary!). 

Creator Funding Done Your Way
Every Viewture partnership is 100% personalized to the individual creator. When you license your library, you’ll receive a customized deal—and an upfront, lump-sum payment—while maintaining full control of your content and IP.

Invest in Your Channel However You Choose
Whether you’re hiring staff or producing your next big series, Viewture provides the capital and industry insights you need to invest in your creator business. Here’s how the Sidemen leveraged their Viewture funds:

Get AdSense Payments In Just FIVE Working Days
Viewture also offers Cre8torPay: a free service that helps creators get AdSense payments within 5 working days of the monthly payment date. With that kind of funding and support, there’s nothing Viewture creators can’t do. You can get assistance with copyright claims, too.

Shape your Future with Viewture →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• 15 Nijisanji VTubers will take part in Colors, an AR-driven concert that will be streamed to fans around the world on April 14. (Tubefilter)
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• On March 28, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new policy that will require U.S. agencies to appoint officers who have “significant expertise in AI.” (Tubefilter)
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• OpenAI has shared findings from a “small-scale preview” of Voice Engine, a voice-cloning audio tool that generates “natural-sounding speech that closely resembles the original speaker.” (Engadget)
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• Per Bloomberg, nine of the 50 top U.S. podcasts have used an engagement-boosting tool that offers mobile users tokens in exchange for following certain shows on Apple Podcasts. (Gizmodo)

IN THE CREATE ZONE

NAB Show will debut a 29-session “Creator Lab” track for digital creators

NAB Show is carving out an innovative new space for creators.

The reveal: In April 2024, the National Association of Broadcasters‘ longtime trade event will introduce Creator Lab: a “dedicated experience to foster collaboration, learning and networking through panels, workshops, fireside chats and more.”

• The 29 sessions featured in that track—which is sponsored by Blackmagic Design—will cover everything from video production and monetization to the impact of AI on the content industry.
  
  

• That information will be delivered by creators and industry experts like MrBeast President Marc Hustvedt, whose panel is set to examine “the current state of the creator economy, the content strategy behind creating viral sensations, landing lucrative sponsorships,” and more.

The details: Creator Lab is far from NAB Show’s only creator economy-focused offering. Attendees can also look forward to Create Zone—a show floor area with happy hours and sessions focused on the day-to-day workflow of video production—and panels led by creators and industry members like Casey Neistat and Doing Things Media exec Scott Dunn.

• NAB Show 2024 runs April 13-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with exhibits open from April 14-17. Info on programming, passes, and pricing can be found here.

Why it matters: As NAB Show points out, Goldman Sachs predicts that the creator economy could reach $480 billion in 2027, with a 10-20% growth in the number of global creators over the next five years.

• By catering to professionals from all sides of media, NAB Show “brings this new generation of creators together with the companies that can help them continue to push the boundaries with new technology and tools for storytelling and expanding their reach” (per NAB Global Connections and Events incoming EVP and managing director Karen Chupka).

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

“LinkedIn Goes TikTok”: With March in the rearview mirror, Creator Upload host Lauren Schnipper joined forces with Portal A co-founder Zach Blume to break down the hottest topics of the month. On the discussion board: LinkedIn’s experimental video feed, Dude Perfect’s Smoothie King collab, Sam Bankman-Fried’s 25-year prison sentence, and more.

• Tune into the full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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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.