TOGETHER WITH

Happy Tuesday! After reshaping YouTube charts and blowing up the box office, A Minecraft Movie is bringing its very own “Block Party” singalong edition to theaters.

Today’s News

QUARTERLY REPORT

Spotify’s payouts to creators and podcasters reached $100M in Q1 alone

The results: Spotify’s revamped partner program is already paying off in a big way. In a post on its For the Record blog, the audiovisual platform noted that its payouts to creators —which include earnings from both ad revenue and the Spotify Partner Program—topped $100 million during the first three months of 2025.

Spotify boasted that its multifaceted toolkit allows creators to reach a “global audience” while giving them “flexible earnings options” that can help them “capture and engage a loyal fanbase.” The Spotify Partner Program, which kicked off at the start of the year, is a big part of that multi-pronged approach.

According to one estimate, Spotify video consumption rose by 20% over the first 30 days of Partner Program activity. The platform’s latest blog added that the number of participating creators rose 29% month-over-month between February and March, and the number of active monthly video podcasts has gone up 28% since the Program’s start date.

The response: Podcasters are set up to benefit the most from the expansion of Spotify’s revenue streams—but some have voiced concerns about the platform’s revamped Partner Program. Multiple publishers have argued that the system has lost them money, with creator Amanda McLoughlin noting that “the risk just isn’t worth it.”

Still, other podcasters have reported primarily positive results. Spotify’s For the Record post, for instance, included a glowing testimonial from Goalhanger:

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• An April terror attack in the contested territory of Jammu and Kashmir has left Indian viewers with a lot of questions—and many of them are turning to YouTube for answers. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• According to Digiday, TikTok revealed last week that creators “are now collectively generating $10 million in revenue daily through livestreaming.” (Digiday)
  
  

• OpenAI is reportedly updating ChatGPT search to offer online shopping recommendations and surface product reviews. (TechCrunch)
  
  

• As creators brace for the impact of the Trump Administration’s slate of tariffs, Kickstarter is introducing a new “Tariff Manager” feature. (The Verge)

GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Branded Videos of the Week: Physics, Saddam Hussein, and cardboard DIYs

Last time around, Gospel Stats’ weekly ranking of top-viewed sponsored YouTube videos was dominated by a MrBeast video with a whopping 41.6 million views. This week, however, MrBeast’s primary channel didn’t release any long-form content—leaving a pair of edutainment essays in the lead with roughly 6 million views each.

🥇 #1. Veritasium x KiwiCo: The Biggest Misconception in Physics (6.4M views)
Veritasium is back to dismantle another foundational belief while keeping things digestible for us common folk. The channel’s combination of STEM education and approachability has earned it over 17 million subscribers. With that audience and video views regularly in the multimillions, it’s no wonder kid-friendly education company KiwiCo is a regular sponsor.

🥈 #2. neo x Nebula: How The U.S. Found Saddam Hussein (6.3M views)
After floating around the internet for years now, an oft-memed diagram of Saddam Hussein’s hiding place recently experienced a resurgence on TikTok. The precise reason for that popularity is hard to pin down—but thanks to neo and sponsor Nebula, online denizens can now learn about the military movement that led to the infamous image.

🔎 #1,699. Tina Le x Away: DIY CARDBOARD TRASH INTO EXPENSIVE HOME DECOR FOR FREE (41K views)
Further down the charts, Tina Le capitalized on the troubled state of the U.S. economy with a handy DIY video. If you’re hard up for some home decor, Le has your back—and if you need a budget-friendly luggage recommendation, she’s got that covered, too. Away doesn’t pay for many videos each week, but it does carefully choose its partners: the latest Away-backed videos, for instance, included uploads from both Le and fashion/lifestyle creator Lauren Norris.

Check out the full branded ranking here and head over to Gospel Stats for more YouTube sponsorship insights.

THE BIZ

Digital video is dominating ad budgets thanks to connected TV and live sports

The numbers: In 2020, early COVID lockdowns triggered fears that brands would majorly slash their ad spends. Instead, digital ad spend surged.

Five years later, the Interactive Advertising Bureau believes digital video (which encompasses connected TV ads, social video, and online video) is on the verge of doubling its 2020 share by capturing 60% of all TV/video ad spend. Just last year, digital ad spend surpassed spend on linear TV for the first time.

In its 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, the IAB confirmed that digital video ad spend is growing between two and three times faster than total media overall:

• In 2024, U.S. digital video ad spend rose 18% year-over-year for a total of $64 billion.
  
  

• That number is expected to rise another 14% this year, putting it at $72 billion by the end of 2025.
  
  

• Top earning categories are (1) consumer packaged goods with an anticipated $14.3 billion spend in 2025, (2) retail with $8.4B, and (3) tech with $7.3B.

The contributors: Connected TV is a major part of that picture. According to the IAB, connected TV generated $23.6 billion in ad spend last year and is expected to generate $26.6 billion this year. That’s almost double what online video earns—which makes sense, considering U.S. viewers now watch more YouTube on TVs than any other device.

Live sports in particular has established a dominating presence on connected TV: the IAB’s report points to a trend in which platforms have snagged exclusive deals with major sports leagues, then “scaled programmatic and self-serve activation tools making it easier for brands of all sizes to invest their ad dollars.”

The IAB expects to see that growth continue in 2025. Already, 36% of advertisers say they intend to reallocate funds from both linear TV and social media in favor of connected TV.

WATCH THIS 👀

Netflix’s 2025 Tudum trailer teases Wednesday, Happy Gilmore 2, and more

The big show: Netflix’s 2025 Tudum is almost here. The streamer has officially dropped a trailer for its annual pop culture fan event, which will treat viewers to a slate of “huge stars, exclusive reveals, and dynamic live performances” when it goes live on May 31, from the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

Yesterday’s teaser gave fans a sneak peek at the action, featuring clips from Wednesday Season 2, the long-awaited sequel to Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore, and an upcoming adaptation of Frankenstein.

Check out the full trailer here for more details.

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