TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and Farmers Only could be facing some competition in the agriculture(ish) app biz thanks to John Deere’s new AI chatbot for farmers.

BRING THE DRAMA

The rom-com: The microdrama boom has officially reached pro baseball. Starting September 4, the Chicago Cubs will distribute a 17-episode series titled Nine Innings To Love through the team’s official TikTok account.

Set in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, Nine Innings To Love tells the story of a meet-cute between Ava (Veronica Garrubbo) and David (Sid Kutikkad). The microdrama series spans the course of a single game, with Ava and David turning The Friendly Confines into a “rom-com training ground” (per a press release).

The show was created by the in-house Cubs Productions unit, with Adam Sobel directing and Coyote Sun Productions providing production support.

The context: Nine Innings To Love sits at the intersection of two entertainment trends. The ongoing hype surrounding sports romance has been fueled by series like Heated Rivalry and the Noah Beck-led franchise Sidelined, which has produced Tubi’s most-watched originals, while every brand from Crocs to Maybelline has tried its hand at microdramas.

Now, it’s the Cubs’ turn to take advantage of both media booms. The Nine Innings To Love trailer has drawn plenty of snark online thanks to some heavy-handed #BookTok references, but that doesn’t mean the Cubs aren’t onto something.

Nine Innings To Love may look cheesy, but it could also become Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s answer to Rookie of the Year.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

BOOK TALK

The book: James Patterson and MrBeast’s co-authored novel has arrived—and MrBeast himself is the starring character. The Most Dangerous Games, which dropped yesterday, follows 1,000 players who are summoned by a fictional MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) to compete for $1 billion.

Every player receives the same mysterious invitation from Donaldson, whom the book describes as a “[s]harp, fair-minded, and deeply loyal” character who “isn’t afraid to stand up for the players when he suspects something has gone terribly wrong.”

Though the in-book competitors are told their trials won’t be turned into YouTube content, readers of The Most Dangerous Games are promised no such thing—because the book’s launch comes with a real-life contest for $1 million.

According to the website, there are clues hidden in the book to help players succeed in a series of weekly challenges. Once the pool has been narrowed to 10 people, they’ll come together for a final “face the Beast” round, and one winner will walk away with the big cash prize.

Competitors must have proof of purchase for an English-language copy of The Most Dangerous Games.

The sales: Even without a $1 million incentive, Donaldson and Patterson have the combined influence to (theoretically) attract a major readership. Donaldson’s YouTube channel has 515 million subscribers, while Patterson has written or co-authored over 300 books, including numerous bestsellers.

And yet, it’s not looking like The Most Dangerous Games will hit giant numbers. A report from intelligence platform Semafor said the book is “on track to be a historic bomb,” with preorders in the four figures.

That being said, The Most Dangerous Games is currently Amazon’s #1 new release in Mystery Action & Adventure, and #1,878 in new releases across all genres. Clearly, some people are buying and reading it—even if only to hunt for clues.

RUMOR MILL

The (alleged) complaint: Last month, at an appearance in Aspen, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced his intent to police bait-and-switch policies across the social web.

Now, if rumors of an upcoming lawsuit are to be believed, YouTube could soon find itself at the center of that crackdown. According to Bloomberg (which cited “people familiar with the probe), the FTC is in the “final stages” of preparing a complaint against YouTube.

The agency is expected to argue that YouTube’s rules appear to permit certain types of content, only for that content to later be branded as violative—leading to channel suspensions and demotions in the platform’s recommendation algorithm.

The complications: The sources did not identify specific rules or categories that would be targeted by the pending probe, but free expression has long been a tricky topic for YouTube.

Content ID, an important layer of protection for rights holders, has sparked questions about what should and shouldn’t be demonetized. That debate reared its head during the infamous 2017 “Adpocalypse,” when YouTube had to find a balance between questionable content and brand interests.

Recent complications like AI slop have also led to more channel suspensions, although YouTube’s “Second Chance” program now offers reprieves to channels once branded as rule-breakers.

Those updated policies could work in YouTube’s favor should an encounter with the FTC come to pass. The platform hasn’t commented on the rumored case just yet, but its lawyers are certainly keeping busy.

WATCH THIS 👀

The showdown: In a quest to promote its Optimus line of solid-state drives, Sandisk is teaming up with creative agency CALLEN to pit Twitch streamers against a masked mystery gamer.

That challenge will kick off at 2 P.M. PT today, when the Sandisk Optimus Twitch channel introduces an overpowered competitor called OP. Though a mask and a voice modulator will conceal the streamer’s identity, their gameplay will (theoretically) make them stand out.

Sandisk and CALLEN have assembled an all-star lineup of opponents across a variety of games. The inaugural OP stream will feature TenZ, Doublelift, and Aramori—all of whom are currently on the roster for Sentinels, an esports org that serves as an official Sandisk partner.

Check out a teaser for the big showdown here.

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