TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and we hope your thumbs are ready for some heavy-duty scrolling—because Twitch’s TikTok-style Discovery feed has finally arrived.

BONUS POINTS

Instagram is rewarding original creators with a new algorithm (and thwarting content thieves in the process)

Meta is stepping into May with two major updates. Here’s how the tech giant plans to reward original creators—and thwart serial reposters—in the coming weeks:

A revamped algorithm: A new Instagram algorithm is making its big debut. According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, the platform is furthering its years-long mission to promote authentic content by replacing reposts in its feed with original videos.

• Those “Direct Replace” posts will include tags that direct viewers to the original creator’s account, while creators who repeatedly repost “unoriginal content that they didn’t enhance” will be barred from Instagram’s feed entirely.

A new bonus program: Instagram isn’t the only Meta-owned platform getting a much-needed update. According to TechCrunch, a new “limited-time bonus program” will reward Threads creators who upload posts that receive at least 2,000 views, include text, and feature no copyright material or watermarks from other platforms.

• Several creators say they’ve already been promised earnings of up to $5,000 on posts that receive at least 10,000 views.

The context: Meta has received major flack in the past for failing to match the consistency and volume of payouts provided by rivals like YouTube. Seasonal bonus programs may not be a long-term solution to those criticisms, but they’re definitely a welcome addition to creators’ pockets—and a smart way for Threads to woo X users who haven’t yet switched sides.

• Instagram’s updated algorithm could prove to be another strong draw for creators on rival platforms. Video makers on TikTok and Shorts have long lamented the seemingly unchecked rise of repost-based channels, which rake in views by uploading other creators’ content without attribution. By addressing that complaint, Instagram is setting itself apart from the competition.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Three-year-old newsletter platform beehiiv has raised a $33 million Series B round led by New Enterprise Associates, bringing its total funding to $46.5 million. (Tubefilter)
  

• According to Forbes, over 30 TikTok employees have been interrogated or held for questioning by Customs and Border Protection while traveling to the U.S. (The Verge)
  ​

• Several Alden Global Capital-owned companies—including New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune—are suing OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement. (The Verge)
  ​

• The European Union is reportedly investigating Facebook and Instagram over a “suspected breach of DSA obligations to protect integrity of elections." (ABC News)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50 📈

For the second week in a row, Indian YouTube channels ruled the charts

The final week of April was all about South Asian creators. Only one non-Indian channel managed to break into the latest Global Top 5—and even then, MrBeast was the odd man out with fewer than 500 million views.

Here’s how the month wrapped up:

🥇 The chart-topping tot: Anaya Kandhal might be the littlest creator in this week’s Top 5, but she’s also the mightiest. Together with her parents, the pint-sized star scored a #1 ranking every single week for the entirety of April.

🥈 The record label: Even YouTube’s most-followed channel couldn’t keep up with the Kandhals last month. Luckily for T-Series, it did manage to pull ahead of the platform’s second most-subscribed channel: MrBeast. If the record label can keep hauling in 669.3 million views a week, it might be able to hold onto its title a little longer.

🥉 The geeta gurjar: The Kandhals weren’t the only family dominating YouTube at the end of April. The mother-and-daughter duo behind The geeta gurjar reeled in more than 538 million views by treating viewers to kid-friendly skits with moral lessons.

🐭 The mischief-makers: KL Bro Biju Rithvik took a similar approach. For the second week running, the Shorts hub claimed a spot at #4 thanks to tongue-in-cheek “Tom 🍓 Jerry” videos centered around the channel’s more mischievous stars.

👩‍👧 The U.S. representative: MrBeast managed to snag the last spot in our Global Top 5 by hauling in 486.8 million weekly views. With numbers like that, it won’t be long before North America’s most popular creator achieves a lifetime total of 48 billion views.

WATCH THIS 📺

Another live-action Lion King is on the way (but we might actually watch this one)

The context: Fans who grew up with animated classics like The Lion King (and, more importantly, The Lion King 1 ½ ) might not be super stoked to learn that Disney’s latest take on the franchise is a live-action film.

• As New Yorker critic Anthony Lang pointed out way back in 2019 (when the first live-action Lion King hit theaters), “the more realistic the animals look, the more you wonder why they’re singing.”

The trailer: That being said, there’s one big upside to Disney’s new film: backstory. You can’t convince us that you’ve never wondered about the origins of Simba’s kick-ass dad—and thanks to Mufasa, we’ll finally have some answers. Check out the brand-new trailer here.

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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.