TOGETHER WITH

It’s Thursday and the latest FAST channel to hit Roku is all about throwbacks. After all, what’s more nostalgic than a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and some good old-fashioned PBS Retro?

PREPARE FOR BATTLE

POTUS just signed a bill that will force a sale of TikTok—or see it banned in the U.S.

The bill: On April 24, President Biden signed a bill that will require TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, to divest within 270 days. If a sale fails to happen within that period (or after an additional three months granted by the president), TikTok will be banned in the U.S.

• Presidential approval came just one day after the divest-or-ban bill—which was originally authored by Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)—passed the Senate. Although the bill is a successor to the Restrict Act, its final form includes a foreign aid package earmarked for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

The response: Investors like former Trump cabinet member Steven Mnunchin are already hoping to get their hands on TikTok—but that doesn’t mean the app will go down without a fight. TikTok recently reorganized its legal team, with general counsel Erich Andersen stepping down, and declared its intentions to go to court:

The consequences: From here, we can anticipate three potential outcomes: the sale of TikTok to a U.S. company, a legal victory in the app’s favor, or a total national ban. Given the Chinese government’s public opposition to a sale, the first option may be a long shot.

• A First Amendment-based court battle is far more likely. TikTok has already leveraged a constitutional argument to secure a preliminary injunction against Montana’s own version of a ban.
  
  

• For creators and entrepreneurs, a lot depends on TikTok’s approach to a federal suit. As CEO Shou Zi Chew noted in a recent video, the app’s community includes “7 million business owners who have built their livelihoods on TikTok.”

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• TikTok has responded to an E.U. inquiry by suspending its new TikTok Lite app in Spain and France and halting its rollout in other countries. (Tubefilter)
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• In a first-quarter earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Threads now claims 150 million monthly users. (Engadget)

• Diddo—”an API for streaming services and other platforms to integrate shoppable videos"—has raised $2.8 million in a seed funding round led by Link Ventures. (TechCrunch)
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• Reddit says its new Dynamic Product Ads will give advertisers the ability to “promote relevant products at the same time people are researching, discussing, and deciding what to buy.” (Ars Technica)

COLUMNS • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

This creator’s brand is designed for “the person who loves to be at home”

How it started: Eight years ago, Adrian Vazquez’s son decided he needed his own YouTube channel—and because he was four years old, he wanted that hub to focus on toys.

• Vazquez didn’t have much experience with making videos, but he was happy to support his son’s new interest. The two began filming daily toy reviews, and Vazquez quickly became “obsessed” with the process.
  
  

• It wasn’t long before content became a central part of his life. After moving across the country, the creator spent several years making content for Million Dollar Listing New York realtor Ryan Serhant. At the same time, he fell in love with New York’s “cool architecture” and vibrant home decor scene.
  
  

• That environment inspired Vazquez to up his “interior design game,” so he began upcycling found furniture. In November 2022, he took that hobby online.
  
  

• Viewers loved it. Within seven months, Vazquez’s DIY projects had attracted a following of 1.4 million across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

How it’s going: Nowadays, 1.8 million cross-platform fans tune into Vazquez’s home decor content. The creator is committed to uploading at least one video a week—despite the fact that he has his hands full with the launch of another home goods-related business: Homebody.

• Vazquez says Homebody is built around “this idea of this person who loves to be at home, who loves to put on their comfiest outfits…who likes to really curate their space.“

What’s up next: The brand’s debut collection only launched this month, but Vazquez is already looking forward to its next drop. In the meantime, fans can look forward to long-form content and videos focused on “unique creative spaces” throughout the U.S.

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📊

There’s no denying the power of Pickle Rick

The channel: If you’ve tuned into TikTok recently, you’ve probably seen bits and pieces of shows like The Good Doctor and Why Women Kill. Channels offering multi-part clips of popular shows and movies have scored millions upon millions of views on the Bytedance-owned app.

• Now, an entrepreneurial YouTuber is getting in on the (potentially) copyright-infringing fun. Since launching his YouTube channel last month, Tim Westerfield has scored nearly 350 million views by uploading clips from shows like Rick & Morty, Breaking Bad, and The Boys.
  
  

• The creator doesn’t appear to be affiliated with any of those properties. Instead, he uses fan-favorite clips to reach viewers who might be interested in The Oasis, a “24/7 live chat to talk about TV shows or movies and summon your favorite characters to join the convo.”

The stats: There’s no telling whether that strategy has converted YouTube viewers into Oasis users—but it’s definitely generating plenty of buzz for Westerfield’s channel.

• During the last week of April, Westerfield attracted 126.1 million weekly views to his primary YouTube hub.
  
  

• That seven-day total added up to a 27% week-over-week increase.
  
  

• The result: after less than two months on YouTube, Westerfield has already scored a spot at #35 in our U.S. Top 50 chart.

WATCH THIS 📺

Linda Yaccarino just shared a sneak peek at X TV

The app: According to CEO Linda Yaccarino, X’s smart TV app is “coming soon.” The exec announced that upcoming debut in a recent post, which outlined X TV features like AI-powered topics and an algorithm designed to surface trending videos.

• Yaccarino’s reveal didn’t include any mention of a launch date (the CEO clarified that X is “still building” its smart TV app), but she did offer users this 10-second trailer.

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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.