It's Friday and Netflix is reportedly planning to launch IRL retail locations with themed food and merch. Are those Eggo waffles we smell?

DUDE, THAT’S PERFECT

One of YouTube’s biggest creator groups just launched its own streaming service

Dude Perfect’s free-to-watch streaming service and app have finally arrived. Followers of the Texas-based trickshot group have been anticipating that big debut since June, when the dudes—aka creators Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and brothers Cory and Coby Cotton—first unveiled their plans while on tour.

The resulting content drop was worth the wait.

Dude Perfect’s 59.8 million YouTube subscribers can now find a veritable treasure trove of content across Roku, Apple, Android TV, Samsung, Vizio, Vidaa, and iOS and Android devices—including exclusive clips, Shorts, interactive content, and all of Dude Perfect’s 250+ YouTube videos. That extensive offering is the result of a partnership between Dude Perfect and A Parent Media Co. Inc.

This isn’t the first time the dudes have linked up with APMC. The Canadian media company initially brought the supergroup’s videos to its own flagship streaming service, Kidoodle.TV, last November.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• The number of universities participating in the NFL’s collegiate marketing program has risen from 60 to 100 year-over-year. (Tubefilter)
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• A recent Piper Sandler study found that U.S.-based teens now devote more daily watch time to YouTube than Netflix. (Gizmodo)
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• The European Union has launched an official investigation into X over concerns related to “the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.” (The Verge)
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• Threads’ latest features include an edit button and audio-based “Voice Threads.” (Gizmodo)

DATA • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

From wedding vows to viral videos, this creator couple is in it for the long haul

Picture your first year of high school: if you haven’t repressed the memories, you might see flashes of brightly-colored braces, awkward school dances, or questionable lunch meat.

Sam and Jess remember freshman year a little differently.

For them, ninth grade was the year they met their soulmates. Within a week of attending the same classes, the two creators were dating; within four years, they were married. Back then, of course, Sam and Jess didn’t consider themselves creators. The two competed for social media followers throughout high school, and continued posting casually after graduation. But until their first wedding anniversary, Sam and Jess’ online presence was just that: casual.

A simple prank changed everything.

Sam and Jess had been married for about a year when they decided to launch a joint channel. At first, posting couples content was just something they did for fun—but then COVID hit. With TikTok on the rise and quarantined viewers glued to YouTube, it wasn’t long before one of Sam and Jess’ prank videos blew up.

Nowadays, Sam and Jess’ TikTok account claims more than 4 million followers, and their YouTube channel pulls in over 80 million views a month. Find out more about their social media journey here.

TIKTOK IN THE HOUSE

TikTok is making it way easier for AR effects creators to bring home the bacon

TikTok’s Effect Creator Rewards Program is getting a major update.

For the last five months, the $6 million fund’s rulebook limited eligibility to effect creators in just six countries: the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Viewership requirements were just as strict; in order for a creator to qualify, at least one of their effects had to have appeared in 500,000 unique videos within 90 days of publication.

As of this week, TikTok is letting its hair down.

The Effect House monetization program is opening its doors to creators in 14 additional countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam) and loosening its content requirements. That means AR artists in all 20 eligible regions can now qualify for compensation once their effects appear in 200,000 videos.

There is one catch: entrants will need to have published at least three effects that have appeared in 1,000 videos (and a minimum of five effects overall) before they can enter the program.

The fund’s payment system is evolving, too.

As opposed to paying out lump sums as effects hit certain benchmarks, TikTok plans to vary the specifics of its Rewards Program by region. The platform is also rolling out an oft-requested change: from now on, TikTok plans to provide more cash-out opportunities for creators who have already started earning from their effects.

WATCH THIS 📺

Snapchat’s spooky new series features some of its biggest creators

Phantom House is bringing a little Halloween spirit to Snapchat. The new series follows three major Snap stars—Sofie Dossi, Tony Talks, and Ezee—as they use the app’s tools to solve puzzles and escape a haunted house.

Phantom House might be hard to escape, but it isn’t difficult to find: according to Marketing Dive, viewers can experience the show on the Chat, Camera, Stories, and Spotlight tabs. Check out the first episode here (if you dare).

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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.