TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and TikTok is ready to play ball in D.C.—but this time, it’s hitting the ice as a jersey sponsor for the NHL‘s Washington Capitals.

BIG INVESTMENTS

Babish Culinary Universe is expanding with a multimillion-dollar investment

The investment: Babish Culinary Universe is kicking off fall with a fresh influx of cash and big plans for the future. The YouTube production studio—which was founded by foodie creator Andrew Rea—has announced a multimillion-dollar investment from Made In Network, a Nashville-based media company that has partnered with Babish since 2017.

Babish and Made In have a clear vision in mind for those funds. The duo’s list of objectives includes a 50% staff increase and the introduction of co-productions with new studio partners, four additional series, and “a swath” of new Babish-branded products in brick-and-mortar stores. The ultimate goal of that expansion, Babish says, is to “set a new standard in culinary entertainment and storytelling in the digital media space.”

The context: Rea—who started the original Binging with Babish channel way back in 2006—has spent the past few years expanding his YouTube presence into a full “culinary universe” featuring digital talent like Senpai Kai, former Bon Appétit-er Sohla El-Waylly, and former senior Tasty manager Alvin Zhou. as of September, the brand’s flagship channel claims 10 million subscribers and brings in over 20 million views a month.

What’s next: This latest investment in Babish’s future represents an equally significant expansion for Made In. The media company currently works with around 30 creators across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. It views these creator partnerships the same way a TV network views on-screen hosts—as part of a whole, where programming, planning, and production resources are centralized. Given that framework and that the company says its stake in Babish “indicates future investments in the greater creator economy,” expect more of these kinds of announcements from Made In in the future.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

From authentic content to cutting-edge campaigns, Viral Nation creators are changing the face of influencer marketing

Partnerships with creators are more beneficial to brands than ever before; in fact, UGC campaigns score 29% higher conversion rates on average (Search Logistics). 

Viral Nation gets it: in fact, their industry-leading agents are 100% devoted to connecting brands with creators who share their values, goals, and target audience. 

Meet the latest creators to join the world’s #1 influencer agency:

Kristen & Reafe 💘
From mischievous pranks to vlogs and family challenges, Kristen and Reafe’s couples content has earned them a devoted fanbase of 5M+ cross-platform followers.

Kaylan Grace 🛍️
Whether she’s shopping for school supplies or showing off her latest grocery haul, Kaylan Grace’s relatable slice-of-life videos transport viewers straight to North Carolina. 

Jordan Connor 🎬
You might recognize Jordan Connor from hits like Riverdale, but the producer-slash-actor isn’t just known for his on-screen chops. The creator has also made a name for himself on Instagram, where nearly 840K fans tune in for project updates, relationship content, and more.

Kemani 🤣
Kemani’s hilarious skits have attracted a loyal following of 5.3M TikTok followers—and captured the attention of brands like Jack Black Men’s Skincare.

Viral Nation creators tailor campaigns to viewers who take their opinions seriously. Hit the link below to learn more:

Learn more about Viral Nation Talent →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• MTV’s 2024 Video Music Awards will feature red carpet coverage from TikTok creators and invite viewers to vote for their favorite nominees via WhatsApp. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Tokyo-based PR company Dentsu has launched a House of Creators initiative on Roblox that will match rising creators with social media-savvy brands. (VentureBeat)
  
  

• 42 U.S. attorney generals have signed a letter urging Congress to support the application of health-related warning labels to social media platforms. (Engadget)
  ​

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly plans to introduce legislation that would ban children below the ages of 14-16 from social media. (Engadget)

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📈

Cristiano Ronaldo’s new YouTube channel is a win for soccer hubs everywhere

The soccer star: Cristiano Ronaldo’s YouTube debut is already sending major waves through the world of Shorts. While the soccer star’s channel hasn’t yet broken the Top 50—despite his quippy vow to overtake YouTube’s most-followed creator, MrBeast—his presence alone seems to be making a significant impact on the U.S. charts.

The top gainer: The rise of Football Arena is a clear example of that phenomenon. While the channel’s content is more closely related to over-the-top stunts than soccer, its creators have leveraged the power of name recognition to attract sports fans from around the world. Both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are pictured in the profile image for Football Arena, while the hub’s most-watched clips frequently name-drop the two players.

The stats: That strategy has given Football Arena a major boost in the days since Ronaldo’s arrival on YouTube.

• Over the course of just one week, the channel collected 134.5 million views—a total that propelled it to 31st place in our latest U.S. Top 50.
  

• All that traffic added up to a 31% week-over-week increase in views.
  

• The result: Football Arena’s lifetime view count has now surpassed 1.5 billion.

EAT, PRAY, TIKTOK

Watch out, Google: TikTok wants to be a go-to search engine for travelers

The declaration: TikTok is ready to compete with Google in yet another search category: travel. Just weeks after launching a campaign with Southwest Airlines, the platform’s Director of Travel, Tech, and Telcom, Danielle Johnson, told Skift that it sees itself as a “discovery engine” that “sparks interest in new destinations and drives visits.”

TikTok has some hefty stats to back up its self-described role as a travel discovery hub:

• According to the platform, 83% of users say TikTok gets them interested in visiting destinations they hadn’t previously considered
  

• 60% said they actually went ahead and visited new places because they discovered them on TikTok. 
  

• Per Johnson, 67% of users have purposefully searched TikTok for travel experiences.

The competition: TikTok isn’t just poaching Google’s youngest consumers. While Gen Z drives plenty of travel fever, Johnson says TikTok users who are 45 and older actually watch more travel content per day, on average, than their younger counterparts.

The structure of TikTok’s marketing ecosystem has a lot to do with that broad appeal. In addition to the platform’s trove of user-generated travel videos, Johnson says the “ability to have a two-way conversation—where brands showcase their content and users engage, interact, comment, and share their snapshots—creates a much deeper and richer relationship than what you typically find in travel guides and 30-second commercials.”

The potential impact of those deep consumer/brand relationships extend far beyond travel—a fact TikTok is well aware of. In addition to challenging Google’s status as a go-to travel search engine, the platform has broken into categories like cinema by debuting a feature—aka Spotlight—that allow users to buy movie tickets for local showtimes while viewing details about films from partnered Hollywood studios.

WATCH THIS 📺

The star of FX’s latest comedy series got his start on YouTube

The launch: Brian Jordan Alvarez is making the jump from YouTube to TV. The social media comedian is the creator and star of English Teacher, an FX series that premiered on September 2.

The context: It’s no surprise that viewers are already lobbying for a second season of Alvarez’ comedy show. The creator’s over-the-top YouTube skits have garnered over 90 million lifetime views, while his 8-year-old indie web sitcom (aka The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo) has earned him a cult following of long-time fans.

The trailer: Whether you’re an Alvarez enthusiast or just an all-around comedy lover, FX is willing to bet you’ll get a kick out of English Teacher. Check out the official trailer here to find out for yourself.

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