TOGETHER WITH

Get in losers—we’re going to watch the entire Mean Girls movie on its new TikTok account. And don’t forget: it’s Wednesday, so we’re wearing pink.

LIKE & SUBSCRIBE

Would you pay $4.99/month to escape TikTok ads? Bytedance is betting on it.

An ad-free version of TikTok is officially in the works. Earlier this week, Android Authority spotted a line of text in the app’s code that referred to tests of “an Ad-free plan within the TikTok community”:

We are testing the Ad-free plan with the TikTok community.
By continuing, you agree to the {%s} and acknowledge that you have read our {%s} to learn how we collect, use and share data.
You also accept the immediate provision of the Ad-free subscription. Price includes VAT.

Now, a TikTok representative has confirmed that the company is running a test for an ad-free experience—but only within “a single English-speaking market outside the USA.” As the rep pointed out, “small-scale tests don’t indicate a product launch is inevitable.”

Still, this wouldn’t be the first time that a test debuted in a specific English-speaking market produced a full-fledged TikTok feature. Earlier this year, for example, a retail operation called Trendy Beat popped up in the U.K. mere months before the official launch of a direct-to-consumer Shop page in the U.S.

But even if a subscription-based version of TikTok does come to be, thriftier users don’t need to worry about losing access to a free scrolling experience. If screenshots published by Android Authority are accurate, the platform’s test provides access to two tiers: a free, ad-based option and a $4.99/month subscription that allows users to escape sponsored content.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

From lucrative brand partnerships to dedicated PR services, Viral Nation Talent turns creators into household names

As a creator, having the right support system can revolutionize your career. That’s why ​​Viral Nation Talent​​ offers 360° creator representation—including your dedicated agent, an industry-leading PR team, marketing services, content diversification experts, and everything else you need to grow your brand into a household name.

Here’s how ​Viral Nation Talent​ can take your career to new heights:

🤝 Lucrative Brand Partnerships 🤝 
Viral Nation talent agents leverage connections with top companies like Amazon, Nike, and Warner Bros to secure meaningful brand partnerships, activations, and sponsorships for a roster of 500+ creators, athletes and celebrities.

📣 Dedicated PR & Marketing Services​​​​​ 📣 
From TV and red carpet appearances to merch drops and placements in top publications, Viral Nation’s industry-leading PR and marketing teams​ will make sure your brand and accomplishments never go unnoticed.

🌟 Multiplatform Content Diversification 🌟 
Viral Nation’s content diversification experts help creators ​unlock new revenue streams and audiences​ through content optimization, syndication, podcasting, and licensing opportunities—all while formulating multiplatform growth strategies customized to your niche and career goals.

Check out Viral Nation’s website to learn more about their 360° creator services:

​​​Learn more about Viral Nation →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Nick DiGiovanni skyrocketed to #47 in our weekly chart of most-viewed U.S. YouTube channels after hitting 6 billion lifetime views. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• Campbell Brown is stepping down from her role as Meta’s head of news partnerships. (CNBC)
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• According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix aims to raise subscription prices in the months following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strikes. (The Verge)
  ​

• Meta reportedly plans to charge EU-based users $14 per month to access an ad-free version of Instagram on mobile. (Ars Technica)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Introducing the Top 5 Branded Videos of the Week

We’ve ranked rising YouTube stars and presented charts of top-viewed channels. Now, strap in for Tubefilter’s latest data series: a weekly rundown of branded videos on YouTube using data from Gospel Stats. For our inaugural article, we’re rewinding to September 18-24 and looking at the most viewed sponsored videos of the week.

🥇TheRussianBadger x Gamer Supps: ​””honey, where is my F-35? 
TheRussianBadger continued his long-standing partnership with Gamer Supps by giving the energy drink brand a sponsored shoutout—while falling from a $200 million aircraft, no less. The result: the Canadian streamer’s branded video has scored more than 9.6 million views (and counting).

🥈 Airrack x Air Up: ​I Tried The World's Fastest Vehicles
26-year-old vlogger Eric "Airrack" Decker rounded out the month of September by hitting the road in everything from an old-fashioned bicycle to a rocket car. An adrenaline rush like that doesn’t come cheap (even if it does generate 6 million views in just 10 days). Luckily, water bottle brand Air Up was happy to fund a few death-defying feats in exchange for a little social media buzz.

🥉 Dude Perfect x BetterHelp: ​Road Trip Stereotypes
Who wouldn’t need a licensed therapist after enduring a family road trip? Dude Perfect answered that question once and for all by reminding 5.5 million viewers exactly how small a child’s bladder can be—and how much it can hold despite that size.

Want some more? Check out two bonus videos right here. Want a lot more data that shows which brands are sponsoring what creators on YouTube? Check out Gospel Stats.

#SLIVING IT UP

X’s latest content partner is none other than businesswoman-slash-socialite Paris Hilton

X may have lost a good chunk of its celebrity user base, but Paris Hilton isn’t going anywhere. (At least, not for the next two years.)

Per X spokesperson Joe Benarroch, the socialite and her media company, 11:11, have made a content deal with X that will see them “work together to create 4 original video content programs per year that includes [sic] live shopping.” Those programs will give viewers the opportunity to “browse through a catalog” of yet-to-be-announced products and “make a purchase via our in-app browser.”

Shopping won’t be the only focus of Hilton’s X campaign. Benarroch says fans can also look forward to “a host” of Hilton-centric activations, plus a custom hashtag themed around the celeb’s “sliving” catchphrase. (If you’re not already in the habit of ending your X posts with #sliving, the slogan is essentially a portmanteau of “slaying” and “living your best life.”)

As for X’s half of the deal?

The platform says it will “work to secure brand sponsorship to support each of the activations”—but other than that, it looks like Hilton and 11:11 are on the hook for most of the content production.

WATCH THIS 📺

The cost of privacy is never too high (especially when you have a lamp on hand)

Uyen Ninh takes her fiancé’s privacy seriously.

The TikTok comedian has earned a loyal following by posting hilarious videos about her life in Germany, her family in Vietnam, and her partner’s bread-and-sausage-based food choices. Many of those skits feature her significant other—but none actually show his face.

So when Ninh and her fiancé made a recent TV appearance, the German program had to come up with some…creative ways to safeguard the pair’s privacy. The answer: strategically-placed lamps, backward-facing hats, and a few centrally-located trees.

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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.