TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and nostalgia is already the defining theme of 2024. The proof: oldies-but-goodies killed it on Netflix during the first half of the year, with Avatar the Last Airbender (the new one, but also the old one) ranking among the streamer’s most-watched programs.

LIKE & SUBSCRIBE

TikTok is bringing its Subscriptions feature to VOD creators

The launch: TikTok is opening up a crucial revenue stream to a new category of creators. Subscriptions—aka TikTok’s answer to the similarly-named product on Twitch—is now available to video on-demand (VOD) creators, not just streamers. The newly-expanded monetization feature will be broken into multiple tiers, with creators choosing between three pricing options depending on the rewards they want to offer subscribers.

So far, reward options include access to Sub Space (a dedicated hangout area for followers that TikTok tested earlier this year), exclusive content, community stickers, and custom perks for subscribers.

The context: Subscriptions has been available as a monetization option for streamers since 2022. TikTok Live has attracted millions of creators in that time—many of whom have used the format to debate political opponents, pay tuition costs, and stage career revivals. Some streamers have earned serious cash thanks to their broadcasts, raking in up to $34,000 in a single month. Now, the expansion of Subscriptions suggests that TikTok (like YouTube and Instagram) is eager to turn its platform into a one-stop shop for creator monetization.

🔆SPONSORED 🔆

Only one agency combines award-winning social tech with the largest creator roster in the world

When you build brand-creator partnerships with Viral Nation, you’ll tap into a talent roster of 900+ verified creators and celebrities—plus cutting-edge AI technology that makes campaigns easy, seamless, and secure.

Here are 4 ways AI can streamline your campaigns:

1. Brand safety made simple
Viral Nation’s AI-powered defense tool, Viral Nation Secure™, sources and verifies brand-safe creators. With the ability to scan, analyze, alert, and create reports for each social media creator, Secure™ empowers brands to catch blind spots well ahead of time.

2. All-in-one workflows for creator management
Drive greater brand-creator impact with real-time influencer review, verification, and approval in CreatorOS™, an all-in-one platform for brands, creators, and management teams.

4. Data-driven decision-making meets AI
Drive greater impact and unlock faster data analytics with direct-to-platform API access, first-party data, and live performance results—all in one centralized interface.

Hit the link below to get started:

Streamline your campaigns with Viral Nation →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• ByteDance has announced that it will shut down the TikTok Music app, meaning the platform will not have a chance to reach U.S. users. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Tech reviewer and YouTuber Marques Brownlee has responded to criticism regarding his new Panels app by promising to fix “the excessive data disclosures” and dial back “ad frequency.” (The Verge)
  ​

• TikTok says it has banned two accounts associated with state-owned Russian media outlets for "engaging in covert influence operations” engineered to impact U.S. elections. (Engadget)
  ​

• Pinterest’s new “remix” feature will allow users to add their own text, drawings, and images to digital collages. (The Verge)

SURVEY SAYS

70% of creators see AI as a threat to their livelihood

The phenomenon: Burnout is a different beast than it was in 2018. Back then, creators like Elle Mills, Lilly Singh, and Jacksepticeye had only recently started sharing their experiences with burnout and the subject was still largely taboo.

Fast forward to 2024, and the phenomenon is now widely acknowledged within the creator economy. Perhaps as a result, the number of creators suffering from burnout has fallen over the last two years.

The survey: That finding comes from a study conducted by Awin and ShareASale, which surveyed creators from the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. The two affiliate marketing platforms revealed that 73% of respondents suffer from burnout at least some of the time—a 14% drop from 87% in 2022.

That isn’t the only way burnout has evolved since 2022. In addition to causes like shifting platform policies, anxiety over the quality of their content, and feeling like they can’t fully unplug, many creators now cite the rise of generative AI as a contributor to burnout.

• In total, 70% of creators said they think AI poses at least a small threat to their business

• 30% said AI poses no threat

• 16% said it poses a “great threat”

• And 6% said it poses some threat

The concerns: 46% of the creators leery of AI said they’re afraid consumers will no longer take digital content seriously as a profession, while 43% think it puts extra pressure on them to stand out without AI. 48% also said they think the rise of AI will decrease the amount of meaningful content on the internet.

Despite those concerns, 32% of respondents told Awin and ShareASale that they leverage AI in their creative process. Given how recent that phenomenon is, we’ll likely have to wait another year or two to see whether AI’s ability to streamline creator workflows contributes to a rise or drop in burnout.

JOIN THE CIRCUS

Netflix just picked up streaming rights to a megaviral YouTube show (but fans can still tune in for free)

The deal: Netflix has picked up streaming rights to Glitch Studios‘ The Amazing Digital Circus—but it’s not pulling the YouTube-native animation series offline. Instead, the streaming service will take the same approach it’s adopted for social media hits like Cocomelon: all episodes of TADC will premiere for free on YouTube and for subscription on Netflix on the very same day.

The motivation: That strategy differs from Netflix’s usual MO. The streaming service normally produces its own shows in-house or acquires outside productions for exclusive deals. So, why are IPs like Cocomelon and TADC an exception to Netflix’s ‘no free content’ rule?

Animated content for all ages can absolutely explode on YouTube—and Netflix wants to tap into the audience-building potential of that virality. Cocomelon alone drives 2 billion views a month on YouTube, while TADC’s adult-aimed pilot has garnered nearly 350 million views since October 13, 2023. Its second episode (uploaded May 3, 2024) now claims 122 million views, and fan content has attracted hundreds of millions of additional views.

The plan: Netflix has appealed to Cocomelon fans both by simultaneously releasing content on YouTube and by developing its own exclusive series, Cocomelon Lane. Now, Netflix will be able to introduce another YouTube sensation to its existing subscribers and maybe earn some ad revenue off it—without triggering the fan outrage that has plagued creators who attempt to paywall previously free content.

That arrangement will be a major audience-builder for Glitch Studios, too. During its last quarterly report, Netflix said it had 277.65 million paying subscribers. That represents an increase of 8 million from the previous quarter, and makes last quarter the sixth in a row where Netflix saw year-over-year subscriber growth.

WATCH THIS 📺

This short-form storyteller can spin any tale in 60 seconds

The creator: Andy Jiang is on the rise. The Ivy League-educated creator may have turned to YouTube as a backup plan, but his swift climb up the charts can hardly be classified as a consolation prize. Jiang’s viral commentaries on true crime cases, movie scenes, and scientific findings have earned him more than 2.5 million subscribers—and a spot at #46 in our ranking of Top 50 most-watched U.S. YouTube channels.

Shorts like this one (which tells the story of a cat with a secret double-life) helped Jiang pull in 106.5 million views over the course of just seven days. Check out more of his wild-but-true stories here.

Creator economy marketing starts here. Get in touch to advertise with Tubefilter.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort