It's Friday and Jake Paul is angling to link up with yet another politician. According to Wired, Donald Trump is “seriously considering” the influencer’s invitation to attend his next big boxing match—albeit from outside the ring. (Sorry, folks.)

TWITCH’S TIKTOKIFICATION

The launch of Twitch’s TikTok-style Discovery feed is just weeks away

The update: Twitch’s latest announcement is a big deal for streamers looking to expand their audiences. In a recent edition of Patch Notes (the platform’s weekly streaming show), Product Manager Jessica Sung revealed that Twitch’s upcoming TikTok-style Discovery feed will arrive later this month.

The details: That newfangled feed will offer users two types of viewing experiences. One section will be stocked with short-form videos (a la TikTok’s FYP), while the other will allow viewers to “scroll through tons of live streams from both streamers you already follow as well as streamers that we recommend based on your watch history” (per Sung).

Why it matters: A lack of discoverability has long been one of Twitch’s biggest drawbacks. Over the years, creators have resorted to posting VODs of their streams on other platforms to build audiences on Twitch—an inconvenient process that has opened doors for competitors like YouTube, TikTok, and Kick (all three of which have recently sought to woo streamers with new Live features and monetization options).

• By launching a modernized feed centered around discoverability, Twitch is giving its OG streamers more reason to stay put while simultaneously carving out a space in short-form video.
  
  

• The platform has increasingly encouraged its community to make more vertical content (including through the release of a short-form video tool that lets users create clips that can be distributed across the web). Now, Twitch’s Discovery feed will at last provide an in-app home for those videos.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• According to TikTok’s updated community guidelines, videos will be disqualified from FYP distribution if they focus on “problematic” topics like “extreme fitness” and “overgeneralized mental health information.” (Tubefilter)
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• Meta is bringing its AI chatbot to search boxes on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where it will integrate “real-time search results from both Bing and Google.” (The Verge)

• Netflix says it will “stop reporting quarterly membership

  numbers and ARM” in the first quarter of 2025. (The Verge)
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• A new invite-only audio app called Airchat is generating buzz in the social media world. Would you scroll through a timeline made up entirely of voice clips and AI transcripts? (Engadget)

COLUMNS • STREAMERS ON THE RISE 📈

This entrepreneur-turned-VTuber is taking her channel to the next level

How it started: In 2010, Kaimeriss made her lifelong dream a reality. With the official launch of her brand, Tasty Peach, she kickstarted a massive digital and brick-and-mortar business.

• The next seven years were a whirlwind of product releases, anime conventions, and partnerships with major companies like Hot Topic and Funko. Riss loved the hustle and bustle of running a company—but after devoting more and more of her time to the behind-the-scenes aspects of Tasty Peach, she realized she missed her community. That’s when a friend suggested streaming.
  
  

• Riss is an artist by trade and has a knack for keeping conversations flowing. Bringing both skills to Twitch seemed like the perfect way to build the community connections she’d been missing:

How it’s going: Fast forward another seven years and Riss is now a successful VTuber with a vibrant audience of nearly 15,000 followers. She recently debuted the second iteration of her model and, in addition to going live every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, currently aims to host two art streams per month.

What’s up next: Fans of both Tasty Peach and Kaimeriss have plenty to look forward to. The streamer-slash-entrepreneur "just approved a line of 30 brand new plushes that are coming out over the next year and a half,” and has “quite a few new event streams” in the works.

• Viewers will also have a chance to see Riss next month at OffKai Expo, where she’ll be hosting one of her first-ever meet-and-greets.

RIGHT ON TARGET

YouTube is adding new Shorts ad buying options just in time for Brandcast

The update: YouTube is making good use of the month leading up to Brandcast. Just four weeks before its annual event, the platform has revealed new Shorts ad buying options that will allow brands to target specific categories like sports, entertainment, beauty, and food.

• According to Ad Age, that new layer of customization is essentially a “tweaked” version of YouTube’s four-year-old premium ad program, YouTube Select.
  
  

• Unlike the long-form version of Select, however, YouTube’s latest ad buying options are centered around specific content categories instead of individual channels—an update meant to account for the fast-changing nature of Shorts trends:

The implication: In a blog post marking the first anniversary of Shorts ads (which debuted in February 2023), YouTube revealed that a fourth of its Partner Program participants have already monetized their short-form videos. The platform’s new ad targeting options are likely to increase that number by bringing a larger array of brands to the table.

Coming soon: Brands and advertisers should be on the lookout for more info on Shorts ad targeting over the next few weeks. Google’s digital ad-focused NewFronts event is scheduled for April 29, while YouTube’s yearly Brandcast will return to Lincoln Center on May 15.

WATCH THIS 📺

Animated educational channels are killing it on YouTube

The content: From Veritasium’s chart-topping success to Simple History’s seven-figure investment from Electrify Video Partners, it’s no secret that animated edutainment channels are having a moment on YouTube.

• The latest hub to ride that wave is SQFT Fish. After less than a year on YouTube, the animal-themed channel is enjoying a burst of virality thanks to its adorably creepy animations. All three of SQFT Fish’s latest videos have scored at least 1 million views—and for good reason.
  
  

• Check out the channel’s deep sea shenanigans here.

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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.