TOGETHER WITH

It's Monday and gen AI has made its way to Netflix. According to co-CEO Ted Sarandos, AI was used to create VFX in a scene of The Eternaut. Did you catch the shot?

Today’s News

GOING VERTICAL

Twitch is taking on TikTok with vertical livestreams

The context: When TikTok first blew up in 2020, it wasn’t long before it began sapping viewer attention from YouTube and Facebook. That impact has since spread beyond VOD-focused platforms—and now, Twitch is feeling the pressure.

This past April, TikTok Live surpassed the Amazon-owned hub to become the second most-watched live content platform on the net, beaten only by YouTube. A TikTok-commissioned report from the National Research Group also showed that it’s the #1 platform where gamers aged 18-24 find new mobile games to play, and that mobile game players are 84% more likely than your average person to watch at least 20 hours of streaming content per week.

Those findings are a big deal for TikTok, and not just because mobile gaming is a $100+ billion global industry. If all these hungry gamers are finding new titles on TikTok, it’s easy for the platform to punt them from short-form gaming videos to livestreams.

The test: That presents a serious threat to Twitch—so it’s going on the offensive. According to details found in a recent build of the Twitch app by AppSensa, the platform is now testing vertical streams with a select group of broadcasters. So far, that test appears to include a vertical theater mode and an option to switch between vertical and horizontal. Streams can only be watched in vertical on mobile devices for now, meaning they’ll still load in horizontal mode for viewers on desktop.

This isn’t the first time Twitch has adopted TikTok-style formats in an attempt to gain a competitive edge. The platform has also rolled out vertical short-form VODs in the form of Stories, as well as introducing an FYP-esque Discovery Feed to deliver those Stories to viewers.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Why did 100 of the world's top stars launch a creator makerspace in Dubai?

Earlier this year, 100 of the world’s top creators—including Dhar Mann, Yes Theory, and Dose of Society—united as founding members of Creators HQ.

So, what motivated those stars to join “the ultimate go-to space for pioneers in the creator economy”?

🏎️ Supercar Blondie (17.6M IG Followers): “I think it’s going to be so amazing for people who don’t have that support network…they can now come to the headquarters, have somewhere to sit, have access to other creators so they can brainstorm.”

🫂 Zachery Dereniowski (6.4M IG Followers): Dubai is “where everyone’s coming to learn, grow, evolve…so it’s gonna be not only better, but from a selfish standpoint, it’s gonna be so inspiring for me.”

🍳 Surthy Cooks (15.2M IG Followers): “It’s good now that we will have the support and the tools to do all the things better…we have a community that will also help us and share with us.”

With $40.8 million in backing and partners like Meta, X, and Colin and Samir, Creators HQ offers everything creators need to thrive in Dubai—from relocation aid to cutting-edge studio space.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Instagram has informed users that search engines will now automatically index public posts. Will this update shift the balance of power in the world of search? (Tubefilter)
  
  

• Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan says the tech giant has “carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models” and will “not be signing it.” (Engadget)
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• Netflix says it will be introducing interactive ads in the second half of the year, and expects overall “advertising revenue to roughly double in 2025."(TechRadar)
  
  

• A seven-year old, multi-billion-dollar lawsuit over Meta’s role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal ended late last week with an abrupt settlement. (Gizmodo)

THE BIZ

TikTok is crediting the songwriters behind the FYP’s biggest hits

The features: TikTok is taking steps to recognize the songwriters behind the FYP’s biggest hits. Among an array of fresh “Songwriter Features,” the platform has introduced a new label—which will allow writers to identify themselves at the top of their accounts—and a “Songwriter Music Tab” that gives tunesmiths space to showcase their compositions. 

Those tools were developed with help from a survey that queried 871 songwriters about their TikTok habits—a promising sign that the platform is listening to its creator community. TikTok has since onboarded multiple songwriters to promote its new slate of features, including Lauren Christy, Toby Gad, and Justin Tranter. Some of those artists (like Christy, who has written hits for the likes of Rihanna and Dua Lipa) previously appeared in TikTok’s #BehindTheSong series.

The context: As indie artists and major labels seek distribution on TikTok, the platform has looked to capitalize on its tastemaker status by hosting concerts and highlighting artists through prominent cultural events. Songwriters have been able to ride that wave as well, with Unofficial Bridgerton Musical scribes Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear serving as two notable examples.

But the shuttering of the nascent TikTok Music hub and the legal issues faced by Barlow and Bear show that TikTok can still do more to support the artists who are driving the app to the pinnacle of pop culture. This latest slate of features makes for a good start.

CREATOR COMMOTION

Aprilynne Alter’s Creator Crew bootcamp is helping YouTubers go pro 

The creator: In 2021, Aprilynne Alter had a solid job in finance—but something didn’t feel quite right. So, she gave herself one year to find a calling that did.

During that time, she came across a podcast episode featuring YouTuber Ali Abdaal, who has 6.4 million subscribers and makes his living with life coaching videos and courses. Alter, who says she’s always thought of herself “as an educator,” was inspired. So, she began making some of her long-form Twitter content—which discussed her experiences with startups, business, etc.—into YouTube videos, and then expanding into other niches. By the time her first channel reached around 23,000 subscribers, Alter knew she wanted to launch a second one. Its focus: how to succeed on YouTube.

Alter introduced that hub in 2023. Then, in October 2024, she began incorporating Spotter Studio into her creative process. The production platform comes from creator services and catalog licensing company Spotter, which has expanded over the past year by getting into AI and making appearances at creator events like VidSummit and Open Sauce. (It also recently held a creator upfront spotlighting top makers like MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Kinigra Deon, Ryan Trahan, and Michelle Khare.)

The next step: After launching her second channel and arming herself with Spotter Studio, Alter had just one question left to answer: how could she combine her lifelong love of teaching, her newfound knowledge of YouTube, and the coaching people wanted from her?

The answer: by offering a six-month course called Creator Crew, which will immerse 30 intermediate-level creators in an “incredibly action-oriented” program featuring “workshops, time with me, personalized feedback, and action sessions all centered around the exercises and activities that actually drive results.” 

Applications for the first cohort of that program have closed, but interested creators can join the waitlist for 2026 here.

FYI: Spotter is a Tubefilter partner.

LISTEN UP

This week on the podcast…

“The Creator Middle Class”: Is the creator dream a lie? With over 50% of creators earning less than $15,000 a year, the creator economy's monetization gap is wider than ever.

In the latest episode of Creator Upload, hosts Joshua Cohen and Lauren Schnipper explore the harsh realities of creator earnings, from the threshold that separates struggling creators from pros to the economic impact of factors like representation.

Check out the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for all the details.

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