TOGETHER WITH

It's Monday and Meta has (thankfully) fixed a bug that sent automatic friend requests from users stealthily viewing their exes’ Facebook profiles. (Not that we’re speaking from experience…)

KICK VS. TWITCH

If Kick is telling the truth, TwitchCon is about to have competition (it’s a big if)

Twitch’s new creator-friendly features might not be enough to keep streamers from jumping ship. On the same day the platform introduced a new clip editor intended to make cross-posting easier for creators, Kick posted an announcement of its own: the introduction of KickCon.

The gambling-oriented streaming platform teased the event by tweeting an image of a ticket, which showed that KickCon will occur in Las Vegas (where TwitchCon 2023 is also being held). The date of Kick’s big event is still TBD, but some creators are already theorizing that it could occur during the same October weekend as Twitch’s long-running convention.

Another theory: Kick might just be trolling its biggest rival.

The alleged KickCon ticket looks real, but there’s no hard evidence to suggest that the event is anything more than an elaborate hoax. According to Dexerto, the streamer most closely associated with Kick—Trainwreck—has yet to confirm that the rumored convention will actually happen. But even if KickCon is just a ruse meant to ruffle Twitch’s feathers, it’s still garnered a fair amount of interest from the streaming community.

Several creators have indicated that they would attend KickCon if the event does in fact go down, and top streamers like Kai Cenat appear to be mulling over a more permanent switch from Twitch to Kick.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

What if you could earn more revenue without putting in more effort? The answer isn’t hypothetical—it’s Gyre.

With Gyre’s 24/7 multi-streaming tool, you can generate traffic, earn additional revenue, and encourage audience engagement—all without creating a single new video.

Gyre’s cutting-edge technology allows creators to recycle existing content through 24/7 pre-recorded streams on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. And since creators can redirect viewers from those looped streams to their new content, teaming up with Gyre means increased watch time across the board.

Top creators are already seeing results:

• On YouTube, Gyre creators have earned 9 billion views, 500 million hours of watch time, and $4.6 million in revenue.
  
  

• Since joining forces with Gyre, the creators at Les boys tv2 have amassed over 14 million YouTube subscribers and increased their income by 24% in just 5 months.
  
  

• The life hacksters at Power Vision have seen big returns, too—including over 75 million views and 132,000+ new subscribers. The result: 43% of the channel's 2022 income came from Gyre streams.

Gyre is easy to use, fully compliant with YouTube Guidelines, and 100% free for 7 days. And after that trial runs out? Just plug in the promo code TUBEGYRE30 for 30% off the Start, Start+ or Pro+ plan for 3 months, 6 months, or a year.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Twitch has introduced a new editor that allows streamers to convert clips from the platform’s usual long-form landscape format to vertical videos. (Tubefilter)
  

• YouTubers Ben Azelart and Cam Huff took on basic training at Fort Jackson for a recent collab with the U.S. Army. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• Creator Sara Echeagaray has been hired as the first-ever Creative Director in Residence at the Estee Lauder-owned brand Too Faced. (Tubefilter)
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• Twitter is facing criticism from some users after announcing on May 12 that it would “restrict access to some content in Turkey” ahead of the country’s presidential election. (Engadget)

DATA • ICYMI 📈

From powerlifting to basketball, sports creators are changing the game

​#1 - Creators on the Rise: Abby Berner is a powerlifter, TikToker, Twitch streamer, Jeep ducker, app-maker, and more​​
We caught up with creator-slash-powerlifter Abby Berner, who’s established a vibrant cross-platform following, a cheeky Jeep-ducking brand called You Ducker, and an official Abby Berner trading card with Leaf Trading Cards.​

#2 - Top 100 Most Viewed U.S. YouTube Channels • April 2023​
CoComelon – Nursery Rhymes was both the only children’s channel and the only company-led hub among April’s top five most-watched U.S. YouTube channels. The biggest difference that set CoComelon apart from its competitors: the channel received 2.6 billion views in April—twice as much traffic as all-but-one other U.S.-based YouTube channel.

​#3 - Sports creator Jesser is dominating the basketball game on YouTube. Here’s how he does it.​​
Jesser’s Executive Producer, Marko Preocanin, broke down the top three rules that have helped the basketball creator build his YouTube empire. At the top of that list: you need a good package—a basic structure, a thumbnail, a title, and a series of “hooks” that will play out during the video.

​#4 - Top 50 Most Viewed U.S. YouTube Channels • Week Of 05/07/2023​
​Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes held onto its streak at #1 in the first full week of May, while DaFuq!?Boom! followed at #2 with 436.2 million weekly views. Shorts star Dylan Anderson finished in third place, just ahead of California-based comedian Alan Chikin Chow (#4) and short-form hub ViralHog (#5).

GAME ON

Good news, gamers: Fortnite is now an Olympic esport

After facing criticism for its initial game choices, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s latest selection should earn it some much-needed approval from the gaming community. The Olympic Esports Series is now set to include a sport shooting competition that will take place on a custom island designed within the Epic Games title Fortnite.

The Olympic version of Fortnite won’t feature a Battle Bus or building challenges.

Spectators at the 2023 Olympic Esports Series will watch as 12 players from the Fortnite Championship Series compete to determine which of them is the sharpest shot. Other games on the IOC’s roster include Gran Turismo (motorsports), Zwift (cycling), and Just Dance (which will help build hype for the upcoming Olympic debut of breakdancing).

And then there are the IOC’s more…controversial picks.

The inclusion of little-known games like Tennis Clash and WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros has prompted backlash from esports gamers and journalists alike, many of whom have criticized the exclusion of popular titles like Counter-Strike, Valorant, and League of Legends:

The IOC will have to hope that the addition of Fortnite is enough to drive previously disgruntled fans to this year’s Singapore-based event. If not, the Series’ low ticket prices should help to pick up some of the slack: a single-day pass for the June event costs only $10 SGD, which translates to about $7.50 USD.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast...

Hosts Joshua Cohen and Lauren Schnipper discuss all things YouTube, from the platform’s recent pushback against ad blockers to its plans for the coming months.

Tune into the latest episode of Creator Upload for a preview of this year's Brandcast event from Brian Albert, YouTube's Managing Director of Media Partnerships & Creative Works. It’s all right here on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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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.