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It’s Friday and Instagram is bringing back a fan-favorite Myspace feature: profile songs. Users can get a “Taste” of that classic tool—and a sneak peek at a brand-new tune—by visiting Sabrina Carpenter’s profile.
🗞️ Today’s News 🗞️
Twitch is raising sub prices again—and streamers aren’t happy
Chik-fil-A gets into the streaming game
YouTube gears up for its second season of NFL Sunday Ticket
The DNC doubles down on influencer reporting
Hot Ones and Blippi products hit the shelves
STICKER SHOCK
As Twitch raises sub prices, streamers wonder whether subscribers will stick around
The price hike: Twitch is upping subscription prices for the second time in a matter of weeks. U.S. users just saw the mobile Tier 1 subscription price jump from $4.99 to $5.99 in July. Now, it’s going up again—this time to a whopping $7.99 per month.
That $2 mobile upcharge is a direct response to Apple and Google‘s 30% cut for paying through iPhones and Androids. The increase will go into effect on October 1, meaning users who buy subscriptions at 25% and 30% off during SUBtember will see charges nearly double the next month.
The math: Thanks to Apple and Google’s hefty cut, a $7.99 mobile subscription will now see roughly $5.59 go through to Twitch, which then splits it either 50/50 or 70/30 with streamers (meaning creators in the first group will make $2.80 and those in the second will make $3.90). Users can expect to pay roughly $100/year per basic subscription, each of which gives the purchaser access to things like exclusive emotes and ad-free viewing on one creator’s channel.
The response: Streamers are already expressing concern that raising sub prices so significantly in such a short period of time will lead to an overall drop in subscriptions. Some have asked Twitch to consider how small streamers will be affected. Others have begun telling fans to switch from subscriptions to Bit donations (check out our full story here to learn more about that alternative).
The takeaway: Altogether, Twitch’s dramatic price increase suggests that the platform is in trouble. If employees are correct, the Amazon-owned company might be doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming “a zombie brand”—especially since it’s already struggling with a lack of profitability.
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September 4 @ 9:10 PM • HopeScope
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September 5 @ 8:00 AM • David Altizer
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September 5 @ 11:00 AM • Hafu Go
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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰
Chik-fil-A is cooking up its own streaming service, which will deliver a slate of family-friendly originals. (Tubefilter)
A free, ad-supported TV channel from Canadian company WildBrain will be dedicated entirely to distributing the first 22 seasons of the original Pokémon anime. (Engadget)
Meta and Snap will reportedly unveil rival AR glasses in a series of announcements scheduled for next month. (The Verge)
Kamala Harris’ campaign has officially arrived on Twitch. (Wired)
SEASON TWO
YouTube’s second season of NFL Sunday Ticket will include a “spoiler mode,” enhanced multiview, and more
The upates: YouTube is ushering in NFL season with some major upgrades to its $2 billion Sunday Ticket package. Here’s a quick overview of those newfangled features:
YouTube announced that subscribers will be able to “build any available combination of two, three, or four NFL Sunday Ticket games” and arrange locally-televised games in a multiview, split-screen grid.
Fantasy football players will have the option to link their Yahoo! accounts to display their team’s statistics on the side of the screen.
A new “spoiler mode” will prevent viewers from seeing game results if they miss the opening kickoff.
Viewers will be able to decrease the broadcast delay to reduce the risk of spoiling big plays just before they happen.
The context: YouTube picked up the Sunday Ticket rights for a reported $2 billion a year for seven years from DirecTV in December 2022, and was quickly hailed by subscribers for its technical upgrades and football-themed content. Shareholders similarly benefitted from Sunday Ticket’s impact on Google’s bottom line. The package also helped to increase YouTube’s growing presence on TV screens.
That prominence has continued to expand in recent months. In July, the Alphabet-owned platform became the first streaming content hub to claim 10% of all watch time on television. By catering to Sunday Ticket subscribers who tune in on TVs, YouTube is likely to further expand its presence in viewers’ living rooms.
TALKING POLITICS
Influencers are pushing out reporters at the DNC. What does that mean for news?
The new status quo: The 2024 Democratic National Convention is drawing ire after seemingly pushing journalists aside to make room for creators. According to Reuters, the DNC credentialed more than 200 creators and provided an assigned floor space where influencers can shoot videos.
Traditional journalists, on the other hand, have reported less-than-optimal accommodations. One attendee who spoke to Reuters claimed the 2024 DNC has the worst working conditions of the 20 conventions he has covered.
“We are restricted from going anywhere near the TV booths to interview people. And the seats/workspace they set aside are so high up that they are unsafe.”
The context: The DNC’s updated setup might not be popular among traditional journalists, but it does align with the media habits of modern voters.
A recent Pew study found that about half of U.S. TikTok users between the ages of 18 and 29 use the app to get news and stay up-to-date on political issues. At the same time, research from Gallup shows that public distrust of the mainstream media is approaching all-time high levels.
Those trends mean that many Americans now turn to creators for news on current events and election updates—but not everyone is confident that political influencers possess the code of ethics and impartiality associated with traditional journalism.
President Joe Biden, for instance, devoted much of his speech at the White House Creator Economy Conference to reminding influencers of their “obligation to record what you think is true, and say what you think is true.”
The DNC itself appears to be less concerned about impartiality. Influencer Josh Helfgott told Reuters that “there’s no question that the creators here [at the DNC] that are invited are supportive of Kamala, mostly, at least all the ones I’ve met.”
WATCH THIS 📺
Hot Ones and Blippi are breaking into two new businesses: consumables and shoes
The collabs: Two new YouTube-inspired products are about to hit the shelves. Interview series Hot Ones is collaborating with Panda Express to release “the hottest dish EVER,” while kids entertainer Blippi is putting out its own Reebok footwear collection.
The products: Fans can get a first look at those products on TikTok, where Blippi and Hot Ones producer First We Feast recently uploaded sneak peeks (linked above).
And if you’re still hankering for YouTube-inspired products after getting an eyeful of Blazing Bourbon Chicken, you can always stop by Zaxby’s for a MrBeast Box or head over to Dunkin’ for a Nick DiGiovanni-inspired drink.
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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.