TOGETHER WITH

It's Tuesday and YouTube’s subscribe button seems to be gearing up for a major glow-up.

TOTAL TOUCHDOWN

YouTube kicked off the first week of NFL season with killer Sunday Ticket coverage

After spending $14 billion to become the official home of Sunday Ticket coverage, YouTube had a lot to prove during the first week of NFL season. Its big purchase brought an end to DirectTV’s 29-year-run as the package’s distributor back in December—meaning this year’s Sunday Ticket coverage would abandon satellite for the first time in decades. Some analysts worried that the switch to streaming would bring delays to YouTube’s NFL coverage.

That hasn’t been the case so far.

Over the opening week of the 2023 NFL season, YouTube’s streams only lagged about ten seconds behind the live feed (in comparison, Variety noted that internet-based streams of last year’s Super Bowl included delays of at least 23 seconds). A lack of technical difficulties wasn’t the only upside of YouTube’s Sunday Ticket coverage: the platform’s split-screen option allowed viewers to take in multiple games at once, while its streamlined login process ensured that fans didn’t miss out on a moment of the action.

Overall, those features earned YouTube major brownie points from NFL fans and sports pros alike. Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated described YouTube’s split-screen feature as sleeker than DirectTV’s own iteration; NFL legend Steve Smith, Sr. noted that the platform’s coverage has “elevated” the Sunday Ticket experience.

Of course, all that feedback comes after just one week.

YouTube isn’t resting on its laurels—and it certainly isn’t taking its network of top creators for granted. As the season continues, influencers like Deestroying will team up with the stars of the gridiron for polished series, while a “Creator of the Week” initiative will bring YouTubers like Casey Neistat into the action to hunt down “viral moments.”

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Ready to grow your brand? Here’s a 3-step guide to funding your future with Spotter:

As a YouTuber, expanding your brand is a big step. Maybe you’re ready to grow your team, set up a studio, or launch a new project. Either way, Spotter is here to make it happen. In fact, their team of experts has already invested $775 million in creator careers, with personalized funding deals ranging from $100,000 to $50 million.

Here’s how to ​kickstart your funding journey​ with Spotter:

Step 1: Visit the website to hear what top creators have to say 💬
Spotter’s website is full of FAQs and creator stories. Learn more about Airrack’s funding journey, or find out how Deestroying has leveled up his channel.

Step 2: Get in touch with the team 🤝 
​Fill out a quick online contact form​ and Spotter experts will reach out ASAP. After that initial conversation, you’ll receive upfront funds within a matter of days.

Step 3: Spend your fresh capital however you choose 💸 
Spotter is committed to helping creators achieve financial and creative freedom—meaning you can use your new funds to reinvest in yourself. And if you ever do need support?

Spotter’s community team is on hand to provide invaluable YouTube performance insights, personalized guidance, and the additional resources you need to succeed at scale.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• The latest episode of Creator Upload takes a deep dive into TikTok’s messaging ambitions. The big question: could TikTok Social be the next Snapchat? (Tubefilter)
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• A special Lens will allow Snapchat users to vote for their favorite Video Music Awards contenders directly through the app. (TechCrunch)
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• Threads has reportedly blocked search results from appearing in response to keywords like ‘covid’ and ‘vaccines,’ which it says could trigger “potentially sensitive” content. (Engadget)
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• A sudden drop in the reach of “public posts linked to the New York Times website” on X has raised questions about a possible shadow-ban. (Engadget)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50 📈

This creator is multiplying his viewership one week at a time

Caín Guzmán is taking social media by storm. With his comedic skits and daring adventures, the Mexican creator has attracted a wide variety of viewers from all over the world—and that global following isn’t limited to just one platform. After more than five years in the online video biz, Guzmán now entertains over 1 million followers on Instagram and another 25 million on TikTok, where his short-form clips often feature his equally hilarious friends and family.

The creator’s YouTube fanbase is growing fast, too.

• In fact, during the first full week of September, Guzmán doubled his YouTube viewership week-over-week.

• His final seven-day tally topped out at 356 million weekly views.

• The result: Guzmán’s YouTube channel now claims 5 billion lifetime views, 9.2 million subscribers, and place at #22 in our Global Top 50 chart.

A quick look at the video maker’s YouTube library makes it clear that his recent success is no passing trend. Every single one of Guzmán’s top seventy-five Shorts have scored at least 15 million views each. The most popular of those has earned nearly 70 million views all on its own—and that number is still climbing fast.

A SIDE OF VICTORY

The Sidemen’s latest charity match brought in £2.4 million and 2.5 million concurrent viewers

The Sidemen’s latest charity match was bigger and better than ever before—in more ways than one. After hosting last year’s game at a 27,000-seat venue, the Sidemen secured this year’s 8-5 victory against the YouTube All-Stars in front of 62,000 fans at London Stadium.

The teams’ online audience grew, too.

More than 2.5 million concurrent YouTube viewers tuned in to watch all seven Sidemen (KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S) face off against social media stars like MrBeast, Kai Cenat, iShowSpeed, xQc, and JiDion. That viewership total just barely broke the concurrent record set by last year’s match—but that’s only one piece of the pie. Over the official stream’s first two days of activity, the Sidemen’s big game collected nearly 20 million views (plus another seven million generated by a highlight reel on their main YouTube channel.)

The Sidemen’s fundraising efforts produced even more dramatic results.

The influence group’s latest match raised more than twice the amount of money generated by their 2022 event (£1 million), for a grand total of £2.4 million. Those funds (which included a £250,000 contribution from Prime co-founders KSI and Logan Paul) will be distributed to charitable causes like Rays of Sunshine, the Teenage Cancer Trust, and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

WATCH THIS 📺

Holo Taco is embracing its dark side with a little help from Safiya Nygaard

A new Holo Taco collection has arrived just in time for spooky season. The four-year-old nail polish brand (which was launched by YouTuber Cristine Rotenberg in 2019) recently joined forces with influencer Safiya Nygaard to release five ghoulishly fun colors: Spirit Fingers, Brucie, Feeling Fiendish, Bat B*tch, and Berry Me In Holo.

That collection is now available on the Holo Taco website—but only as a limited-edition offering. So unless you were able to snag a free sample from Nygaard and Rotenberg’s custom Holo Taco truck, you might want to treat your bad b*tch self to some polish sooner rather than later.

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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.