TOGETHER WITH

Happy Wednesday! Viewers yearning for adventure will soon be able to get their fix on Disney+ thanks to the May 31st arrival of the first four Indiana Jones movies.

YOUTUBE BILLIONAIRES

YouTube added $35 billion to the U.S. economy in a single year

YouTube’s financial influence is growing in a big way. According to the video giant’s latest impact report, its annual contribution to the U.S. economy ballooned by a whopping $10 billion dollars between 2021 and 2022.

Last year’s total: $35 billion.

Oxford Economics—the organization commissioned by YouTube to create its annual impact reports—found that the platform’s creator ecosystem contributed more than $35 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and supported the equivalent of over 390,000 full-time jobs in 2022. That financial impact is a significant jump from 2021’s figure of $25 billion, but the number of full-time jobs supported by YouTube actually fell year-over-year. Back in 2021, the video giant fostered an estimated 425,000 full-time gigs—35,000 more than in 2022.

On the flip side, 2022 saw a 15% year-over-year increase in YouTube Millionaires (i.e. channels with over a million subscribers). The number of channels making $100,000 or more annually also saw a 5% rise. That growth was reflected in survey responses from YouTube’s latest impact report:

• 83% of surveyed creators agreed that YouTube “provides an opportunity to create content and earn money that they wouldn’t get from traditional media.”
  

• 78% of small businesses using YouTube agreed that the platform is essential to their business’s growth.

As for YouTube’s take? Tara Walpert Levy (YouTube’s Vice President for the Americas business division) had this to say in a recent statement:

• 🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

From the comedic brains of Steven He and Ken Mok emerges a new sci-fi comedy series. Brace yourself for…Ginormo!

Rubber monster suits, hokey scripts, and spaceships on strings—when it comes to retro filmmaking and effects, Ginormo! has it all.

🎥 Modern sci-fi comedy meets a monstrous blast from the past 🎬

Inspired by Japanese monster movies of the 60s and 70s, Ken Mok (Joy, Invincible, America’s Next Top Model) and Steven He’s new YouTube sci-fi comedy series satirizes that golden age of filmmaking. Paying homage to both Steven and Ken's AAPI roots, Ginormo! will also feature top digital stars Jeenie Weenie, Steveioe, Nathan Doan, KallMeKris, JomaTech, Allan Chikin Chow, and Ian Boggs.

🤖 Ginormo!’s first episode has already crash-landed on YouTube 🦖

Starting May 12th, a new episode of Ginormo! will hit Steven’s YouTube channel every Friday. Viral Nation Talent is proud to have supported Steven and Ken in everything from artwork and social media strategy to PR and associated product launches.

Not familiar with the world’s #1 influencer talent agency? Check out Viral Nation Talent’s website to get the inside scoop on Viral Nation Talent’s in-house slate of Marketing, Press, Content Strategy and Talent Ventures services.

Take your content to new heights →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• YouTube’s viewership rose by 1.5% between May 27 and April 30, making it the most-watched platform on TVs. (Tubefilter)
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• TikTok is donating $2 million in ad credits to organizations that support mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. (Tubefilter)
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• A new-and-improved WNBA mobile app includes a TikTok-like feed with “short-form vertical video elements.” (NBA)
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• Instagram’s latest update allows users to comment on posts with GIFs. (Engadget)

DATA • STREAMERS ON THE RISE 📈

Here’s how a badass dragon cyborg turned her retail skills into a full-time streaming career:

Zentreya isn’t just a dragon cyborg who’s traveled back in time to save humankind from itself. She’s also a VTuber, and has been doing her thing on Twitch since 2017. Back then, Zentreya’s broadcasts brought in around 25 viewers—but fast forward to 2023, and the streamer-slash-cyborg’s audience of 400,000 followers now gains hundreds of new devotees every day.

That explosive growth isn’t limited to viewership.

The streamer has also signed with the VTuber agency VShojo, has her own figures coming out from both Youtooz and Novel Horizons, and hopes to one day release her own manga. Most importantly: Zentreya says she has “Marvel cinematic multiverse universe”-sized plans for her character’s backstory.

Of course, there are some big differences between Zentreya-the-character and Zentreya-the-creator (they are, after all, different species from very different times). But like many VTubers, the streamer behind the cyborg doesn’t share her IRL name, face, location, or other personal details in order to protect her privacy. One detail Zentreya did share with us: her next-level chat management skills stem directly from the ten years she spent working in customer service.

Zentreya’s people skills have helped her build a tight-knit community over the last few years—and she still has plenty of sci-fi excitement in store for her fans. Next on the dragon cyborg’s agenda: a “content explosion.”

EFFECT EFFECTS

TikTok just set aside $6 million for creators of popular effects

TikTok’s latest fund is giving video effect creators a piece of the pie. The platform’s newly-introduced Effect Creator Rewards will provide $6 million in payouts to users who develop popular augmented reality (AR) setups.

That seven-figure sum will be doled out in a few different ways:

• Recipients will be paid $700 if one of their effects is used in 500,000 unique videos within 90 days of its initial publish date.
  

• Creators can claim an additional $140 payout if their effect is used in 100,000 more videos after reaching 500K.
  

• Every 100K benchmark after that will result in another $140 payment.

Eligibility for those rewards is limited to users “in select regions” and closes 90 days after an effect is published—meaning developers will need to continue creating popular effects if they hope to reap the full benefits of TikTok’s new fund.

Effect Creator Rewards isn’t the only recent revenue stream in TikTok’s arsenal.

TikTok introduced its Creativity Program earlier this year in order to offer creators “higher revenue potential” by prioritizing watch time. Although that fund started out as an invite-only opportunity, TikTok has now opened its program to users in the United States, France, and Brazil. The main catch: eligible users must have at least 10,000 followers and more than 100,000 views over the past 30 days.

WATCH THIS 📺

Hammy and Olivia have a brand-new sister

Hammy and Olivia Corgi have stolen the hearts of TikTok viewers everywhere with their mischievous shenanigans and hilarious dialogue. Now, the “two talking corgis” are welcoming a new fuzzball to the family: Eleanor.

Nori may be slightly more feline than fans expected, but we’re guessing she’ll fit in just fine—especially given her knack for dramatic entrances. Viewers can tune into Hammy and Olivia’s latest video to meet the new cat on the block.

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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.