 TikTok Inks Deal With WWE For 30 New Wrestler Accounts, Entrance Music Licensing
WWE is body-slamming onto TikTok today, with a new pact that will see the wrestling media purveyor -- which counts 1 billion followers across all of its social channels globally -- launch various new channels on the Bytedance-owned, short-form video app.
The channel launch coincides with WWE's annual Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view wrestling event, which features the aforementioned objects as weapons and is slated for this Sunday. On its new TikTok channel, the WWE will share mo...
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For The First Time, YouTube Consumption Will Inform The 'Billboard 200' Albums Chart
Beginning next year, the Billboard 200 chart -- which tracks the nation's most popular albums of the week based on a number of factors, including traditional album sales, and other digital-equivalent metrics -- will incorporate video and audio data from YouTube in making its calculations. The move marks a notable adjustment by the iconic charts tabulator and media brand, as video becomes an increasingly vital component of music consumption today.
The changes will take effect with the chart da...
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Rooster Teeth Ups Doreen Copeland To VP Of Production, Names New Animation Co-Heads
Following a sweeping reorganization in September that saw digital vet Jordan Levin ascending to general manager of Rooster Teeth, as three of the company's co-founders -- Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, and Burnie Burns -- stepped into creatively-focused roles, the Austin-based digital outfit today announced several more leadership changes.
First, Rooster Teeth has promoted Doreen Copeland (pictured above) from VP and head of production operations to VP and head of production. Throughout her te...
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The Try Guys' Keith Habersberger Restocks Buzzy Hot Sauce After Two-Day Sellout
Keith Habersberger, one-fourth of the megawatt YouTube team The Try Guys, has launched his very own hot sauce -- and fans are eating it up.
The $12 bottles of sauce were born of Habersberger's well-established love for fried chicken, and the finished product has accordingly been dubbed Keith's Chicken Sauce. Habersberger worked on the venture with Heatonist, an online hot sauce retailer that also owns two storefronts in New York, and which also collaborates with YouTube star Sean Evans, host ...
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VidCon 2020 Goes All In On TikTok With Featured Creators Andre Swilley, ThunThun Skittles, More
The summer may feel infinitely far away, but VidCon is planting the seed for holiday gifting with the release of single-day Community tickets for the second time this year. The tickets, priced at $40 a pop, enable attendees Saturday admission, without access to any meet-and-greet lotteries. VidCon is also selling four-day passes at four levels: chaperone ($90), Community ($100), Creator ($150), and Industry ($600).
At the same time, the flagship YouTuber convention unveiled yet another fleet of
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Amazon Prime Reportedly Lands Rihanna Documentary For A Cool $25 Million
Rihanna, who has not released a new album since 2016, is still raking in career accolades with seemingly every other conceivable business venture.
And now, the songstress and beauty and fashion entrepreneur is set make a splash in the streaming industry, with a documentary feature directed by Peter Berg (Very Bad Things, Patriots Day). Amazon Prime paid a reported $25 million for global rights to the film, which is still untitled, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
That said, Amazon isn't ...
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Robert Downey Jr.'s Long-Awaited YouTube Original To Drop Dec. 18 (Trailer)
Robert Downey Jr.'s YouTube Original series The Age Of A.I., first announced in May 2018, finally has a release date -- and a trailer to boot.
The series, which will see the noted actor pilot a deep dive into what YouTube calls the "most transformational technology in the history of humankind," is set to premiere on Dec. 18. Over the course of eight episodes, Downey and guests will examine how artificial intelligence is shaping the future and tackling universal challenges.
One episode, for...
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Children's YouTube Giant 'CKN Toys' To Drop Toy Line, Nickelodeon Series Next Spring
Massive children's YouTube channel CKN Toys, which counts a stunning 14.1 million subscribers, is in for a busy Easter with a toy line and Nickelodeon series slated to launch concurrently.
CKN Toys, which launched in March 2015, features Aussie brothers Calvin (who is seven years old) and Kaison (four). Their toy deal was inked with consumer products maker Jazwares (which has previously collaborated with other digital creators) and was struck by Haven Global -- the licensing agent channel th...
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Tana Mongeau, Jake Paul Land Linear MTV Series 'Bustedness'
Tana Mongeau is coming back to MTV -- this time in a linear series and with her "husband" in tow.
The outspoken and controversial vlogger, who already starred in one season of a hit MTV digital docuseries titled Tana Turns 21 -- which chronicled her showmance and "marriage" to fellow vlogger Jake Paul -- is set to co-star in another MTV series with Paul dubbed Bustedness.
However, Bustedness doesn't appear to be a reality show like Tana Turns 21 -- which Mongeau appears to be continuin...
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TikTok's Parent Company Piloting Spotify Competitor 'Resso' In Emerging Markets
TikTok's parent company, the Chinese internet giant Bytedance, is readying what it hopes will be a sophomore smash -- a music subscription service called Resso that would compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music on the global stage.
Bytedance is currently testing Resso in emerging markets, including India and Indonesia, Bloomberg reports -- both of which already boast sizable TikTok user bases. Since its beta launch six months ago, Resso has been installed by 27,000 users on both iOS...
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Vice Taps Gizmodo Vet Susie Banikarim As Head Of Newsgathering — A New Role
Vice has hired veteran news exec Susie Banikarim to serve as its EVP and global head of newsgathering -- a newly-formed role.
In this capacity, Banikarim will lead daily news coverage and newsroom operations at Vice globally, including its bureaus in New York, Washington D.C., London, and Los Angeles -- as well as its digital and social news divisions. She will also oversee the company's audio reporting teams, its documentary partnerships with Hulu and Showtime, and news coverage of its revamp...
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Netflix Orders Limited Series Chronicling Origins Of Fellow Streamer Spotify
Netflix is looking to fellow streamer Spotify for inspiration as it readies a new scripted series about the formation of the Swedish music giant.
The limited series will be based on a book titled Spotify Untold, which was written by business reporters Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud. The film will be produced by Yellow Bird UK, the studio behind another upcoming Netflix series titled Young Wallander, a crime series based on a series of Swedish novels. The Spotify project will be directed...
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YouTube's Revamped Harassment Policy Will Remove Videos With Insults Based On Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation
YouTube has finally unveiled the long-awaited revamp of its harassment policy -- a process that the company undertook in earnest after an explosive controversy in June, whereby conservative commentator Steven Crowder engaged in regular homophobic and racist harassment of Vox journalist Carlos Maza. After some vacillation, YouTube demonetized Crowder's channel, but did not take down any of his videos. Nevertheless, it was a trying moment for the company -- during LGBTQ+ Pride Month -- and on...
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Creators For Good: Penny Tovar On Why Representation Matters In Education And STEM
Between walking the runway and promoting her latest gig as the new host of Project Runway, Karlie Kloss is the ultimate role model for young girls looking to pursue careers in STEM. Back in 2014, Kloss became interested in the ways that technology influenced the fashion industry. From there, she took her first coding class and the rest is history. A year later, she launched Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit organization which hosts free, two-week summer coding camps for girls ages 13 to 18 years old
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TikTok CEO Cancels Capitol Hill Meetings Amid Investigation Into Chinese Surveillance, Censorship
TikTok CEO Alex Zhu has recently said that he's "quite optimistic" about an ongoing U.S. national security probe into the Bytedance-owned micro-video platform, amid concerns that the app is censoring content in accordance with the aims of the Chinese government, and collecting personal information on underage users.
But actions speak louder than words. Apparently, Zhu -- as well as TikTok U.S.'s general manager, Vanessa Pappas -- cancelled meetings at the last minute with Republican S...
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Digital Entrepreneur To Serve 14 Years For Criminal Plot To Wrest Domain Name
The Justice Department issued a press release today stating that a social media entrepreneur has been sentenced to 14 year in federal prison for his ruthless plot to wrest control of a desired domain name.
The entrepreneur, 27-year-old Rossi Lorathio Adams II, was so desperate to own DoItForState.com for his R-rated media upstart State Snaps that he enlisted his cousin to break into the home of the man who owned the address and held him at gunpoint in order to initiate the transfer. State S...
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Insights: Seven Social Media Trends That Point To A Vexing 2020 For Creators, Brands
Here during Streamy Awards week, when Tubefilter celebrates the year's best in social media -- and the influencers who make it such a vibrant place -- it's important that we also look forward to what next year has in store.
And I have to tell you, 2020 is shaping up to be a complicated and potentially difficult year for the industry. I've pulled together a list of seven tectonic shifts in the economy and political climate at large that are grinding inexorably toward social and streaming medi...
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Amid Flurry Of Departures, Twitch Locks Down DrLupo, LIRIK, TimTheTatman In Exclusive Deals
Twitch is clutching tightly to three of its top streamers, as rival platforms like Mixer and YouTube Gaming increasingly pilfer its top native broadcasters with exclusivity deals.
Benjamin 'DrLupo' Lupo, Saqib 'LIRIK' Zahid, and Timothy 'TimTheTatman' Betar have all inked exclusive multi-year content deals with Twitch, it was announced today. The deals were brokered by esports talent management company Loaded, which furnishes myriad services for its clients, including sponsorships, content ...
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The Emmys Adds First Category For Esports, Recognizing Outstanding Journalism
For the first time ever, the Emmys will recognize the esports industry with the addition of a new category.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), which distributes several groups of Emmy Awards, has unveiled a new category for The Sports Emmys -- for 'outstanding esports coverage' -- recognizing journalism about competitive video gaming during a championship or live event. The Sports Emmy Awards are held annually, and recognize excellence in American sports televis...
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BuzzFeed Loses 3 More Creators, Who Have Exited To Launch Indie Studio 'Watcher'
Following in the footsteps of The Try Guys, Safiya Nygaard, Michelle Khare, Chris Reinacher, Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin, and others, another fleet of former BuzzFeed creators are branching off on their own.
A new digital production company dubbed Watcher Entertainment is slated to bow on Jan. 10, founded by Ryan Bergara, Steven Lim, and Shane Madej. Bergara is the creator and host of BuzzFeed Unsolved, a true crime series he created and co-hosts with Madej. Madej is also the creator and hos...
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Endemol's OP Talent Signs Tiana Wilson, A 12-Year-Old With 16.5 Million Subscribers
OP Talent, a U.K.-based digital talent management firm owned by TV production company Endemol Shine UK, has signed 12-year-old YouTube megastar Tiana Wilson -- the self-described youngest female creator to surpass 10 million subscibers.
Wilson, who launched her YouTube career at age seven and currently posts kid-friendly product reviews; pranks on her parents (mom and dad Cherina and Nigel frequently co-star in her clips), games; unboxings; and challenges. Wilson, who hails from Nottingham in...
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Michelle Obama, Liza Koshy, Julia Roberts Venture To Vietnam For YouTube Learning Original
YouTube has provided more details about its latest collaboration with Former First Lady Michelle Obama -- which was announced in October as a learning-centric special that will highlight girls' education initiatives around the globe.
Dubbed Creators for Change with Michelle Obama: Girls' Education, the series will see Obama, Liza Koshy, Julia Roberts, Lana Condor, Vietnamese actress Ngô Thanh Vân, and Jenna Bush Hager visiting a school in Vietnam. The series is also being produced in col...
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Digital Giant BroadbandTV Reorganizes Music Services Under 'Opposition' Division
BroadbandTV (BBTV), the massive, Vancouver-based digital network, is reorganizing its offerings in the music space. Perhaps best known for furnishing content creation, distribution, management, and monetization services for YouTube creators, BBTV also offers a suite of services to musicians as an alternative to working with traditional record labels.
Beginning today, the company's one-year-old Distribution & Label Services division -- which offers distribution, rights management, brand...
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Twitch's Dr. Disrespect Developing Scripted TV Series With Team Behind 'The Walking Dead'
Twitch mainstay Guy 'Dr. Disrespect' Beahm has inked a television deal with some rather prominent players: the team behind AMC's zombie apocalypse blockbuster The Walking Dead.
Beahm, who streams various battle royale titles on Twitch as a character named Dr. Disrespect -- always wearing his signature black mullet wig, sunglasses, mustache, and tactical vest -- is developing a narrative scripted series based on his alter ego, a WWE-like persona that he describes in his online bios "the most rut
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Twitter Unveils New 'Retweets' Account To Fete User Community
Twitter is going a little meta with the launch of a new account dubbed Twitter Retweets that serves to celebrate the "best Tweets" on the platform, per its account bio.
According to The Verge, Twitter Retweets is part of the company's marketing efforts seeking to highlight positivity on the platform -- as opposed to the abuse, misinformation, and other negative content that has been known to proliferate. Twitter also pursues a similar effort on its Instagram account, where it shares scree...
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Imgur Launches New 'Melee' App Where Users Can Host, Discover Gaming Memes
Imgur, the popular image-hosting hub, is making a play for the burgeoning esports market.
The platform, which counts 300 million users who spend an average of 30 minutes per day, has launched a new app called Melee, which is squarely focused on video gaming imagery, enabling users to create and host memes. Imgur made the move given that it's already popular in the space -- with 46% of all users following video and board game tags, Techcrunch reports. Furthermore, 92% of Imgur users self-ident...
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Digital Kids' Content Company 'Moonbug' Launches VOD Channel On Apple TV
Digital kids content purveyor Moonbug has launched a VOD service dubbed the Moonbug Kids Channel on Apple TV.
The offering -- a pre-school-aimed service comprising programming from Little Baby Bum, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime With Twinkle, and Gecko's Garage -- is currently available for Apple TV users in the U.K., U.S., Canada, and Australia, and is set to expand to more countries soon. The channel is also available on the Apple TV app via Samsung smart TVs, Rok...
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Verizon Media Pacts With Advisory Chair Serena Williams On Branded 'Yahoo Shopping' Series
Verizon Media, the telecom giant's entertainment division, has tapped legendary tennis champ Serena Williams for a new branded short-form series -- which notably touts a shoppable component.
Titled Everybody, Every Body, the show will tout a message of body positivity and inclusion, and will be distributed on Verizon-owned Yahoo Shopping, a new commerce platform that curates, discovers, and also price-tracks items for consumers. The series will also serve to promote the Autumn/Winter 2020 ...
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YouTube Treads Safe Approach To This Year's 'Rewind', With Series Of Data-Driven Lists
In recent days, YouTube has been provocatively teasing and lowering expectations around its annual Rewind video -- a compendium of the year's biggest viral moments and platform-wide trends, which typically arrives in the form of an original production set to buzzy music tracks.
But after last year's disastrous Rewind video became the most-disliked video in the platform's history -- amid complaints that the company avoided controversial moments and steered clear of newsworthy creators in fav...
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Streamys Announces Host-Less Ceremony In Lieu Of 'Collaborators' Brandon Rogers, Mark Rober, Emma Chamberlain, Hannah Stocking, And More
This year's Streamy Awards, co-produced by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter, are set to ditch the traditional singular host format, in favor of a faction of creators who will head up this year's ceremony as so-called "collaborators."
Past Streamys have featured The Try Guys, Jon Cozart, King Bach, Grace Helbig, Tyler Oakley, and Hannah Hart as masters of ceremonies. Instead, this year's show will feature a number of creator-led segments that the Streamys says serve to emphasize ...
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Shane Dawson, MrBeast, James Charles, Jeffree Star In YouTube's Top Trending Video Of 2019 Amid More Rewind Lists
As YouTube seemingly becomes more massive every year, birthing new stars and ever-fragmented communities that are harder to collectively encapsulate, it's not going to stop the world's largest video platform from trying to sum it all up.
And as 2019 comes to a close -- ahead of the platform's wildly polarizing Rewind compilation (rolling out later today), YouTube has shared several lists comprising the top videos of the year, which will be included in this year's anthology.
While last y...
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The Game Theorists' Star-Studded Stream Raises $1.3 Million — And Counting — For St. Jude
In honor of Giving Tuesday, The Game Theorists hosted a star-studded, nine-hour charity stream yesterday to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
And the broadcast was a massive success, clocking in roughly $1.33 million -- and counting -- for the organization, which works to treats the toughest forms of childhood cancer and other pediatric diseases. The Game Theorists is a game-centric channel run by married creator duo Matthew and Stephanie Patrick, with 12.2 billion subscribers.
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Collab Asia, A Spin-Off Of The U.S.-Based Influencer Network, Raises $7.5 Million Series B
Collab Asia, the Asian spin-off of seven-year-old, U.S.-based digital influencer network Collab -- both of which provide channel management, branded content, and digital rights management services for creators -- has closed a $7.5 million Series B funding round.
Collab Asia says that funds will be used to further expand its Asian footprint and produce local original content. The round was led by Korea-based Gorilla PE, with participation from Samsung Ventures, the PKSHA SPARX Algorithm Fund, NC
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Gleam Adds 8 To Talent Roster, Including Journalist Gemma Styles, Mom Vlogger Emily Norris
Gleam Futures, the U.K.-based digital talent management firm, has substantially added to its roster with eight new clients. Gleam will be working with the new creators to build sustainable careers on- and offline, according to the company, including brand deals, podcasts, long-form video, book publishing, licensing, and other entrepreneurial ventures.
The most-followed addition is social issues journalist Gemma Styles (pictured above), with 4.9 million Instagram fans. Also joining the Gleam fa...
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YouTube Says Creators Could See Subscriptions Drop As It Purges Shuttered Accounts
YouTube notified users on its Support site yesterday that they could see their subscriber counts drop as it continues ongoing efforts to purge illegitimate accounts -- including spam, abuse, and closed accounts. (Closed accounts refer to channels that were either shuttered by a user or by YouTube itself for violating policies, the company explained).
"Sometimes, due to technical or process reasons, we may need to remove more than the usual amount of closed accounts on one day," reads the po...
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Tasty Signs Noted Chefs, In-House Creators To Budding 'Talent Program'
BuzzFeed-owned food vertical Tasty is adding to its Talent Program -- a program launched in 2018 that sees noted chefs, restaurateurs, and homegrown digital stars creating new and existing content formats.
The latest additions to the program include Ellen Bennett, the CEO of culinary workwear brand Hedley & Bennett; Mexican restaurateur Esdras Ochoa, who recently appeared on Netflix's competition series The Final Table; and Joe Sasto, a top-three finisher on the reality competition Top Ch...
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YouTube Says Watch-Time On 'Borderline' Content By Non-Subscribers Has Dropped 70% This Year
In a corporate blog post today, YouTube shared an update on its work to reduce the spread of content that it terms "borderline" and also likens to "harmful misinformation" -- videos that aren't punishable per its Community Guidelines but brush up close to the line, such as conspiracy theories.
To combat such videos, YouTube says that it has sought to raise authoritative voices in myriad ways since 2017 -- including highlighting news from established providers. While other content cate...
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Netflix And YouTube's Share Of Daily Viewership To Drop As Field Grows (Study)
Amid a formidable field of competitors, video stalwarts like Netflix and YouTube are poised to see their share of daily watch time slowly shrink in coming years, according to a first-of-its-kind report from analytics firm eMarketer.
While eMarketer states that Netflix and YouTube are the video platforms that U.S. adults watch most -- a fact which shows no sign of changing -- a slew of new services like Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple TV+ are bound to substantially fragment the market.
In 2018...
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BBTV Signs Five, Including Purposeful Prankster ThatWasEpic, Rapper-Skater Roy Purdy
BroadbandTV (BBTV), the Vancouver-based multi-platform network that provides content creation, distribution, management, and monetization services to digital influencers, has added five new content creators to its arsenal across multiple verticals -- including sports, comedy, gaming, and lifestyle.
Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) current Featherweight Champion, Max Holloway, is the first of the new signings, with 2 million followers across all of his social channels. He is joined by ra...
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TYT Launches 24-Hour Channel On Xfinity X1, As Election Coverage Looms
Digital progressive news network The Young Turks (TYT) has launched a 24-hour linear channel on Comcast's Xfinity X1, a set-top box and software platform that enables users to access a variety of streaming content.
This isn't the first time that TYT, which rose to renown on YouTube, has launched 24/7 programming. Earlier this year, the company launched comparable ventures on OTT service Xumo TV and the Viacom-owned, ad-supported Pluto TV. And prior to that, TYT rolled out linear channels ...
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Insta-Famous Lil Bub, A Special Needs Cat Known For Her Altruism, Has Passed Away At Age 8
Lil Bub, the adorably pint-sized and Insta-famous kitten, passed away on Sunday at age 8 after having long suffered from an aggressive bone infection, per her owner Mike Bridavsky. Bub passed peacefully in her sleep, Bridavsky wrote in an Instagram post on the cat's popular account, which has amassed 2.4 million followers.
"It is impossible to put into words the profound effect that Bub has had on my life, on the lives of thousands of homeless pets, and on the lives of those of you that have ...
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SAG-AFTRA Signs Digital Upstart 'Quartermain' To Its New Commercials Contract
Quartermain Media, a digital content company specializing in branded works created alongside African American influencers, has partnered up with SAG-AFTRA to partake in the labor union's recently-inked Commercials Contracts initiative.
SAG-AFTRA, a labor union that represents roughly 160,000 entertainment and media professionals, announced its new Commercials Contract in May -- an overarching agreement with the ad industry at large that guarantees performers in ads fair wages, safe working c...
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YouTube Has Removed At Least 300 Donald Trump Campaign Ads Since 2016
In October, YouTube (along with Facebook and Twitter) came under fire for refusing to remove a Donald Trump campaign ad that propagated a blatantly false conspiracy theory about Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden. The platform's decision not to remove it was recently reaffirmed by CEO Susan Wojcicki, who told CBS's 60 Minutes that the ad "right now would not be a violation of our policies."
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Quibi Picks Up Kendall Jenner-Produced Series Based On Parody Instagram Account
Kris and Kendall Jenner are the latest celebrities to join the Quibi programming family.
The reality stars and influencers are slated to executive produce a series for the soon-to-launch mobile video platform about a fictional sibling named Kirby Jenner -- who, on the show, will appear as Kendall's fraternal twin brother. The series, titled Kirby Jenner, is based on a parody Instagram account of the same name -- which is verified and counts 1.2 million followers. On Insta, Kirby photoshops ...
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Olivia Jade Returns To YouTube Nine Months After College Admissions Scandal
Olivia Jade, a popular lifestyle vlogger who departed social media nine months ago in the wake of the college admissions scandal, has returned with a brief video announcing her intention to get back into the swing of things.
Jade is the daughter of Fuller House actress Lori Loughlin and fashion entrepreneur Mossimo Giannulli -- both of whom have been indicted for paying $500,000 to have their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as members of the rowing team, though nei...
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MrBeast Just Got His Very Own Youtooz Figure. Here's A Look At The Collectibles Company Cornering The YouTube Market.
Pop culture fans all over the world have shelves lined with Funko Pop! figures -- cute, compact versions of seemingly every major character and celebrity out there, from Alien's xenomorphs to Disney's full roster to Mariah Carey. There are more than 8,000 different Pop!s, and last year, they raked in $686 million in sales for publicly-traded Funko. The vinyl figures have become universally popular across fandoms...but one notable space the company behind them hasn't broached is the digita...
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Instagram Campaign Use Grows — But What Could The Removal Of Likes Mean For Creators?
It's the great Instagram breakaway: While other social platforms have seen a decrease in influencer campaigns over the last five years, Instagram influencers' use in campaigns has steadily increased, according to recent research from CreatorIQ, an influencer platform that helps companies run brand ambassador campaigns with content creators.
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Quibi Loses Third Top-Level Exec Prior To Launch: Head Of Content Ops Diane Nelson
In a chin-scratching turn of events prior to its April launch, mobile video service Quibi has lost its third top-level exec in recent months -- this time Diane Nelson, who joined the mobile video platform in 2018 as head of content operations and programming.
"Diane Nelson has been a valued member of the team, helping us build a strong organization full of exceptional people," Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "We wish her well and support her as...
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Viacom's Pluto TV Launches 24-Hour AwesomenessTV Channel In The U.K.
As it continues to synergize acquired properties, parent company Viacom is slated to launch a 24-hour AwesomenessTV channel on its ad-supported video platform, Pluto TV, in the U.K.
The channel will launch on Dec. 6, Variety reports. Pluto's managing director for Europe, Olivier Jollet, told the outlet that the launch will mark "a big move for us into daily celebrity gossip, teen-driven content, [and] pop stars." Pluto already operates an Awesomeness channel stateside, where it broadc...
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Thanksgiving-Themed Videos Garnered 600 Million Cross-Platform Views This Month
Thanksgiving obviously drives quite a bit of social video conversation in the U.S. Beginning in September, for instance, Thanksgiving-themed videos started to earn over 2 million cross-platform views each day, according to video measurement company Tubular Labs -- across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
That number climbed to 5 million views per day by mid-October and then skyrocketed to between 16 and 20 million views as of Nov. 1. The average has been at 20 million-plus per day...
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Bretman Rock Launches Expansion Pack For Hit Card Game 'What Do You Meme'
What Do You Meme -- an adult-aged card game courtesy of a three-year-old startup of the same name -- is linking up with the infinitely meme-able YouTuber Bretman Rock on a limited edition product launch.
Rock, a beauty guru with 6.8 million YouTube subscribers and 13.8 million Instagram followers, has released an expansion pack of cards to complement the core What Do You Meme game. The popular title sees players competing to become crowned the Meme Queen or King by matching photo cards and ...
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Alex Wassabi To Serve As Celeb Co-Host For Nickelodeon Competition 'Top Elf'
David Dobrik isn't the only YouTuber who's been tapped by Nickelodeon to serve as a celebrity judge on a brand new competition series.
Alex Wassabi, a daily-ish vlogger with a whopping 11.6 million subscribers, has been tapped as a guest judge on a Nickelodeon holiday series titled Top Elf, premiering on Friday at 8 pm ET. The series will comprise five one-hour episodes, in which seven construction-savvy kid contestants will compete in festive challenges -- from designing life-sized gingerbre...
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Epidemic Sound, A Music Licensor For Creators, Onboards YouTube, Spotify Vet Kate Vale
Epidemic Sound, a Swedish startup that enables YouTubers to incorporate licensed music into their videos for a monthly subscription fee, has onboarded former YouTube and Spotify exec Kate Vale to serve as its managing director, North America.
Vale, who was the first Google employee in Australia and New Zealand, will be tasked with driving U.S. market growth for Epidemic. Her hire arrives in the wake of a $20 million funding round, as well as other newfangled collaboration efforts by Epidemic ...
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'Ryan's World' Continues Global Domination With Japanese-Language YouTube Hub
Eight-year-old toy-unboxing phenom Ryan Kaji is moving forward on his path of global domination.
Kaji, who is the star of the YouTube channel-turned-children's media dynasty Ryan's World, is set to launch the second international YouTube channel of the same name -- this time targeting Japanese speakers. Kaji's channel, which was formerly known as Ryan ToysReview, was rechristened Ryan's World late last month, whereupon it also unveiled the launch of a Spanish-language channel dubbed ...
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Disney+ Names Former AMC Exec Chris Loveall VP Of International Content
Programming veteran Chris Loveall has secured a plum role at nascent streaming service Disney+.
Loveall, who previously served as VP of international programming for AMC Networks, has been named VP of content, international, for Disney+, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will work with the company's streaming and international teams to develop and produce scripted and unscripted IP for non-U.S. markets. He will not be involved in content acquisition, the Reporter notes.
Disney+ is cur...
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YouTube Powerhouse 'Bon Appétit' Launches Linear Channel On Samsung TV Plus
After building a massive and dedicated following on YouTube, Bon Appetit's so-called 'Test Kitchen' staff -- who populates the magazine's digital programming and also appeared on the cover of its November issue -- is set to feature prominently on the Conde Nast-owned publishing brand's new smart TV channel.
Tomorrow, the company will launch a channel on Samsung TV Plus -- a 24-hour linear channel that serves to complement its on-demand content, the company says. Given that many of t...
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Twitter Global Content VP Kay Madati To Exit: “I'm Not Sure What's Next”
Twitter is bidding farewell to one of its top content execs.
Kay Madati, who has served as global VP and head of content partnerships for roughly two years, announced that he is stepping down from his post in an internal memo as well as a series of Tweets, Deadline reports. Madati joined Twitter in 2017 after stints at BET as EVP and chief digital officer as well as head of entertainment and media, global marketing solutions, at Facebook. At the time, he replaced Twitter's VP of global media,...
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Cody Ko Launches Standalone Collection With Killer Merch
Killer Merch, the merchandise firm co-owned by YouTube luminary Jeffree Star, has unveiled its latest launch -- alongside the digital multi-hyphenate Cody Ko.
The company -- which furnishes ecommerce, design, production, and fulfillment services -- works with a variety of YouTubers on their merch ventures, including Shane Dawson, Danny Duncan, and Joey Graceffa. While the company has previously repped Tiny Meat Gang -- the comedy and music duo comprising Ko and fellow creator Noel Miller -- it...
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UTA Signs Viral TikTok Star Brittany 'Kombucha Girl' Tomlinson (Exclusive)
UTA is dipping its toes into the TikTok well. After onboarding countless digital stars, the agency has signed one of its first TikTok personalities: Brittany Tomlinson.
Tomlinson, who counts 1.9 million followers on the Bytedance-owned micro-video app -- as well as 606,000 followers on Twitter -- is a 22-year-old Texas A&M grad who hails from Dallas, and who went viral on TikTok for a 21-second clip in which she shared her colorful reaction to tasting Kombucha for the first time (see belo...
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Netflix Clinches More K-Dramas In Multiyear Deals With Studio Dragon, JTBC
With Korean media like K-pop and K-dramas becoming increasingly popular in the West, Netflix has doubled down on its production and distribution of said media by forming multiyear content partnerships with two major Korean studios: Studio Dragon and JTBC Content Hub.
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Shane Dawson Concludes Jeffree Star Series With 142 Million Collective Views
Though it was initially expected to comprise nine episodes, Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star have wrapped up their epic docuseries, The Beautiful World Of Jeffree Star, with seven total installments. The feature-length season finale, which dropped on Friday, clocked in at roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The briefer-than-anticipated episode count initially left some fans nonplussed -- especially because the trailer for the series comprised scenes from Dramageddon 2.0 -- a so-coined event in the bea...
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'Rick And Morty', Adult Swim Drive Social Video Views Amid Show's Highly-Anticipated Return
Rick And Morty returned for its highly-anticipated fourth season on Nov. 10, and the show's two-year hiatus couldn't have come soon enough for fans. Knowing as much, both Rick And Morty and its network, Adult Swim, drove hype and conversation for season four through social video platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Using data from video measurement company Tubular Labs, Rick And Morty-related videos from Oct. 7 (the day the season four trailer dropped, below) through the da
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YouTube Launches Largest 'Masthead' Ad Format On TV Screens Globally
In September, YouTube confirmed that it was beta-testing Masthead ads on television screens. Previously, the format had only been available on mobile and desktop devices.
It was a substantial move, given that the Masthead is arguably YouTube's highest-impact ad product, spanning the full width of the top of the homepage, and autoplaying within seconds of the YouTube app's launch on any screen.
Now, after various test campaigns in select markets, the Masthead format is available globally, ...
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Liza Koshy's Latest Hosting Gig Is A Dance Competition Series For Quibi
Liza Koshy, who frequently showcases her otherworldly dance grooves on her Instagram Stories, is bringing her passions to a brand new dance competition series.
The show, dubbed Floored, marks the latest in a dizzying slate of programming announced by soon-to-launch mobile video platform Quibi. The series will see two teams competing in each episode. What makes the series unique, however, is that the dance floor on the show will lift, tilt, drop, shake, and spin in time with the music, present...
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Influencer Marketing Pioneer 'Best Fiends' Taps Joey Graceffa, LaBrant Fam For Latest Launch
Before there was SeatGeek and Honey, there was Seriously Digital Entertainment -- the Finnish mobile gaming company behind the Best Fiends franchise, known for its myriad sponsorship pacts with countless YouTube stars.
In 2016, for instance, Seriously said that it was allocating 90% of its marketing budget to influencer campaigns -- to the tune of 700 sponsored YouTube videos (at the time) that were created alongside the likes of Shane Dawson, NikkieTutorials, and RCL Beauty. Accordingly, d...
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Facebook Makes First Play In Gaming Streamer Sign-Up Wars With 'Disguised Toast'
Facebook has officially entered the gaming streamer sign-up wars. After a crop of different creators have departed Twitch for exclusive deals with Microsoft-owned Mixer and YouTube Gaming, Facebook Gaming has inked its first exclusive deal -- with 27-year-old Jeremy 'Disguised Toast' Wang.
As part of the deal, Wang will stream games and video exclusively to his Facebook page, available here, beginning today at 3 pm ET, where he stream play of Teamfight Tactics. Wang has amassed 1 millio...
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YouTube Millionaires: Sierra Schultzzie Tries It All On In Her Adventurous, Body-Positive Videos
When Sierra Schultzzie first started her YouTube channel in 2014, her plan was to "try a little bit of everything" in the process of figuring out what kind of content worked best for her and her brand-new audience. Fast-forward five years, and while Schultzzie has sharpened her content strategy, zeroing in on making videos about body positivity and fashion, "try a little bit of everything" is still the core theme of her content.
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How MagicLinks Is Measuring Influencers' Sales Data To Help Them Know Their Worth
For creators making content across all platforms, from YouTube to Instagram to Twitch to TikTok, sponsored content is a core part of the business. But as we've written about before, the digital influencer space is still in its infancy and constantly evolving. It doesn't yet have an established standard that can help creators (from the macro to the micro) accurately judge how much they should ask brands to pay them.
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YouTube Test Matching “Edgy” Creators And Advertisers Has Resulted In Hundreds Of Thousands In Ad Dollars
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has published today her fourth quarterly update letter to creators, where she: teased a new policy that will help differentiate between restrictions placed on real-life violence and video game violence, addressed concerns surrounding creator burnout, and discussed improvements made to Article 17 legislation, which places a massive copyright burden on YouTube in the U.K.
She also discussed a lot more. Wojicki opened with some key stats, noting that the number of creato
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