Tubefilter

TikTok says yes to more creator-led microdramas from Made By Us and HOORAE

James Hale — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 23:13:00 +0000

As you probably know, “microdrama” is the current format du jour for everyone hoping to make a buck in the entertainment industry, from Hollywood studios to major social media platforms.

That includes TikTok, which just announced a new microseries-focused partnership with production company Made By Us Studios.

The studio describes itself as a “first-of-its-kind, Hollywood-grade studio designed for the creator economy and powered by creator management company MADE BY ALL,” and it’s already pulled in creators Hannah Stocking and Adam Rose to star in two TikTok- and PineDrama-exclusive microseries.

“Micro-series are pioneering a new language of storytelling,” Dawn Yang, TikTok’s Global Head of Entertainment & Microseries, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with MADE BY US on a slate that puts creators at the center, alongside established producers and industry talent, to tell stories designed for the feed from the start. This is an exciting step forward in our continued investment in the next generation of premium vertical storytelling on TikTok and PineDrama.”

TikTok and Made By Us’ first two series are “romantic revenge thriller” Player and a “genre” microseries called The Knock, per TikTok. (What genre? We’re assuming horror.)

Player stars Viner-turned-YouTuber-and-TikToker Stocking (who already established herself in the world of microdramas), and The Knock stars TikTok comedian Rose. Stocking worked on the story for Player and is executive producing; meanwhile, one of the producers behind The Knock is Spooky Pictures, the same studio involved in A24‘s much-booed SCP Foundation film. Intriguing.

Leanne Perice, co-CEO of Made By Us Studios, said that she’s worked with content creators for over a decade, and has shared their “ambitions to develop premium IP and build careers in Hollywood.”

“Now, as a studio, we get to help bring those ambitions to life, working with them from the first idea through production,” she added. “This partnership with TikTok opens an exciting new path for creators to develop scripted stories, take on leading roles and help shape the projects they’re part of.”

The TikTok x Made By Us deal is similar to the one TikTok struck with Issa Rae‘s HOORAE earlier this year. The first vertical series to emerge from that partnership, Screen Time, has more than 580 million views on TikTok and PineDrama so far, making it both platforms’ most-viewed show to date.

At MIPCOM Cannes, the duo unveiled their next show: The Compatability Experiment, a 68-episode series (amazingly that will only add up to about an hour of total runtime) about a couple who is “desperately in need of money that thinks they can withstand anything and decides to test their relationship on a new Temptation Island-esque reality show,” per its official description.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, this show is using its runtime to sell something. Soda company poppi and fragrance/body care company Sol De Janeiro are “seamlessly woven into the series through organic, story-driven integrations, with the brands’ presence extending into companion promotional vignettes,” according to a HOORAE press release.

The Compatability Experiment is out now in full on TikTok and PineDrama. It’s not clear when Made By Us’ debut series will roll out–but whenever they do, it’s very likely they won’t be the last.

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An encounter between hololive’s VTubers and Critical Role’s voice actors is rolling out

Sam Gutelle — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 22:04:56 +0000

Here’s a partnership I didn’t have on my bingo card: Critical Role and hololive are teaming up.

VTubers and voice actors will collide in Shattered Legends, an actual play series set within the confines of the tabletop RPG Daggerheart. Beginning in November 2026, Critical Role co-founder Matt Mercer will serve as the game master for an adventure that will unite one of the most popular streaming programs in the U.S. with a cultural phenomenon born in Japan.

Mercer’s players will include his wife and Critical Role co-star Marisha Ray, as well as four hololive VTubers: Nerissa Ravencroft, Mori Calliope, Shiori Novella, and Gig Murin. Together, the party will dive into the world of Daggerheart, which was released by Critical Role’s publishing arm Darrington Press.

As strange as these bedfellows may seem, the Critical Role/hololive team-up makes plenty of sense. For starters, both cohorts rely on their voices in their work, and they each command sizable audiences across multiple platforms. Shattered Legends will be available on the hololive and Critical Role YouTube channels, as well as Ravencroft’s personal YouTube hub. It will also air through Beacon, the streaming service dedicated to Critical Role content. Viewers who watch there will be able to check out bonus content in addition to the mainline episodes.

Critical Role and hololive have wound up on similar trajectories. The former group parlayed its streaming success into a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign and partnerships with companies like Fathom. As for hololive, the Cover Corp-owned agency has helped its VTubers connect with their fans by putting on live events for them, and it has inked its share of entertainment partnerships, too. In one notable foray into the West, hololive VTubers got their own special promotion at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Shattered Legends is the culmination of those commonalities. Critical Role and hololive originated on opposite sides of the globe, but they are united by their devoted fanbases and eccentric characters. That’s why Shattered Legends has a good chance to roll a natural 20 when it arrives next month.

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Cal’s Twitch studio for student-athletes shows that creator content is the new recruiting hack

Sam Gutelle — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:37:03 +0000

Division I schools use new stadiums, locker room renovations, and booster perks to attract blue-chip prospects to their teams, but the University of California at Berkeley has figured out a forward-thinking way to feed the development of its student-athletes. The Bay Area institution has teamed up with StreamU and UnlimitedIRL to build a studio that athletes can use to stream content on Twitch.

Amenities at the new facility include professional lighting, Canon and Sony cameras, a video switcher for multi-camera streams, and a PlayStation 5 for broadcasting gaming content. All varsity athletes will be able to go live from the studio, and Cal has already produced a packed schedule. Across ten hours of weekly programming, content will include workouts, challenges, campus tours, and game-day watch parties.

Those streams will be delivered to Cal fans through the university’s StreamU account. The network was born out of a partnership between NIL platform TheLinkU and Twitch. UnlimitedIRL is serving as the technology partner for the new West Coast venture.

“We are excited about this new venture with StreamU,” said Cal Football GM and Athletic Director Ron Rivera, a former NFL head coach, in a statement. “Providing our student-athletes with the resources and infrastructure to tell their stories and enhance their NIL potential is a significant priority for our football program and athletic department.”

For some student-athletes, brand-building opportunities have become as important as regular playing time. Even the football stars who intend to play in the NFL after college can benefit from the experience of being a content creator. Streaming is now a common side hustle for pro athletes who are recovering from injuries, and it’s a reasonable back-up plan for those whose careers don’t turn out as planned.

Take Diego Pavia. After winning several nationwide awards in 2025, the Vanderbilt quarterback expected to make the leap to the NFL. Instead, he went undrafted, and he is now building a career as a streamer. Pavia’s collegiate stardom gives him a leg up as he pivots toward the creator economy.

The next Diego Pavia won’t just use college to win games and build a personal brand. He’ll also want to pick up skills that will benefit him should he become a streamer. For that type of recruit, a facility like Cal’s will surely draw a second glance.

Of course, it’s only a matter of time before other schools follow Cal’s lead. StreamU is planning to opening Twitch studios at other universities, including the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and the University of Houston.

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Druski will break new ground for creators by hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’

Sam Gutelle — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 20:06:53 +0000

November 7 will be an historic night for Drew Desbordes. That’s when Desbordes, whose 13.6 million Instagram followers know him as Druski, will become the first Saturday Night Live host who began his career as a social media content creator.

After rising to prominence with his viral Instagram Live broadcasts, Druski became a multi-hyphenate creator who extended his “Coulda Been” brand through entrepreneurship, original programming, and strategic partnerships. His success with branded content has shown that he possesses the chops he needs to break into the mainstream, and Lorne Michaels apparently took notice. Though SNL has not shared an official notice about the upcoming Druski gig, Variety confirmed that Desbordes will indeed host the November 7 episode of the long-running sketch series.

Druski will break new ground for social media influencers when he hosts SNL, but creators have steadily gained more spots among the not-ready-for-prime-time players as the venerable show has entered its fifth decade of existence. For more than a decade, Michaels and co. have turned to the internet when scouting talent, and that pipeline has only become more prominent in the 2020s.

Jane Wickline, for example, was an original cast member for the TikTok-based sketch crew Stapleview before becoming an SNL fan favorite. In season 52, another Stapleview OG — Grace Reiter — joined Wickline in Studio 8H. And Jeremy Culhane, who has emerged as one of SNL‘s best impressionists, is often seen in videos produced by Dropout (which was formerly known as CollegeHumor).

Meanwhile, SNL vets like Chloe Troast are taking up residence online after departing NBC’s late-night lineup. Even SNL itself has chased viewership on platforms like YouTube, and bringing in a host like Druski is a surefire way to make those numbers go up even more.

Druski has headlined his own comedy tour, so don’t expect him to shrink under the studio lights when he delivers his monologue. But even if he doesn’t get too many laughs, he can take solace in knowing that he won’t have to do that well to get a better reception than Shane Gillis.

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Top 50 Most Subscribed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 10/11/2026

Sam Gutelle — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:07:03 +0000

[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by GospelStats. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given time frame. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]

Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart.

Lucan Pevidor‘s reign as the leader of the Global Sub Top 50 has come to an end. The Brazilian creator was #1 in this ranking for the entire month of September, but October is MrBeast‘s time to shine. Boosted by a host of new videos and partnerships, Jimmy Donaldson added two million weekly subscribers on his primary channel. Pevidor, in second place, could only make it halfway to that total.

All of the channels in the Global Sub Top 50 added at least 280,000 weekly subscribers. Some of them are picking up viewership at a rate that’s downright spooky.

October is a good time to get a little scary on YouTube Shorts.

Sam and Colby aren’t the only creators who know how to take advantage of spooky season on social media. Across YouTube, enterprising videomakers are pulling out their makeup kits and retelling their favorite creepypastas as they ring in the month that ends with Halloween.

In this week’s Global Sub Top 50, Halloween fever has been particularly acute in Mexico. That’s where several local creators boosted their subscriber counts with videos that hit on common spooky season tropes.

First, let’s take a look at Lily Belloncle. Thanks to her loud outifts and detail makeup routines, she’s hard to miss, and millions of YouTube viewers have been paying attention to her. During the first full week of October, Belloncle added 300,000 new subscribers, bringing her lifetime total up to 22.5 million. Her subscriber count increased by 50% week-over-week, pushing her up to 33rd place in the Global Sub Top 50.

Belloncle’s most-watched Shorts clip helps us see why October is a good month for her. Her toothy, nightmare-fueling look may be difficult for her to remove, but it’s a hit with her fans, which is why it’s up to 240 million lifetime views.

Not everyone has Belloncle’s costuming abilities, but that doesn’t exclude the rest of the field from a little spooky season fun. Another one of this week’s Global Sub Top 50 entrants belongs in the Halloween conversation based on her channel name alone. That’s right, Jenny Devil is back in business.

Ms. Devil cracked the top 40 in our subscriber chart last week. Now, she’s hanging around in the Global Sub Top 50 and sparing no expense to keep the followers flowing in. Not everyone would purchase real-life versions of the Five Nights At Freddy’s animatronics just to please their fans, but for Jenny Devil, it’s just another day at the office — and her 19.2 million subscribers are grateful for her commitment to the bit.

Data via Gospel Stats

There’s really nothing quite like spooky season on YouTube. Other tentpoles on the calendar may center around shopping (the holiday season) or athleticism (the Super Bowl), but October is a month filled with unbridled creativity.

Lily Belloncle and Jenny Devil are two of the creators who display their artistry ahead of Halloween. If you’re not afraid of no ghosts (or a little latex paint), you can be just like them.

Channel Distribution

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:

United States: 13
India: 11
Mexico: 7
Brazil: 4
Argentina and Indonesia: 3
United Kingdom: 2
Colombia, Kazakhstan, Panama, Russia, and Singapore: 1

This week, 38 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all our news by subscribing to our newsletter. You’re going to love it. Newsletter.Tubefilter.com.

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Talk to the algorithm: Facebook is the latest platform to add a recommendation-altering chatbot for users

James Hale — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:38:27 +0000

Major social platforms just love their chatbots–because those chatbots mean users are now responsible for fixing their own recommendation algorithms, instead of big tech companies having to (gasp) pay people for code cleanup.

YouTube did it, X did it, Instagram did it, and now Facebook joins the ranks. Its new “Your Algorithm” system asks users to tweak what they see on Facebook by telling an LLM topics they’re interested in, and by giving posts on their feeds a thumbs up or down.

“You can now fine-tune your experience and interact directly with the algorithms that rank and recommend what you see on Facebook, meaning you’ll see recommendations that are more relevant, more nuanced, and more you,” Facebook said in a company blog post.

An example shows Facebook’s chatbot telling a user, “Lately you’re all about good tunes, staying strong, salty ocean mornings, chasing great eats, and capturing every moment.”

The interests it recommends for them include music festivals, fitness, ocean kayaking, foodie adventures, videography, and grill recipes. Where the customization comes in is the little “+ Add” button at the end of the list for the user to tell it more topics they want to see in their feed.

There’s also a separate section for the user to tell it what they don’t want to see (in the example, banished topics are “hiking” and “horror movies”).

As for thumbs up and thumbs down on the feed, Facebook says tapping on the “Are you interested in this post?” button at the bottom of recommended content will bring up options asking the user to explain more about why they are or aren’t interested.

“You can easily tell us, in your own words, what you want to see more or less of, and your recommendations will update in real time,” the Meta-owned company says.

Facebook adds that it thinks its ranking system (aka its recommendation algorithm) was already “remarkably good” at “inferring what you’re into from what you engage with on Facebook.”

But “large language models are helping us take a genuine leap forward,” it believes.

“LLMs can incorporate the interests, context, and intent behind natural language, unlocking an algorithm you can actually talk to,” it says. “Under the hood, this marks a real evolution in how ranking works: by bringing freeform text together with everything we already understand about what you enjoy, the algorithms behind your Feed and Reels keep getting more relevant and responsive over time.”

In an era where constant exposure to drip-feeding algorithms can result in choice paralysis for users, it is interesting that platforms are now telling people to take back the reins by choosing what those algorithms ‘know’ about them.

This kind of system might also theoretically lessen the amount of personal information a platform would scrape from users (although that aspect will probably stay firmly in theory; we all know how salable private data is).

But, again, platforms might cite it in an attempt to free themselves from culpability for algorithm problems. If someone is regularly recommended harmful content, a platform with a chatbot could say, “Well, why didn’t you talk to the algorithm and disable that?” instead of altering the algorithm itself to prevent harmful content from even potentially reaching users.

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Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 10/11/2026

Sam Gutelle — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:25:22 +0000

Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart.

T-Series has been on a hot streak in the Global Top 50, but this week, the most-watched YouTube channel of all time could only manage a third-place finish in our weekly viewership ranking. U.S.-based channels Zack D. Films and MaviGadget surged past the Indian record label, with Zack recording 1.39 billion weekly views and taking first place.

It’s rare to see an independent creator like Zack at the front of the Global Top 50. That being said, not all entrants in the Global Top 50 are one-man shows. Some are affiliated with brands that are using smart ad campaigns to haul in massive view counts.

Into the Top 50 with a hop, Flip, and a jump

It’s been four years since YouTube announced that ads would be coming to YouTube Shorts. In the time since then, Shorts ads have matured into a full-fledged ecosystem that drives significant purchase intent among YouTube viewers.

We haven’t seen too many advertisers reaching the Global Top 50 on the strength of their short-form spots — that is, until recently. Seasoning brand Maggi had a moment in our charts during August. In September and October, Flipkart has been shining.

Flipkart is a Bengaluru-based ecommerce brand with an outsized presence on YouTube. During the first full week of October, Flipkart’s official YouTube channel collected 400.9 million weekly views to reach 36th place in the Global Top 50. The company’s viewership rose 20% week-over-week, and it now has more than 1.1 million YouTube subscribers.

Much of that viewership stems from short-form advertising. The most-watched Flipkart video is a spot for its “Sneaker Project.” That clip is approach 200 million lifetime views.

Flipkart deserves credit more its success, but the glut of Indian creators in the Global Top 50 is equally responsible for the ecommerce brand’s uptick. After all, Flipkart’s ads target domestic consumers, so when there are 24 Indian channels in the Global Top 50, Flipkart has a lot of chances to put its campaign in front of the right viewers.

That’s the most important lesson that can be taken away from Flipkart’s time in the Top 50. For YouTube Shorts advertisers, the nature of the inventory only matters if you’re partnering with the right channels.

That’s why, when YouTube decided to bring mindfulness into the Shorts feed in the form of Hit Pause, it teamed up with kid-friendly creators who regularly show up in our charts. If Ryan or Meekah tells kids to take a break, those youngsters are more likely to get the message. As a result, Hit Pause has hovered above 300 million weekly views since the start of 2026.

Data via Gospel Stats

This strategy won’t necessarily fit right for every brand. Relevancy matters, so don’t expect a spot in the Top 50 just because you run ads against KL BRO Biju Rithvik videos.

But if there’s any way your brand can find a way to appeal to kids or global audiences or both, that link is worth pursuing. For Flipkart, those connections come naturally.

Channel Distribution

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 Most Viewed channels this week in terms of their countries of origin:

India: 21
United States: 9
Canada and Indonesia: 4
Australia: 2
Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan: 1

This week, 40 channels in the Top 50 are primarily active on YouTube Shorts.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all our news by subscribing to our newsletter. You’re going to love it. Newsletter.Tubefilter.com.

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Can YouTube’s €8.4 billion economic contribution get it a better deal in Europe?

Sam Gutelle — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 21:15:51 +0000

For the second year in a row, YouTube has brought its Economic Impact Report across the pond. The eminent platform broke down its capital contributions across Europe as part of its effort to promote more harmonious dealings with continental regulators and media companies.

The report claims that YouTube’s creator economy added €8.4 billion to the European gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025. That ecosystem supported more than 220,000 of what YouTube calls “full-time equivalent” (FTE) jobs.

Compared to 2024, both of those numbers are up. The previous European edition of the Economic Impact Report claimed a €7 billion GDP contribution and support for 200,000 FTE jobs. And while TikTok uses slightly different metrics for its Economic Impact Reports, YouTube seems to be more lucrative in Europe than its ByteDance-owned rival. TikTok’s latest European report showed a €2.6 billion economic contribution and support for 52,000 FTE jobs.

“Our revenue-sharing model, the YouTube Partner Program, pays eligible creators more than half of the revenue generated from their channels, and in turn they invest – green-lighting their own shows, building the media companies of the future, and hiring editors, camera operators and studios,” reads YouTube’s report. “YouTube acts as a powerful export engine for European culture, with over 70% of watch time on content produced by EU27 channels coming from outside the region.”

YouTube is just bragging for the sake of it. In Europe, it and its Big Tech brethren are facing significant pushback. EU officials are taking aim at everything from smart glasses to AI chatbots, and traditional broadcasters are resisting the future, too. In the UK, a protracted dispute has pitted YouTube against media companies like the BBC, who want preferential treatment from algorithms at the expense of independent creators.

YouTube’s European Economic Impact Report, released during the MIPCOM conference in France, seems like a pointed reply to those British institutions. Instead of agreeing that public broadcasters need the scales tipped in their favor, YouTube is outlining the consequences that result when creators don’t get enough support.

To wit, the report claims that 63% of creators receive little to no support when engaging with government bodies. The majority of creators also said that they lack sufficient access to training, public grants, and dedicated studio spaces.

In a more pointed attack aimed at the BBC and its ilk, YouTube reported that 83% of creators rely on recommendation algorithms to achieve growth and earn revenue. 71% of that cohort said that reduced visibility would harm their ability to make a living from their content. Translation: Traditional media companies may need an advantage on YouTube, but creators need it more.

Finally, 64% of the creators in YouTube’s European sample said that more support from traditional entities would help them succeed. That’s the message YouTube is bringing to MIPCOM: Cooperate with us, and we can start making some US-sized GDP contributions together. It’s a compelling proposal, but some of Europe’s stuck-in-the-mud broadcasters will probably need some more convincing.

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Have you heard? Pokimane at Chipotle, a Rooster Teeth reunion, and a Mike Tomlin Minecraft update.

Sam Gutelle — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 23:00:29 +0000

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

This week, the newest fast-casual menu item comes from a streaming star, two internet legends get into the Christmas spirit, and an NFL lifer takes another step into the Minecraft community.

The biz

The Pokimane Pollo Asado and Steak Bowl has arrived at Chipotle. Keith Lee and Salish Matter need to make some room in the burrito queue, because another creator is turning her signature order into a Chipotle menu item. Poki’s bowl is launching alongside the return of Chipotle’s pollo asado, and the chain is hoping that its partnership with a well-known streamer will generate significant social chatter.

Pinterest is letting brands sponsor creator Pins. Pinterest’s creator monetization push is no secret, and the next step on that path lets brands promote Pins posted by their creator partners. The ad format kinda-sorta sounds like Meta Partnership Ads, but with that creative twist we’ve come to expect from Pinterest.

Ads for online gambling companies are contentious, but YouTube is allowing them. Starting on October 21, gambling firms can run Masthead campaigns that appear at the top of the YouTube homepage. Many platforms have barred those companies from carving out ad space, but YouTube’s creators have long partaken in the so-called “gamba meta” — and the site itself is rolling the dice itself.

Pop culture minute

Burnie Burns and Matt Hullum are bringing ‘Bad Toys’ home for Christmas. We haven’t heard much from Burns and Hullum since Rooster Teeth — the entertainment company they co-founded — went under. Now, they’re reuniting for a Yuletide horror-comedy that, according to its logline, will draw inspiration from “medieval Christmas elf folklore.” So not exactly Red vs. Blue, I’m guessing.

Skweezy Jibbs Makes A Movie tours 71 cities. When comedian Tim Savage took his alter ego Skweezy Jibbs on the road for a comedy show, fans turned up after discovering the character on social media. Skweezy has a significant following, which Savage paid off in the form of a feature film that he paired with post-screening Q&A sessions. Such is the life of an indie creator who strikes it big.

Vertical, short-form feeds are impacting the work of art curators. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, attention spans aren’t what they used to be. That’s why an art museum in Estonia responded with a new exhibit that features “Instagrammable” locations and a fast-paced flow. You can still explore the art at a leisurely pace if you’d prefer.

Creator commotion

Haley Kalil hits back at Pete Davidson. After the SNL alum told Variety that he thinks female lifestyle influencers are following a “lame” and “insane” career path, Kalil went scorched earth. In a scathing TikTok post, Kalil questioned whether there’s any difference between a social media influencer and a stand-up comedian. They both write their own material and have to support themselves while pursuing their art, so she has a poitn.

Sam and Colby celebrate Hell Week with Uscreen partnership. The haunted house explorers are always busy in October, and 2026 is no exception. Sam and Colby are relaunching their XPLR Club, which offers a more “cinematic viewing experience” for their longtime fans. Its the sort of initiative that will keep Sam and Colby in the foreground as they endure another spooky season full of frights.

BenDaDonnn’s visit to a college football locker room ended with arrests. Texas A&M invited the creator to visit the Aggies locker room during a recent SEC showdown. After the game, Ben and his crew refused to vacate the Northgate bar district, so officers took them away in handcuffs. That’s quite the turn of events for one day.

Platform headlines

Warren Buffett has come clean about his YouTube addiction. Buffett is one of the richest people on the planet, but he spends his evenings the same way we do: Falling down the YouTube rabbit hole. The 96-year-old’s niche interests include old TV commercials and Glenn Close, so he and I clearly have very different algorithms, even if we generate similar amounts of watch time.

Meta bans ByteDance ads after safety spat. TikTok banned Meta ads that implored the ByteDance-owned app to adopt the safety features that were outlined in Meta’s multibillion-dollar settlement with U.S. attorneys general. In response, Meta hit ByteDance with a playground classic: I know you are, but what am I? By banning the Beijing-based corporation’s ads, Meta is escalating a feud that seems like it could go on for a while.

YouTube tests right-aligned comments on desktop devices. On the desktop versions of TikTok and Instagram, comments appear to the right of videos — so why wouldn’t YouTube try that? The test may seem purely cosmetic, but all those old videos that ask for responses “down in the comments” may need some updates.

The internet is a strange place

Mike Tomlin is becoming a Minecraft YouTuber now. Last week, we discussed the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach’s long-running adventures in Minecraft’s creative mode. People loved Tomlin’s Minecraft city so much that he decided to present more of it. The project takes center stage in the first videos to arrive on the NBC pundit’s new YouTube channel.

A Great British Bake Off hotshot learned to bake from YouTube. If you’re watching this year’s Bake Off season, you’ve certainly fallen in love with the immensely talented 21-year-old student Mo Mahir. Apparently, Mahir’s baking career began on YouTube. That’s great news for those of us who still harbor dreams of one day facing the gingham altar.

A YouTube channel went viral for “Black family recipes,” but they were AI-generated the whole time. Do you want some gravy on that AI slop?

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Hollywood’s creator obsession continues as Sony hires YouTube exec to lead horror label

Sam Gutelle — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 21:25:48 +0000

As major film studios seek deals with directors whose careers began on social media, Sony Pictures Entertainment is taking a slightly different approach: It’s bringing the business side of YouTube to Hollywood.

Sony has announced the hire of Fede Goldenberg, who will serve as the head of Screen Gems. After a 15-year stint at YouTube — during which he became the company’s Head of Film and TV Partnerships — Goldenberg is taking the reins of a production and distribution label that delivers many mid-budget horror flicks.

An entity called “Screen Gems” has existed for nearly a century. Initially, the name applied to the animation arm of Columbia Pictures; then, it was applied to the unit now known as Sony Pictures Television. In contemporary times, Screen Gems is known for its emphasis on genre films. In particular, it has deep roots in horror, producing installments for hit franchises like Insidious and Resident Evil.

As it turns out, YouTube creators are adept horror directors. The biggest creator success stories in Hollywood have come within that genre, and more are on the way.

Thus far, Screen Gems’ biggest gamble on creator content came in 2018, when the label cooked up a feature adaptation of the Slender Man lore that went viral through internet creepypastas. The Slender Man film was a flop, but it paved the way for future creator-led endeavors in Hollywood. Despite failing to score a hit, Sony showed that creepypastas could spin gold at the box office — a strategy that would later pay off for A24 thanks to Kane Parsons’ Backrooms. And a film built around deep internet lore opened the door for Invisible Narratives and its ongoing attempt to turn Skibidi Toilet into a piece of multiplatform IP.

Now that creators have gotten so hot in Hollywood, Sony wants a piece. By hiring Goldenberg, the studio is bringing in an exec who championed theatrical events led by creators like Inoxtag and helped Markiplier release his film Iron Lung on YouTube. In a statement, Sony confirmed that it will “expand its longstanding focus on traditional genre films to include theatrical projects from the next generation of digital-native storytellers.”

So if you’re a creator with a gory tale to tell, Goldenberg might have a development deal with your name on it. By putting a YouTube vet in charge at Screen Gems, Sony is showing that the creator invasion of Hollywood has legs as long as Slender Man.

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YouTube eclipses TV to become the top news source in the U.S.

Sam Gutelle — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:19:31 +0000

Syracuse University‘s Center for the Creator Economy has published a report that will make traditional news outlets quake in their boots. In its first-ever Industry Flash Report, Syracuse surveyed 1,001 Americans and found that YouTube is relied on most often as a primary news source.

Alongside research partner Prolific, Syracuse surveyed U.S.-based respondents about their media and news-gathering habits. One question asked the respondents to name the news source they use the most, and YouTube topped that list with a 16.5% share. TV news came in second at 16.1%, while print and online media ranked third at 15.7%.

TikTok has been credited for its popularity as a news outlet among Gen Z, but it trailed both X and Facebook in the Flash Report, with only 10.4% of respondents claiming it as their most frequent source for headlines. Podcasts, newsletters, and LinkedIn trailed the field in that category. Overall, 60% of Syracuse’s sample turns to a social media platform first when they look to get informed.

One could argue that YouTube’s growth as a news source reflects its broader ascendance. After all, it has become the most dominant streaming service on TV screens, and much of the news it delivers comes from traditional outlets.

Studies have shown, however, that the consumers who get their news from social media are more likely to seek out creator-broadcasters than traditional journalists. Syracuse’s report supports that idea. 61% of respondents said they trust independent news creators as much as network broadcasters, and two-thirds of the sample claimed that reporting ability is a more important qualification than journalism credentials.

If I can show off my journalistic skills for a sec, I’ll remind the room that the source of these findings must be taken into account. Syracuse is incentivized to publish statistics that show a general preference for independent news creators. After all, if an aspiring journalist wants to make a career of their passion, and they believe they have to be an independent creator to make that happen, they’re more likely to seek out one of the first degree programs dedicated to creator content.

Even with that caveat, it would be irresponsible to ignore the Flash Report entirely. Local TV stations are recognizing shifting appetites by treating their reporters like creators. If Syracuse’s findings are to be believed, that trend will only become more common in the coming years.

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