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Influence Weekly #407 - Tinder Launches YouTube Reality Show To Woo Gen Z Users
Made On YouTube 2025: A Breakdown Of All New AI Tools, Monetization Features, Platform Updates
Nii Ahene
September 19, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Made On YouTube 2025: A Breakdown Of All New AI Tools, Monetization Features, Platform Updates
An Interview With YouTube CEO Neal Mohan About Building A Stage For Creators
What Netflix And Amazon Ads' Partnership Means For Influencer Marketers
Tinder Launches YouTube Reality Show To Woo Gen Z Users
Great Reads
YouTube unveiled a comprehensive suite of new features at its "Made on YouTube 2025" event, marking the platform's 20th anniversary. The company reported paying out more than $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years.
The platform introduced AI-powered creation tools integrating Google DeepMind's Veo 3 Fast technology, including "Edit with AI" for automatic video structuring and "Speech to Song" for converting dialogue into musical soundtracks for Shorts. These features launched in select markets with planned expansion.
YouTube Studio received updates including collaborative video tagging for up to five creators, conversational AI assistant "Ask Studio," and A/B testing for titles and thumbnails. The platform expanded its likeness detection tools to all YouTube Partner Program creators through open beta, allowing identification and removal of unauthorized AI-generated content.
Live streaming enhancements included multi-format broadcasting and AI-powered highlight extraction. Monetization improvements featured side-by-side ads for live streams and auto-timestamps for product identification. New podcast tools will convert audio content to video using AI technology, launching for select creators in early 2026.
YouTube announced 30 new AI-powered features at its Made on YouTube 2025 event in New York. The platform introduced tools using Google's Veo 3 model to create video backgrounds for shorts, convert raw footage into videos, and generate speech-to-song content. YouTube also unveiled auto-tagging capabilities that automatically identify and link products in creator videos for shopping integration.
CEO Neal Mohan emphasized the company's brand collaboration expansion, positioning YouTube to capture revenue from creator sponsorship deals that currently bypass the platform's 55-45 revenue share model. New features include AI-enabled auto-tagging for product placements and enhanced brand partnership tools.
The company reported it processes 500 hours of uploaded content per minute and has become the largest streaming service by viewership. YouTube TV subscribers can access NFL Sunday Ticket, which the company acquired from DirecTV in a multi-billion dollar deal that analysts criticized as overpriced. Mohan defended the investment, citing product innovations like Multiview and reaching younger demographics through creator integration during broadcasts.
Condé Nast announced Wednesday it will launch Vette, an influencer e-commerce platform, in early next year. The platform allows creators to operate independent online storefronts with products they choose, which they promote across other channels.
Unlike affiliate marketing where influencers earn commissions from clicks to brand websites, Vette handles transactions directly while brands fulfill orders. Lisa Aiken, Vogue's executive fashion director and senior vice president of commerce, leads the project. Condé Nast's commerce revenue tripled over five years, though the company did not disclose dollar figures.
Vette enters a crowded market dominated by LTK, which launched in 2011, and ShopMy, a five-year-old platform that gained traction recently. Both competitors primarily use affiliate link models. Condé Nast plans to start with a curated group of creators, potentially drawing from Vogue app contributors.
The platform will operate under its own branding rather than the Vogue name. Creators can only link products directly from brands, not third-party retailers, with brands maintaining price control and avoiding traditional wholesale payment issues.
Industry Roundtable
Unilever has pledged to put half of its annual ad spend into influencer marketing causing creator rates to jumd ~30% in just six months.
We asked 47 experts the following- How can smaller and emerging brands still drive value from influencer marketing while larger companies move into the space?
A big thank you to everyone who shared their perspectives! 🙌
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Campaign Insights
Amazon Essentials partnered with TikTok fashion influencer Kate Bartlett and content creator Luca Mornet for a new denim collection launched September 17, 2025. Bartlett, who has 1.5 million TikTok followers, offered a 20% discount code for the collection between September 15-17. The collaboration coincided with Amazon positioning its Essentials lineup ahead of Prime Big Deal Days scheduled for October 7-8.
Both creators attended Fashion Institute of Technology from 2019 to 2023 and built followings by posting fashion content and documenting their college experiences in New York City. Bartlett currently pursues an MBA at NYU's Stern School of Business in the luxury and retail program.
The partnership occurred during what Bryant University marketing professor Sharmin Attaran called denim's retail "moment." Target reported 28% same-store sales growth in women's denim, while Levi Strauss stock rose over 30% this year. Retailers attributed growth to consumer preferences shifting toward wider cuts over skinny jeans that dominated pre-pandemic fashion.
Small destination marketing organizations are succeeding with influencer marketing by partnering with local creators and emphasizing authentic storytelling over large budgets. OneSpartanburg contracts with community-based content creators, finding food and beverage posts particularly effective for engagement.
Tourism Saskatchewan evolved its Saskatchewanderer program from rotating annual contracts to hiring one full-time creator while featuring guest "Wanderer of the Week" contributors. The approach generates measurable results, with featured businesses like dill pickle donut shops selling out after coverage. Platform CrowdRiff helps small DMOs identify and manage creator relationships at scale, handling logistics and payments.
StyleBlueprint offers written content and social campaigns using first-party data to create targeted audiences. Small DMOs leverage tools like Monday.com, Eagle, and Sprout Social to maximize limited staff resources. Email marketing remains highly effective, with some organizations building substantial subscriber lists. The strategy focuses on community connection and authentic voices rather than expensive production, proving marketing impact doesn't require big budgets when rooted in genuine local stories.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is building an influencer network to boost his national profile ahead of a likely 2028 presidential run. Today's Proposition 50 livestream features liberal content creators alongside politicians, with YouTube host Brian Tyler Cohen receiving top billing over Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Newsom's team views influencers as new-style surrogates, emphasizing unpaid collaboration rather than purchased endorsements. The strategy emerged from 2024 election lessons and LA wildfire responses, resulting in Newsom's podcast, Substack, and social media rapid response team. Despite Democratic investments in creator outreach, Republican commentators maintain significant online influence.
Separately, Newsom praised Charlie Kirk's engagement with young men while criticizing Democrats' insufficient investment in that demographic. He announced an initiative seeking 10,000 male mentors to address isolation and suicide rates among young men. The governor referenced Kirk's recent killing as highlighting online radicalization concerns affecting the demographic.
Metricool, a social media analytics firm, released a report analyzing over 5 million videos across 582,456 accounts, revealing a 71% year-over-year increase in short-form video posts while accounts publishing this content grew by 51%. Facebook led in average views with 15,334 per video, followed by Instagram at 14,422, TikTok at 11,447, and YouTube at 9,921.
Instagram maintained the highest engagement rate at 8.24%, despite experiencing a 59% drop in Reels views and 21% decrease in reach. The platform showed divergent performance by account size, with accounts under 1,000 followers seeing 22% growth in interactions while larger accounts declined across metrics.
TikTok faced a 47% drop in reach despite 156% more content volume, but engagement increased 35%. The platform remained most accessible for growth, with 24% of accounts advancing to higher follower tiers. YouTube Shorts presented challenges with 31% lower reach and 46% fewer interactions despite 60% more videos published.
Jukin Licensing launched AI-powered integration in August to automate content acquisition and enhance search capabilities for its library of nearly 300,000 rights-cleared user-generated videos. The Los Angeles company, founded in 2010 and acquired three years ago by Trusted Media Brands, sources UGC from YouTube and other platforms for commercial licensing to advertisers and brands.
The AI system generates metadata through speech-to-text transcription, object detection, and brand safety analysis, reducing content cataloging time from months to weeks. Users can now download master copies directly from the platform instead of requesting them through Jukin's team. Head of Global Licensing Sascha Weis said the technology has generated over $45 million for creators through revenue sharing since the company's inception.
Jukin operates branded channels including FailArmy, The Pet Collective, and People Are Awesome. The company plans to expand into Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific markets while exploring opportunities to facilitate brand-creator relationships beyond pure content licensing.
Jack Daniel's launched a user-generated content campaign for its Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey that replaced traditional models with real fathers from its subscriber base. The whiskey brand, owned by Brown-Forman, worked with earned-first creative agency We Are Different to tap its 80,000-strong subscriber community for the Father's Day campaign.
The campaign featured everyday dads as brand ambassadors through influencer content and consumer activations. Within one month, the effort generated 9.1 million organic and paid reach while increasing video view rates by 1,588%, ThruPlays by 723%, and engagement by 1,316%.
Richard Dredge, Senior Brand Manager at Brown-Forman, said the campaign harnessed community strength through user-generated and creator-driven content to drive authentic brand advocacy. Stuart Terry, Founder at We Are Different, noted the campaign represented a shift toward peer-to-peer marketing over traditional broadcast advertising methods.
The campaign positioned Gentleman Jack as a Father's Day gift while leveraging existing brand loyalists rather than professional talent.
Netflix formed a partnership with Amazon Ads in September 2025, allowing advertisers to access Netflix's ad-supported inventory through Amazon's demand-side platform across 11 international markets including Australia, the US, the UK, and France. The partnership enables programmatic ad buying on Netflix's streaming platform through Amazon's DSP technology.
Netflix's ad-supported tier grew from 70 million users in November 2024 to 94 million users by May 2025, with over half of new subscribers choosing the ad-supported option. Amy Reinhard, President of Advertising at Netflix, said the integration makes it easier to connect with Netflix's global audience.
The deal follows similar partnerships Netflix established with Yahoo DSP earlier in 2025 and existing relationships with The Trade Desk, Google Display & Video 360, and Microsoft. Netflix developed its proprietary Netflix Ads Suite platform offering targeting capabilities, creative options, and performance insights.
Paul Kotas, SVP at Amazon Ads, stated the goal was simplifying TV planning and buying for advertisers through Amazon's platform.
Tinder launched a YouTube reality show called "Double Date Island" in September 2025 to promote its new Double Date feature and attract Gen Z users. The show features creators including TikToker Carmie Sellitto, musician Spencer Elmer, and fashion influencer Ellie Smith, with episodes airing on Tinder Europe's YouTube channel and supporting content across TikTok, Instagram, and BeReal.
Match Group, Tinder's parent company, based the strategy on data showing 71% of Gen Z consumers aged 16-27 use social platforms as their primary content discovery method, according to Toluna's March 2025 "Gen Z Culture Decoded" report. The same study found 55% of this demographic consistently engage across multiple digital platforms.
The show was filmed in Ibiza and draws inspiration from "Love Island" but focuses on group dating experiences to address dating app fatigue. Tinder VP of EMEA Marketing Paolo Lorenzoni said the initiative targets formats Gen Z already consumes while showcasing dating with friends through creator-led storytelling and social-first content distribution.
State Farm launched the fourth season of its gaming competition series "Gamerhood" on Prime Video, marking one of the first brand-created series to secure placement on a global streaming platform. The insurance company evolved the show from its 2022 Twitch debut into mainstream entertainment featuring gaming creators including Kai Cenat, Ludwig, Valkyrae, and Cameron Brink competing in disaster scenarios.
State Farm's Head of Marketing Alyson Griffin repositioned the brand's gaming investments from traditional sponsorships into owned content creation. Season three of Gamerhood generated over 23 million views on Twitch. The company treats the series as proprietary intellectual property rather than typical advertising content.
The strategy centers on Jake from State Farm, portrayed by actor Kevin Miles, who has built over one million TikTok followers without paid promotion. Element Human's behavioral AI testing of a Jake collaboration with creator Daniel LaBelle showed an 81% attention rate, delivering an 18 percentage point lift in top-of-mind awareness and 15 percentage point increase in purchase intent above industry benchmarks.
State Farm competes against Progressive and Geico, which spend four times more on traditional advertising, driving the company's focus on creator partnerships for direct audience engagement.
Emarketer and Viral Nation released a survey revealing that influencer marketing budgets jumped 15% to $10.52 billion in 2025, with 86% of U.S. marketers now using the channel. However, brand safety measures remain inadequate despite 77.8% of marketers reporting brand safety concerns influence their investment decisions.
The survey of 117 U.S. marketers found brands prioritize performance metrics over safety standards. Performance ranked highest at 27.4%, followed by engagement rate at 23.1%, while brand safety standards ranked lowest at 11.1% in campaign evaluation criteria.
Over 50% of marketers spend 30 minutes or less vetting individual influencers, which Viral Nation said covers only 0.01% of a creator's content history. Only 9.4% of brands fully outsource vetting to agencies, with 81.2% conducting manual reviews. Just 21.8% of brands believe their agency partners have transparent vetting processes, while only 25.6% always receive documentation on how influencers were vetted before campaigns launch.
IPG Health expanded its Influencer ID healthcare marketing service to four European markets on September 11, targeting the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain. The healthcare marketing agency operates this service in the United States and moved into Europe due to client demand for healthcare influencer marketing solutions.
The service works with patient, caregiver, healthcare provider, and digital opinion leader influencers to distribute science-backed health information across social media platforms. IPG Health offers strategic influencer identification, vetting, engagement, contracting, content development, localization, regulatory compliance support, and performance analytics through the program.
The European expansion operates under GDPR, EFPIA guidelines, British Data Protection Act 2018, and ABPI standards. IPG Health recently hired Annie Foster from Meta as Group Director of Social Media Creative to support the expansion. The company cited research showing over 80% of UK healthcare professionals use digital platforms and social media for knowledge sharing and networking.
Brands turned to Discord server sponsorships as an alternative marketing channel in 2025, bypassing the platform's limited Quest advertising product. Discord launched Quests worldwide in March 2024, which rewards users with badges for completing promotional tasks, but the program remained largely restricted to gaming and entertainment brands like "Call of Duty" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." Discord recently expanded Quests to mainstream advertisers including Uber and Wendy's.
Meanwhile, brands including Jack in the Box, Samsung, Netflix and Mentos partnered directly with Discord server owners throughout 2024. Jack in the Box worked with agency Wildfire in June to sponsor servers like NA Practice Scrims, a Fortnite community with 114,000 members, promoting a livestream with T-Pain.
Discord reported 200 million monthly active users in early 2024 and operated 19 million active servers as of January 2024. Creator collective Good Good Golf launched its Discord server in September with built-in sponsorship inventory for brands like Mountain Dew and Callaway, though financial terms were not disclosed.
The Big 3 Podcast - September Recap Podcast Now Out!
Join us for The Big 3 by Influence Weekly, where hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene deliver expert commentary on the creator economy's most impactful business developments. Each month, they offer insider perspectives on industry-shifting stories, unpacking what these changes mean for brands and marketing professionals in the creator economy
Interesting People
Former Goldman Sachs executive Codie Sanchez built a $100 million portfolio of small businesses while generating over 100 million monthly views through her company Contrarian Thinking. Sanchez taught over 9,000 students to acquire businesses rather than depend on platform algorithms for creator revenue.
Speaking on the Karat Podcast with Karat Finance cofounder Eric Wei, Sanchez outlined why traditional creator economics fail. Brand partnerships require companies to generate 2x to 15x more revenue than creator payments to remain profitable, while creators bear execution risk with no guaranteed returns.
Sanchez advocates using content skills to enhance existing cash-flowing businesses rather than monetizing creativity directly. Her portfolio includes Pink's Window Cleaning with 130 franchise locations, where young owners use content for competitive positioning.
A group of 20 Filipino content creators launched Creators Against Corruption in Pasig City on Thursday to combat government corruption through social media campaigns. The coalition includes tech reviewers and horror storytellers who plan to use their platforms for civic action.
Tech influencer Carlo Ople serves as lead convenor for the group, which formed in response to the Philippines' flood control scandal. The creators cited a viral Senate hearing image showing cash piles at a Department of Public Works and Highways office as motivation for their activism.
The group extends ongoing digital campaigns that previously targeted wealthy individuals accused of flaunting ill-gotten wealth online. Ople told This Week in Asia the coalition remains open to new members from various backgrounds. The creators aim to maintain sustained pressure against corruption rather than temporary social media activism, leveraging their diverse audiences to demand government accountability through their existing content platforms.
Sydney Kaplan leveraged her tech PR background to build a TikTok content creation business focused on reality TV recaps and New York City lifestyle content. Kaplan previously worked in PR for Amazon Web Services and Facebook's Security and Privacy division before transitioning to content creation during the pandemic.
Her first viral TikTok covered "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" commentary. Kaplan secured her first brand partnership with Kiehl's after creating content about Equinox dropping the skincare brand from their facilities. She applied her PR skills to pitch the partnership directly to Kiehl's and contacted reporters covering the story.
Kaplan temporarily stepped back from content creation to work at Abercrombie during the pandemic but returned to focus full-time on her creator business in 2024. One apartment tour video generated two million views. She expanded into freelance writing for Betches and StyleCaster while developing a romance novel.
Kaplan is now represented by Greenlight Group. She has published essays on Substack and continues creating content across TikTok and Instagram, focusing on educational hooks and audience engagement strategies developed from her corporate communications experience.
Shavone Charles departed TikTok after serving three and a half years as Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Multicultural Communications. Charles launched the Future of Fashion series at New York Fashion Week through her creative collective Future of Creatives, partnering with Ford Models Digital and Soho House.
TikTok hired Charles as its first diversity and inclusion communications executive to address concerns from Black creators about lack of recognition for viral trends they originated on the platform. Her departure comes amid broader corporate pullbacks from diversity initiatives, with Meta recently terminating most DEI programs following similar moves by McDonald's, Ford, Amazon, Walmart, and John Deere.
The executive departure coincides with continued uncertainty over TikTok's future in the U.S., as the Trump administration provides extensions for ByteDance to find an American buyer. Charles previously held communications roles at Twitter and Instagram before joining TikTok.
Progressive Twitch streamer Hasan Piker discusses the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, revealing he was scheduled to debate Kirk at Dartmouth in two weeks. Piker describes watching Kirk's shooting unfold live on stream as "devastating" and notes he immediately received increased death threats afterward. The influencer, who reports receiving "millions of death threats" over the years, expressed concerns about rising "decentralized violence" stemming from democratic institutions failing to meet public demands.
Piker attributes political violence to structural problems like housing costs, healthcare expenses, and economic despair creating resentment. He plans to continue public events despite security fears, stating he won't "let fear dictate" his life. Piker warns the worst-case scenario involves political persecution by authorities combined with individual acts of vengeance targeting marginalized groups and political opponents. He maintains humanity through family connections and in-person interactions, contrasting with online anonymity's cruelty.
Teen influencer Salish Matter's skincare line launch at American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on September 6 drew thousands of fans and required state police intervention. The 15-year-old influencer was launching her "Sincerely Yours" skincare line at Sephora when crowds exceeded expectations.
Jordan Matter, Salish's father and a YouTube creator with tens of millions of subscribers, told People magazine that triple the expected number of attendees showed up despite using Eventbrite for registration. Videos showed fans packed across three mall levels, pressing against glass barriers as safety announcements instructed crowds to step back.
State police shut down the planned stage show early due to safety concerns. Salish and her father were kept backstage and escorted from the mall at 3 p.m., seven hours before the scheduled conclusion.
Attendees posted complaints on social media describing the event as poorly planned and chaotic, with reports of parents pushing and line cutting. Salish later called the experience "the scariest day of my life" during a livestream.
Industry News
LTK, a creator commerce platform that drives nearly $6 billion in annual sales, launched two business model updates on September 15. The platform introduced Brand Profiles within its consumer app and made its brand platform free for core features.
Brand Profiles allow companies to establish direct presence in the LTK app, which serves 40 million monthly users including nearly 40% of U.S. Gen Z and Millennial women. Brands curate creator content featuring their products rather than publishing original posts. Eight brands including Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta, and Abercrombie & Fitch will launch profiles next month.
LTK converted its brand platform into a free creator management system. The free tier includes multiple user seats, creator content viewing, analytics access, direct messaging, and campaign posting. Premium features require payment but LTK did not disclose pricing.
The moves follow recent platform enhancements that generated a 138% increase in app time spent and 160% increase in video views. LTK strengthened its executive team with Kristi O'Brien as Chief Revenue Officer and Kit Ulrich as Chief Experience Officer.
Later introduced AI-Powered Brand Suitability Insights, an enterprise solution that evaluates creator partnerships through risk assessment and performance analysis. The tool analyzes 12 risk categories including profanity and competitor conflicts, generating reports with brand suitability scores, risk matrices, audience intelligence, and performance analytics.
Later, a social media management platform, acquired creator commerce company Mavely for $250 million earlier this year. The company subsequently launched "Mavely Boosts," which provides creators access to increased commission opportunities without follower count requirements.
The AI tool represents the first phase of Later's broader artificial intelligence strategy for 2025. Later works with brands including Crumbl, Kylie Cosmetics, ESPN, and YouTube on influencer marketing campaigns.
Later plans to expand AI capabilities and Boosts features throughout 2025, with additional retail partnerships and enhanced discovery features in development. The company positioned Mavely Boosts as the "industry's first centralized discovery feed" for creator earning opportunities.
Sprout Social launched a new integration with Canva that allows users to send completed designs directly to Sprout's publishing workflow, according to a September 17 announcement. Sprout Social provides social media management software to approximately 30,000 brands.
The integration preserves captions, tags, profile groups, and scheduled times during the transfer between platforms. Canva is a visual communication and design platform. The feature eliminates steps between design creation and social media posting by removing the need to download and upload content between systems.
FedEx reported workflow improvements from the integration. Matthew Wallace, Manager of Global Social Media at FedEx, said the feature saves time by eliminating extra download and upload steps. Scott Morris, CMO of Sprout Social, positioned the integration as addressing brand competition for social media attention.
The launch coincides with Sprout Social research showing short-form video delivers the highest ROI and receives the most marketing investment in 2025. The integration became available immediately upon announcement.
Snap unveiled Snap OS 2.0 for its Spectacles augmented reality glasses ahead of the planned public launch in 2026. The operating system update features an overhauled browser with improved loading speeds, reduced power consumption, and WebXR support for immersive AR experiences.
New features include a home screen with widgets and bookmarks, a dedicated Spotlight Lens for hands-free video viewing, and Travel Mode for stabilized AR content during motion. Snap has invested $3 billion over 11 years developing the AR technology, positioning the glasses as "an ultra-powerful wearable computer."
Hundreds of developers from 30 countries are currently building applications for Spectacles, including SightCraft by Enklu and NavigatAR by Utopia Labs. The rhythm game Synth Riders will soon be available on the platform.
Snap faces competition from Meta, which plans to release AR glasses in 2027 with enhanced power and battery life. The company distributed its fifth-generation Spectacles to developers in 2024 before the consumer launch.
YouTube expanded its likeness detection technology to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program, the company announced Tuesday at its Made On event in New York. The tool helps identify AI-generated content featuring someone's face and allows creators to request removal through YouTube's privacy complaint process.
YouTube initially partnered with Creative Artists Agency in December to develop and test the technology, then expanded access in April. Pilot testers included MrBeast, Mark Rober, Doctor Mike and Marques Brownlee.
The system operates similarly to YouTube's Content ID, which identifies copyright-protected content, but addresses likeness protection rather than copyright issues. Vice President of Creator Products Amjad Hanif said the technology scales existing privacy protections for creators whose businesses face threats from unauthorized AI cloning.
YouTube endorsed the federal NO FAKES Act, which would require platforms to respond quickly to takedown requests for AI-generated likeness content. The company plans to expand detection beyond facial recognition and is experimenting with authorized partnerships that give creators revenue opportunities from AI usage of their content.
Canada-based AIR Media-Tech worked with 2,500 creators across 44 countries who generate 20 billion monthly views, providing technology solutions for YouTube channel growth and monetization. The company became a certified YouTube partner in 2011 and developed services spanning content optimization, rights management, and financial tools.
AIR's client "Kids Diana Show" grew from 500 subscribers to 136 million on their main channel, with more than 250 million total subscribers across 20 translated channels. The company operates 270 translated YouTube channels and provides translation services in more than 50 languages as a YouTube recommended vendor.
The company launched several platforms in 2025. Oxys.ai generates video ideas and automates content optimization using AI. Royalty.io enables creators to tokenize future ad revenue streams through blockchain technology, allowing fans to purchase tokens backed by YouTube income shares. AIR also operates MilX, a financial platform that provides creators early access to earnings before YouTube's payment cycles and automates team payments.
YouTube announced new AI-powered content creation tools at its Made on YouTube event Tuesday, targeting creators across short video, gaming and podcast categories. The platform, which hosts over 50 million creator-made channels, introduced features set to roll out through 2026.
For YouTube Shorts, the company launched Veo Fast, a text-to-video tool that creates animated videos from written prompts, and Lyria 2, which generates custom soundtracks based on musical preferences. An "Edit with AI" feature transforms raw footage into edited drafts with transitions and music.
YouTube added podcast promotion tools that automatically generate highlight reels from full episodes for use as Shorts. The platform surpassed 1 billion podcast viewers in February. Gaming creators received new livestreaming capabilities including Playables mini-games, simultaneous horizontal and vertical screen broadcasting, and AI-generated highlight creation from streams.
The tools are currently being tested with select creators in select countries before wider release.
Bending Spoons agreed to acquire video platform Vimeo for $1.38 billion in an all-cash transaction announced September 11. Vimeo shareholders will receive $7.85 per share, representing a 91% premium over the company's 60-day volume-weighted average share price. The deal was unanimously approved by Vimeo's board and is expected to close in Q4 2025.
Bending Spoons operates digital technology businesses including Evernote, Meetup, and WeTransfer, serving over one billion users globally. The Italian company plans to make investments in Vimeo's creator and enterprise offerings after the acquisition closes. Vimeo will become privately held and delisted from public exchanges upon completion.
The acquisition comes during increased creator economy M&A activity, with transaction volume jumping 73% year-over-year in the first half of 2025 according to Quartermast Advisors. Vimeo, founded in 2004 and spun off from IAC in 2021, had lost nearly 90% of its market value since becoming independent, prompting the board to consider strategic alternatives.
PRophet released AI Agentic Search for InfluencerMarketing.AI (IMAI) in May 2025, introducing conversational search capabilities that allow marketers to discover creators using natural language queries. The tool enables users to ask questions like "Show me fashion influencers in Paris with high engagement on TikTok" and receive real-time results, moving beyond traditional filtering systems.
IMAI founder and CEO Eran Nizri said the technology connects campaign briefs to full execution through automated creator matching, fraud detection, and ROI measurement. IMAI was acquired by Stagwell Inc. in 2024 along with influencer agency LEADERS, now powering PRophet Influence within Stagwell's communications technology suite.
The platform plans global expansion and integration with commerce platforms including Amazon and TikTok Shop. IMAI's database processes multiple performance indicators to identify creators most likely to deliver campaign results, with the system remembering past searches for personalized recommendations.
YouTube announced it paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies since 2021, marking a $30 billion increase from the $70 billion CEO Neal Mohan reported between 2021 and 2024. The Google-owned platform revealed the milestone at its annual Made on YouTube event in New York City.
The company attributed growth partly to connected TV viewership, with channels earning more than $100,000 from TV screens jumping 45% year over year. YouTube unveiled new artificial intelligence tools for YouTube Shorts, its short-form video product, allowing creators to turn raw footage into edited clips with AI-generated music, transitions and voiceover.
The platform will integrate Google's latest AI video generator, Veo 3, into Shorts. YouTube turned 20 years old in April and hosts over 20 billion videos including music, Shorts and podcasts. Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich announced the features as YouTube positions itself as a media business competitor.
Podcast advertising growth slowed despite platforms investing heavily in creator talent, with global ad spend growth forecast to decelerate from 13.2% in 2024 to 7.9% in 2025 and 6.5% in 2026, according to WARC Media data. UK podcast ad spend rose just 8% in 2024 to £90 million, down from 23% growth between 2022 and 2023.
Major platforms continued betting on exclusive content deals. Spotify paid $250 million for Joe Rogan's podcast rights, SiriusXM signed Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy for $125 million, and Amazon secured the Kelce brothers' podcast for $100 million. However, Spotify's ad-supported revenue fell roughly 1% year-over-year in Q2 to €453 million.
Digital bank Monzo expanded podcast partnerships after initial tests with Spotify generated conversion rates three times above benchmarks and app downloads 22 times above financial services averages. Website builder Squarespace has invested in podcast advertising since 2009, maintaining long-term creator relationships including a five-year partnership with Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert.
Influencers are building direct communication channels through newsletters and messaging services to reduce dependence on social media platforms. English singer Frankie Bridge built direct lines through her newsletter, while Ed Sheeran promoted his official mailing list on Instagram and offered WhatsApp updates for fans.
Comedian Jack Whitehall used email lists for comedy tour announcements, and entrepreneur Grace Beverley built direct relationships with her audience for fitness and business ventures. These creators cited concerns over algorithm changes that can reduce organic reach overnight and platform instability that could eliminate their audience access.
The shift represents creators treating their audiences as owned assets rather than rented platform followers. Email newsletters provide direct access without algorithm interference and offer actual customer data versus social media vanity metrics. Industry observers noted that 1,000 engaged email subscribers can deliver more value than 100,000 passive Instagram followers through higher open rates and conversion rates.
Good Tape, a Los Angeles-based podcast industry magazine founded by former Gumball VP Dane Cardiel in late 2022, expanded its operations across multiple business units in 2024 and 2025. The company launched Good Tape Studio in 2024, led by Sami Wittwer and Cardiel, offering creative services including podcast branding and pitch development to clients such as Sounds Profitable and Lower Street.
Good Tape appointed Becca James as Managing Editor ahead of its third print edition, replacing founding editor Alana Hope Levinson. James previously worked at The A.V. Club, Thrillist, and Vulture covering podcast content. The biannual print publication prepares to release "The Celebrity Issue" this fall.
In March 2025, Good Tape formalized "Off The Record," a networking initiative for podcast executives that evolved from informal Brooklyn meetups started in 2023. The program, now led by Cardiel, Kristin Myers, and Meggan Ellingboe, establishes its founding chapter in Los Angeles with support from launch partner Listening Party Agency.
Registration Required
President Trump extended TikTok's divestiture deadline for the fourth time, pushing negotiations until December 16 while announcing a framework deal with China. The proposed structure would spin TikTok's US operations into a new company with Chinese ownership reduced below 20 percent.
ByteDance would retain ownership of the algorithm but license it to the American entity, while existing investors like General Atlantic and Susquehanna would roll over stakes. Oracle is expected to invest, with potential connections to Larry Ellison's son David's Warner Bros. Discovery bid creating speculation about Hollywood synergies. Legal experts question whether the arrangement satisfies congressional requirements, since the law mandates cutting "operational relationships" including algorithm cooperation.
Former Biden adviser Lindsay Gorman argues licensing the algorithm fails to address national security concerns, while Georgetown's Anupam Chander suggests significant ownership reduction could resolve data collection issues. The deal resembles April negotiations derailed by trade talks and raises questions about shifting from potential Chinese propaganda to American corporate influence over the platform's 170 million US users.
CreatorDB, an influencer marketing company headquartered in Taipei with operations in Los Angeles, raised $4.67 million in Series A funding led by Acorn Pacific Ventures. The six-year-old startup collected its first venture capital investment after reaching profitability in 17 months while bootstrapped.
The company operates a database of over 10 million creators and collects 7 billion data points daily across 32 million creator profiles. CreatorDB serves brands including Perplexity, Notion, McDonald's, and Visa through managed campaigns, self-serve software, and API licensing. The platform uses natural language processing to categorize content, estimate pricing, and analyze audience demographics.
CreatorDB reported 115% net dollar retention, with customers expanding spending year-over-year. The company achieved a Rule of 40 score of 51% in 2024 and grew gross revenue rates three times over two years. It employs approximately 80 people globally across 14 languages.
The funding will expand AI tool development, launch self-serve platforms, and grow US operations from its recently opened Los Angeles office.
YouTube announced its biggest livestreaming updates since 2013, positioning live content as the next major growth opportunity. The platform believes livestreaming sits at a similar inflection point as video podcasting did four years ago. New features include practice mode for nervous streamers, side-by-side ads replacing interrupting breaks, and expanded watch party capabilities allowing creators to broadcast alongside other live feeds.
Over thirty percent of YouTube's daily users consume live content, making it the most popular livestreaming platform ahead of TikTok and Twitch. Despite this reach, livestreaming remains relatively niche beyond gaming audiences. YouTube aims to attract mainstream creators by making the format more accessible, though the raw nature of live content presents moderation challenges. The push reflects broader industry interest in live programming, with platforms seeking to maximize active screen time and compete for real-time audience engagement.
Tech podcast TBPN hired Dylan Abruscato as president just 11 months after launch, highlighting the rapid growth potential of independent media. The daily business show, hosted by founders John Coogan and Jordi Hays, targets affluent tech executives and investors with three-hour episodes covering business news. The company expects $5 million in ad revenue this year and aims to triple that to $15 million in 2026 under Abruscato's leadership.
Former Postmates executive and HQ Trivia partnerships head Abruscato will expand beyond the show's current business-to-business advertisers to pursue luxury brands and consumer companies. TBPN operates with just 5% advertising compared to the 10.9% podcast industry average, preferring to grow audience size and increase pricing rather than add more ads. The profitable, bootstrapped company employs ten people and represents the trend of content creators building substantial businesses beyond simple side hustles.
Nick Adams, Trump's nominee for US Ambassador to Malaysia, disclosed $47,000 in earnings from Cameo since 2024 according to his financial disclosure obtained by Business Insider. Cameo allows users to purchase personalized video messages from public figures, with Adams charging $100 minimum for messages including roasts and birthday greetings.
Adams earned over $380,000 from his nonprofit Foundation for American Liberty and Greatness during the reporting period from January through June 2025. He also received $156,000 from his consulting entity Highfield Consulting and $114,000 from 36 paid speaking appearances, primarily to Republican Party groups.
Additional income sources included $56,000 from Influenceable, a conservative social media promotion firm, and $41,000 from monetized Meta accounts. Adams also earned $28,000 from appearances on Al Jazeera and $11,850 from X's creator payment system. Under his ethics agreement, Adams must cease outside compensation if confirmed as ambassador.
BuzzFeed relaunched its flagship YouTube channel as part of ongoing business restructuring efforts amid increasing competition in digital media. The BuzzFeed Video channel will revive popular series while introducing new programming content. The move represents another attempt by the struggling digital media company to revitalize its video strategy and audience engagement on the platform.
BuzzFeed continues pursuing broad operational changes as it navigates the increasingly saturated digital media landscape where many publishers face declining revenues and audience fragmentation. The relaunch signals the company's commitment to maintaining its presence on YouTube despite previous content strategy shifts and organizational changes that have marked its recent transformation efforts.
OnlyFans creator Katherine Green initially celebrated being included in Trump's tax-free tips policy, which covers digital content creators alongside traditional tipped workers like waitresses and golf caddies. The Houston-based dominatrix expected "a decent-sized tax break" under the law allowing up to $25,000 in annual tip deductions. However, Treasury later announced it would exclude tips from "illegal activity, prostitution or pornography," potentially disqualifying adult content creators.
Over 25% of major influencers earn tips, with adult creators particularly reliant on gratuities. The policy could reshape creator compensation structures and significantly exceed the estimated $32 billion four-year cost as more creators restructure payments as tips. Tax experts warn defining digital tips presents complications, as voluntary payments differ from subscription fees for additional content. The temporary nature through 2028 and income caps may limit sophisticated tax planning, though creators will likely adapt compensation models to maximize benefits.