FAST channels are the new status symbol among top YouTube creators. I dug into why in my newsletter this week. likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/fast-times...

FAST Times (and Cash) for YouTube Creators

MrBeast, Dhar Mann, Michelle Khare get in on the booming space with their own 24/7 channels

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Substack’s top voices are going live with can’t-miss Taylor Swift takes. Thursday: @natjarv.bsky.social and Ochuko Akpovbovbo will chat about Swift’s digital strategy. Friday: @kateyrich.bsky.social @chrisjrosen.bsky.social and @hunterh.bsky.social will discuss Swift's film ambitions bit.ly/4n43AXD

As the podcast industry completely reinvents itself as a video medium, YouTube is rolling out a new feature to help creators turn their audio into video using AI. I got an exclusive early look at the technology that you can read all about here: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/cowherd-sm...

Cowherd, Smosh, Gladwell: YouTube’s AI Tools Get a Starry Podcast Test Drive

SCOOP: I get an early look and exclusive details on new features announced today that can turn transcripts into video — and unlock huge potential for back catalog

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Sour candy interviews, bedroom chats, and slime merch. @natjarv.bsky.social reports on Gen Alpha's favorite podcasts Pucker Up, LOL, and Girl Talk that are outpacing Joe Rogan on the charts and selling out live shows likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/a-gen-alph...

Late night is evolving, and creators like Theo Von, Alex Cooper, and Sean Evans are leading the way. @natjarv.bsky.social breaks down how YouTube and podcasts took over late night and why legacy TV never figured out the business model likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/the-youtub...

Ms. Rachel was the #7 most-watched TV show on Netflix during the first half of the year with 53 million views…for only 4 episodes of repackaged YouTube content

Golf is surging in popularity, not just on the fairway but also on YouTube, where dozens of channels and shows about golf have sprouted in recent years. I even hear one NFL player is such a fan that he wants to launch a channel of his own likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/golfs-big-...

Golf’s Big Swing: YouTube, Gen Z & Creators Over Country Clubs

A deep dive into how the sport is reinventing itself for younger fans — and why media companies, investors & the PGA Tour are paying attention

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

YouTube shows were shut out of the Emmys this year — even in the short form categories — after a big push by the Google-owned streamer to campaign for its creators. You can read my story about their efforts here: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/youtube-st...

YouTube Stormed TV. Now They Want Its Emmys Too

Inside the company's campaign to convince voters — and advertisers — that their stars and shows stand on the same ground as Hollywood's A-list

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

VC money is flowing again. Creator studios are scaling. And platforms are starting to treat top creators like production companies, not just talent. @natjarv.bsky.social tracks four trends shaping the business and predictions for the rest of the year bit.ly/4eJNlM

Creators have sold merch, tours, and meet-and-greets. Sam and Colby are selling fear. Their escape room fuses audience lore, production design, and YouTube storytelling into a terrifying, monetizable fan experience. @natjarv.bsky.social goes inside Asylum: Room 1952: bit.ly/3GssBfy

The buzzword heard up and down the Croisette: authenticity. From Cannes Lions, Janice Min and @likensubscribenews.bsky.social' @natjarv.bsky.social join @elainelow.bsky.social to consider if creators’ drive to be true to themselves will protect them from AI theankler.com/p/youtube-vs...

SCOOP: ReelShort tells The Ankler it’s made The Adjuster, a microdrama based on Luigi Mangione's case. @elainelow.bsky.social and @natjarv.bsky.social explore the $5B microdrama market, where actors earn big bucks, and viewers are addicted to paywalled cliffhangers theankler.com/p/microdrama...

Want to know what it's like to be an influencer today? Watch 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.' I spoke to an EP on the show about how it has changed the women's careers, why you don't see their kids on camera and much more likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/secret-liv...

'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives': How Swinging, Scandal, Soda = Big Bank

I talk to EP Lisa Filipelli about the Hulu hit's influencer lives, the way they make money and the show's lucrative 'halo effect' on their #MomTok brands

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

YouTube’s Emmy play isn’t subtle: “We’ll keep doing this until we get there.” But it’s not just about trophies—it’s about higher CPMs, deeper respect, and redefining what counts as TV. @natjarv.bsky.social charts YouTube's Emmy takeover likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/youtube-st...

Phew

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last yr.

“Sesame Street” has signed a new distribution deal with Netflix, as well as a separate deal with PBS, the show announced on Monday. This gives the children’s show a much needed-boost as it battles a financial crisis. nyti.ms/3Zswh7l

TV isn’t dying. It’s being restructured by creators. With built-in fans and scalable IP, they’re now the safest bet in a shaky industry. @natjarv.bsky.social breaks down how Netflix, Hulu, and other streamers are playing catch-up likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/netflix-is...

This week I interviewed Nick Viall about how he went from The Bachelor to podcast mogul. “I’ve been acting like The Viall Files has been competing with the top 1% of podcasts ever since it existed,” he told me. “Now I feel like I actually am.” likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/nick-viall...

Nick Viall: How I Spun 'Bachelor' Into a $30M Podcast Empire

The reality TV alum and rising media mogul reveals the key decisions that drove an 8-figure outcome

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Here's something cool! @likensubscribenews.bsky.social was shortlisted for a Publisher Newsletter Award! Proud of this barely 4-month-old newsletter and excited to keep telling stories that resonate publishernewsletters.com/2025/en/page...

Everyone from Dude Perfect to Dhar Mann is hiring legacy execs, writers and producers from film and TV — if they're willing to take the pay cut. More from @natjarv.bsky.social likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jobs-talen...

The biggest kids franchises today start on YouTube. Just look at Cocomelon, Blippi & Ms. Rachel. So why aren't more media companies experimenting there? Nickelodeon is with YouTube original Kid Cowboy. I went deep on their strategy this week: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/the-next-p...

'The Next Paw Patrol Will be Born on YouTube': Nickelodeon Shifts Strategy

Exec Ashley Kaplan and creator Freddy Wexler take me inside the inside the launch of 'Kid Cowboy' as the TV network's first original to debut on the free streamer

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Every week, @natjarv.bsky.social interviews creators who are catching her eye. This week: how Nurse John lucked his way into TikTok fame and how his hilarious content helped him stay there likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/webtoon-wh...

I've got your first look at the speaker lineup for VidCon this year, plus a couple other fun stories in this week's newsletter likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/webtoon-wh...

Where Creators Make $1M a Year and Sell Shows to Netflix & Tubi

Webtoon's David J. Lee and David Madden explain its IP business captivating Gen Z (and Margot Robbie). Plus: VidCon news and a spotlight on Nurse John

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

When an AI-powered company mistook food blogger Claire Scott for an OnlyFans star with a similar username, it got Scott’s photos delisted from Google, impacting her finances and growth. @natjarv.bsky.social sees how Scott's fighting back. Plus: the TikTok bid frenzy theankler.com/p/food-blogg...

Did you watch "Paul American" last night? Read my interview with EP Andrew Fried about how the project came to be, what it was like working with the Paul brothers, and how they approached telling a story that would feel fresh to audiences likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jake-logan...

Jake & Logan Paul: Secrets of the Producer Who Shaped Their Outrageous Story for TV

As streamers court creators, Andrew Fried shares how the 'formidable' and 'frustrating' princes of the manosphere somehow ended up on Max

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Today a group of top YouTubers will present their upcoming programming slates to CMOs at an event with Spotter. Here's my spotlight on the company. cutting big checks to creators & acting as their Hollywood consiglieri likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/ad-dollar-...

Ad Dollar Duel! MrBeast, Top Creators Take Aim at TV $ Through This Startup

I talk to the president of Spotter, whose Thursday showcase is a first-of-its-kind Upfront for the likes of Dude Perfect and Kinigra Deon and their libraries

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

This is a doozy of a story and worth the time it takes to read theankler.com/p/stalked-a-...

Stalked: A ‘Baywatch’ Star’s 13-Year Nightmare

For the first time, an actress reveals the private, shattering hell caused by an obsessed fan

theankler.com

Interesting news of the day: Former Disney communications chief (and longtime Bob Iger confidante) Zenia Mucha has hired former Warner Bros. Discovery comms chief (and David Zaslav confidante) Nathaniel Brown as TikTok's new head of corp comms

Next week, Max is dropping a new docuseries about Logan and Jake Paul. I talked exclusively to EP Andrew Fried about working with the outrageous and outrageously controversial brothers likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/jake-and-l...

Jake & Logan Paul: Secrets of the Producer Who Shaped Their Outrageous Story for TV

As streamers court creators, Andrew Fried shares how the 'formidable' and 'frustrating' princes of the manosphere somehow ended up on Max

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Scoop: Emma Chamberlain's Chamberlain Coffee went looking for investment last year & had a hard time raising the funds. Why? It's pitch deck didn't tell a strong growth story. I got my hands on that deck: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/inside-emm...

Exclusive: Inside Emma Chamberlain's Fundraising Scramble to Keep her Coffee Buzz Going

I got my hands on an investor deck that reveals how much money she was trying to raise as market trends and logistical snafus complicated a growth story

likeandsubscribenews.substack.com

Food creator and Bon Appétit Test Kitchen alum Carla Lalli Music seems like she made it as a YouTuber. But she was really losing over $10k a month. She tells @natjarv.bsky.social about the tough choices that led her to take a break from her 230K subscribers bit.ly/41nWTqt