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Happy Tuesday Creators!

Okay real talk, its been some time since you’ve heard from me. It isn’t the first time and won’t be the last (I’m sure). Since the last newsletter I have been very busy focusing on family and work. Between everything going on in my life and non-stop exhaustion, I couldn’t find any time to focus on writing. Thankfully, this past weekend allowed me to catch my breath. I decided it had been far too long since we last spoke, so I got to writing!

I’m preparing for a few difficult weeks ahead so don’t be surprised if I drop off the map again. However, I will do my best to continue to deliver on the promise of this newsletter: providing resources and insights for passionate content creators.

Please enjoy the con-con-content!

Dim

✅Tuesday To-Dos

Every week I curate five actionable tasks to help you improve your content. See what’s new this week 👇

1. 🧠 BRAINSTORM - Struggling to find ideas for your next subathon? I released the beta version of my Subathon Idea Generator. Try it out for free!

2. 🔴 MULTISTREAM - If you plan on multistreaming soon, but don’t know where to start I couldn’t recommend Restream enough. Getting it up and running takes minutes! Create an account for FREE.

3. ⬇️ DOWNLOAD - Have you already lost track of your content creator goals for 2024? This useful Notion template can help you build new habits more consistently. (created by iamsourabhshen)

4. 📝READ - Procrastinating on filing your tax return? This article from TaxAct explains what content creators need to do to file your taxes PROPERLY. Check it out!

5. 📝READ - If you’re in the market for a video editor but aren’t sure what is a fair price, you’re in luck! Mario Joos shared a thread providing insights into hiring a video editor with pricing based on the type of edit.

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🥇This Week’s Top Stories

YouTube CEO Shares Vision For 2024 And Beyond

Last week, YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan shared his vision for the platform and he revealed some HUGE news about where YouTube is headed in 2024. If you’re interested in reading the letter, it is available here. Below I break down the letter’s four key takeaways.

YouTube is Embracing AI Content Creation

Neal Mohan reveals that YouTube will continue to invest heavily in AI tools for content creation, aiming to democratize the creative process. In the letter, Mohan states that, “AI should empower human creativity, not replace it.”

Depending on your personal viewpoints on AI, this may or may not be welcoming news. I have mixed feelings about AI. As a content creator and professional designer and marketer, I don’t agree with how certain AI products acquire their data. Most of the time, its straight up theft. However, I do believe that AI presents numerous benefits across industries and would feel more comfortable supporting startups who take a more ethical approach to AI-generated content.

Shorts Is Unstoppable

Shorts are claiming the spotlight as the world's rapidly burgeoning media format, amassing over 70 billion daily views. Although the sheer volume is staggering, the real headline is the 50% growth in channels posting Shorts over the past year.

Despite many who predicted Shorts would slow down, it appears its here to stay for now. Creators who are looking to extend their reach on YouTube have to invest in Shorts content.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Shorts trends since early last year. I tested Shorts content on my main channel and my Fall Guys channel with great success. However, I learned that the only way to continue improving Shorts performance is by posting consistently and frequently. Additionally, Shorts don’t convert new subscribers as well as long-form content does so its important to incorporate both in your content strategy.

More YouTube In Your Living Room

An astonishing statistic reveals a 400% surge in channels predominantly watched on TV over the past three years. Neal Mohan's strategy to further tap into this explosive growth underscores a pivotal shift.

I thought this one was particularly interesting because I actively watch more YouTube than I do any other streaming service. I have YouTube on my living room TV while I eat, on my desktop while I work, and in my car during my morning commute.

YouTube is often dismissed in the streaming wars debate dominated by Netflix, Disney, and Amazon. However, the statistics show that YouTube is viewed as more than another mobile app on your iPhone, but a comprehensive streaming service that is worthy of the living room space.

Unparalleled Creator Monetization

With over 3 million creators enrolled in the Partner Program and a staggering $70 billion disbursed in the past three years, YouTube's commitment to creator monetization is unrivaled. While it's heartening to see emerging platforms beginning to compensate creators, YouTube remains the undisputed leader in this arena, setting a lofty benchmark for others to aspire to. With Twitch recently revealing its unprofitability, many creators will turn to YouTube to monetize their content dependably.

This letter outlines a transformative roadmap that has many implications for YouTube in the coming years. As fellow creators, I encourage you to keep these changes in mind as you continue pushing your content forward. Creators who ignore these seismic shifts will undoubtedly be left behind. The creators that adapt have an opportunity to leverage the full potential of this evolving platform.

Disney x Fortnite Multi-Year Partnership Valued at $1.5 Billion

In a recent press release, the Walt Disney Company announced their plans to invest $1.5 Billion into Epic Games and Fornite to “collaborate on an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences.”

Late last year, Epic Games revealed the expansion of the Fortnite metaverse with new experiences including Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Rocket Racing. This trend continues with this latest partnership between Disney and Epic Games further expanding what is possible in gaming.

What Can Gamers Expect

According to the press release, these new experiences will allow Fortnite players “to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more.”

While this isn’t an entirely new concept, it does expand upon the types of experiences we’ve received in the past. In recent years, Fortnite has dropped in-game skins and events highlighting characters and locations from Star Wars and Marvel. However, this new partnership seemingly expands upon this hinting at more opportunities to consume video content and purchase digital (and maybe physical) items through Fortnite.

I remember seeing so many videos discussing the future of Fortnite and creators calling it a dead game. Even I have called the game stale in the past. However, there is no mistake that Fortnite has evolved beyond the battle royale experience that put it on the map in 2017. Epic Games envisions Fortnite as a hub for immersive experiences more closely resembling the metaverse that Facebook attempted to introduce a few years ago.

What Can Content Creators Expect

Fortnite is no longer about sweaty build fights to claim that coveted victory royale. It will continue to introduce more casual gamer-friendly experiences to further expand its player base and average concurrently player count. More players means more viewers interested in Fortnite-related content on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Content Creators can get ahead of this upcoming trend to build out game-exclusive content.

Fortnite has no shortage of content. The game releases updates on a weekly basis. If you happen to be at SypherPK levels of content creator mastery, maybe the current experience is a little stale. This should be less of an issue going forward as Fortnite plans to beef up its experiences to offer even more ways to engage with players.

The future of Fortnite is looking brighter than ever.

Pokimane Says Goodbye To Twitch…But Not Without Throwing Some Shade

On a recent episode [Spotify] of her podcast, “Don’t Tell Anyone with Pokimane”, the popular Twitch streamer explained her reasons for leaving Twitch after many years of success on the live streaming platform.

Exclusivity Deals + Burnout

During the episode, Pokimane elaborates on her personal experience signing exclusivity deals with Twitch. She talks about how her contract forced her to prioritize hours streamed instead of the quality of the content. She feels that these contract terms are partially responsible for the “lazy content” that can be found on the platform. Rather than focus on pushing content quality and exploring new ideas, creators are forced to meet their hours and eventually burnout.

Recently Twitch announced they would not be pursuing new exclusivity deals and have taken steps to loosen their restrictions around multi-streaming to encourage creators to venture onto other platforms. As a result, many prominent streamers like Pokimane are choosing to explore other platforms and content ideas (like her new podcast) rather than stream on Twitch.

Twitch’s “Messy” Challenges

Pokimane highlights how some of the challenges Twitch is facing has influenced her decision to move on. During the podcast, she expressed her concern about the platform’s profitability issues, the male-dominated community, lack of safety for minorities, and “messy” behavior.

While many may lash out at some of Pokimane’s criticisms of the platform, I think what she had to say was very valid. It is also worth noting that she expressed gratitude for her time on Twitch.

It's no secret that Twitch has been trying to get better at handling these problems, but it looks like there's still a long road ahead. This isn't something new either. We've seen other big names like Ludwig, Valkyrae, and DrLupo switch over to YouTube for similar reasons.

Remember when Pokimane was pretty much the queen of Twitch? Her moving on is kind of a big deal and marks a change of guard, so to speak. But hey, change is the only constant, right? If you're curious to hear more from her, you can find her spilling the tea on her podcast and streaming on YouTube.

• TwitchCon 2024 will be heading to Rotterdam and San Diego. Twitch will continue hosting their annual event at Rotterdam through 2026 and San Diego through 2028. There goes my prediction😅. Read more on the official Twitch blog post.

• Twitch is providing game developers official plugins to help them build new experiences with Twitch interactivity.

• Twitch streamers can now track their eligibility for the Plus Program through the Partner Plus panel located in the Earnings Analytics in the Creator Dashboard. Learn more

• Twitch discreetly concluded several long-term partnership deals it had made with publishers such as Rolling Stone, Complex, and Vice.

• Twitch’s Black Brilliance shelf is featured for Black History Month

• Vertical Live Streams are HERE! Go live and get discovered in the Shorts Feed. Just like TikTok Live, creators can now broadcast in a vertical layout. Huge W!

• YouTube now allows Creators to upload their podcast episodes via RSS Feed. Here’s a helpful tutorial.

• YouTube is testing a feature that lets users "like" Super Chat messages in a live stream or Premiere.

• You can now feature your top clips on your channel. All you have to do is navigate to YouTube Studio > Customization > Add New Section and select it from the drop down menu. Learn more about clips.

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🎙️ Creator News

• Kai Cenat and other streamers will be competing in the NBA’s All-Star Celebrity Game. The event will feature celebrities including Peyton Manning, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, CJ Stroud and more.

• Mizkif and Knut are running their own fitness gym called Iron Forge Gym. Check out their announcement video!

• Will Neff joins OTK and releases the most bonkers announcement video I’ve ever seen.

• Popular YouTube Matt Patt announced his retirement from The Game Theorist channel.

• MrBeast published a full-length video on Twitter that earned 176 millions views and netted him $100,000+ in revenue (which he promptly gave away).

• Voting for QTCinderella’s Streamer Awards Show is now closed. The event with premiere on February 17th.

🔴Streaming News

• Remember when every streamer wouldn’t stop talking about Hover? Well, Hover has been resurrected into a creator economy news site.

• TikTok has removed music by stars including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo from videos after TikTok’s licensing agreement with their record label, Universal Music Group, expired.

• LiveSpace introduces animated emotes to their growing live streaming platform.

🎮 Gaming News

• Disney plans to invest $1.5 billion in Epic Games and will be working with the publisher to create “a transformational new games and entertainment universe” within Fortnite.

• Wild Card Football gets featured in a recent Twitch Rivals event teaming up pro football stars like Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Amon-Ra St. Brown with some of your favorite streamers.

• 100 Thieves drops some hot merch in a collaboration with Pokémon. Gotta buy them all!

• Speaking of Pokémon, Palworld hit some crazy numbers in January selling over 2 million copies and reaching a peak of 432,486 concurrent viewers on Twitch.

🥳You Made It To The End!🥳
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Did you enjoy this week’s newsletter? If you did, I’d love if you would take a second to share this newsletter with at least one friend this week. By doing that once, you’d not only be supporting the newsletter, but you’d also help your friend be better informed about everything happening in the gaming / streaming space. Look at you being such a good friend!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you next week!

-Dim

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