Can Disney find the next CoComelon?

Margo the mole moves into the Mouse House.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

March 05, 2026   |   Read Online TOGETHER WITH It's Thursday and X is auctioning off invites to its X Money payments service with the help of an unexpected ally: Star Trek icon and philanthropist William Shatner. Today's News 🤝 Disney acquires a YouTube success story 🎙️ NBC turns up the "Kornacki Cam" 💸 Keith Lee makes an investment ⚽ KSI buys a soccer club 👨‍🦲 20 bald men, 1 marriage proposal MONEY MOVES Disney wants to keep up with what the little ones are watching. Disney got the rights to stream CoComelon. Now it's hunting for the next big thing. The acquisition: Could a curious little mole be the next Bluey? Disney is willing to bet on it. The Mouse House has signed an acquisition and development deal with Canadian animation studio Lightcatcher Media that covers Little Margo Stories, a two-year-old piece of IP based around the titular rodent. According to Kidscreen, Disney Jr. will pick up the ten Margo episodes that have already been released on YouTube and will also greenlight 50 additional three-minute segments. Those forthcoming installments are currently set to air in 2027 and will include participation from CBC and Radio-Canada, which threw their combined weight behind the extended episode order. The context: Disney+'s staggering library of kids' animation content already includes Bluey, the Australian hit that has been called the most-watched show on streaming. CoComelon will join that lineup in 2027—but the company isn't resting on its laurels in the meantime. Disney understands that it must continue evolving if it hopes to keep up in a media landscape increasingly shaped by YouTube trends. Over the past few years, it has built up in-house channels for brands like Disney Jr., joined forces with media companies like Moonbug, and collabed with kid-friendly stars like Blippi. The addition of TikTok-style videos on Disney+ makes room for short-form content as well. Compared to those high-profile moves, the acquisition of Little Margo Stories—a series that has attracted 340,000 YouTube subscribers and about 121 million lifetime views—may seem like small potatoes. After all, CoComelon draws bigger numbers each week. In such a competitive environment, however, Disney can't just rely on buying into the current big thing in kids' media. It needs to predict the next success story, too. With Margo, the Mouse House seems intent on ferreting out what that sleeper hit will be. 🌟 SPONSORED 🌟 AI video that runs on your hardware, not the cloud. Most AI video tools rely on cloud GPUs, recurring inference costs, and external servers. LTX just released LTX Desktop alongside version 2.3 of its AI video engine, bringing generative video directly to your NVIDIA RTX GPU. LTX Desktop installs like traditional software and runs entirely on your machine, meaning… Professional-grade video No required uploads No mandatory API calls Works online or offline Explore LTX 2.3 LTX is expanding its open-source, open-weight engine into a platform creators and developers can build on. Starting today, teams can run LTX 2.3 locally, fine-tune it, and integrate it into their own production workflows, creating AI video that adapts to their individual styles, characters, and creative DNA. The latest version is focused on production-ready improvements, including: Sharper fine detail Cleaner more stable audio generation Stronger image-to-video consistency Improved prompt interpretation Scene-bridging for smoother transitions Native vertical video support up to 1080×1920 for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok LTX-2 surpassed 3M+ downloads in its first month, with adoption accelerating across developer and creator communities.  Leading global brands and studios are already leveraging LTX. Now the engine runs on your hardware. Download LTX Desktop & Explore LTX 2.3 → HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 Mr. Kornacki is ready for his closeup. NBC plans to play into correspondent Steve Kornacki's cult following by integrating "Kornacki Cam" into YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram streams that will complement his TV segments. (Tubefilter) At this week's Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang implied that Nvidia may no longer be considering its $100 billion investment in OpenAI. (Gizmodo) An independent safety evaluation of OpenAI's ChatGPT Health found that the chatbot underestimated 52% of emergency cases, often encouraging at-risk users to wait instead of seeking immediate care. (Gizmodo) Nearly a thousand Google and OpenAI employees have signed an open letter pushing for clear limits on the use of AI for military purposes. (TechRadar) FOOD BIZ This man is putting some cash to work behind the "Keith Lee effect". Keith Lee just invested in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop The investment: Keith Lee has made his first investment in a culinary brand. The TikTok food reviewer is now an official shareholder in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, an Asian fusion chain that has 22 restaurant locations across the U.S. and Canada and sells frozen dumplings through Walmart and Costco. Lee's investment includes a multi-year content partnership, which will kick off on March 6 when he makes an appearance at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop's Dallas location. Then, on May 16, the restaurant will be a featured vendor at Lee's inaugural food festival FamiLee Day in New Orleans. (Brooklyn Dumpling Shop also got a shoutout in a taste test video Lee posted earlier this week.) "As we continue to expand across North America, having a globally recognized partner who not only drives organic demand, but also understands taste, quality, and what consumers want, strengthens our value proposition for our team, fans, franchisees, retailers, and investors…"   - Jeff Galletly, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop CEO and Chairman The context: Lee is far from the first creator to become an investor. In fact, investing has become an increasingly popular career move for influencers who want to build revenue streams outside of platform income. What we're curious about here is whether Brooklyn Dumpling Shop will see its own injection of the "Keith Lee effect" (a phenomenon in which locales well-reviewed by Lee get a bump in traffic) and how the brand's ongoing partnership with Lee will show up in his digital content.  Lee has over 20 million followers across platforms and is known for his no-nonsense approach to food reviewing, including refusing special treatment from restaurants. Now, he says, "partnering with Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is about more than just great food, it's about community, culture, and creating experiences people can enjoy and trust." FOOTBALL FRENZY Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney aren't the only celebs who can own a soccer team. KSI is buying an English soccer club The investment: Keith Lee isn't the only social media star buying into an IRL brand. As a member of the Sidemen, 32-year-old Olajide "KSI" Olatunji has played at the U.K.'s largest soccer stadium. Now, he's joining the ownership group for the Greater London club Dagenham & Redbridge FC. Dag & Red currently plays in the sixth-highest tier of the English football pyramid. Last season, it was relegated from the National League—the same tier where Welsh club Wrexham AFC was playing when it added a pair of high-profile owners. Since actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney came into the picture, the club has climbed its way up to the second tier of the pyramid: the Championship. This season, Wrexham has a chance to reach the Premier League, which is not just the top of the English football system but also the biggest domestic league in the entire world. In an announcement video, KSI made it clear that he has similar aspirations for Dag & Red. The context: Of course, footballing success isn't a given—even for celebrity owners with significant resources. Dude Perfect has learned that the hard way since securing an ownership stake in Burnley FC. While the club currently competes in the Premier League, it's on the verge of being relegated back down to the Championship. Even with ample support behind them, keeping up with giants like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City is no small ask. KSI, however, has a history when it comes to inspiring climbs up the English pyramid (at least, onscreen). Back when he was still known as KSIolajidebt, the creator scored a hit with Race To Division One, a series that saw him take on promotion challenges in the FIFA video game series. Now, he's playing Race To Division One in real life, with very real stakes. WATCH THIS 👀 If you ask Max Fosh for help with something, you're going to get some interesting results. Would you say yes to this marriage proposal? The big question: If you ask prankster Max Fosh to help you plan "the most unique proposal of all time," well…that's what you're going to get. When a subscriber reached out for that very purpose, the British YouTuber was quick to jump on the opportunity to give the lucky couple—aka Ollie and Elise—"a moment that they'd never forget." His big idea is writing a proposal across the heads of twenty men. (Or, rather, nineteen men and Fosh sporting a bald cap.) Needless to say, a diamond ring was far from the shiniest thing in sight when Ollie got down on one knee. Check out the full video here to find out whether Elise said yes. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​ Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter's audience? Sponsor the newsletter. Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Tubefilter 1450 2nd Street, Ste 275 Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States Powered by beehiiv Terms of Service

EditHers battles the digital gender gap

Fixated zeroes in on creator subscriptions.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

March 04, 2026   |   Read Online TOGETHER WITH It's Wednesday and Netflix is adding yet another dystopian twist to the Squid Game franchise: a celebrity reality show. At this point, we're starting to wonder if the decision makers here have actually watched Squid Game. Today's News 💪 EditHers looks to close the gap 📈 The creator biz fights for attention 💸 Fixated acquires Elevate ⚽ YouTube births a "football revolution" 🚵‍♀️ RedBull gives creators wings CLOSING THE GAP Rachel Kisela is looking for more representation in creator productions. A former MrBeast employee aims to close the gender gap for female editors The service: Spending roughly a year as Lead Video Editor for MrBeast's company brought Rachel Kisela "a lot of purpose"—but it also showed her that female video editors are rarer than they should be. Data from career site Zippia shows that approximately three-quarters of professional video editors are men. That disparity inspired Kisela to launch EditHers, a digital resource that connects female video editors to representatives for big-name creators, including Airrack, Smosh, and, of course, MrBeast. Kisela told Business Insider that EditHers—which operates through a Discord server—has grown to include 200 editors and around 100 creators since its 2024 launch. The context: The video editor gender gap is one example of the systemic issues that affect women in the creator economy. Analysis of influencer marketing deals has shown that men earn more per sponsored post (although women do land more deals overall). Female creators also deal with disproportionate abuse, especially in male-dominated categories like science and gaming. Some of those women are compelled to pay for private security, and even that isn't always enough (as we saw when Emiru was assaulted at TwitchCon 2025). The end product of all that imbalance is a male-dominated industry. In our most recent ranking of the 50 most-subscribed channels of the week on YouTube, 12 of the top 20 channels belong to individual creators. All 12 of those individuals are men. That's why EditHers is more than just a service for editors. It's also a meeting space where women can seek advice about pay gaps, sexist encounters, and other pervasive issues. 🌟 SPONSORED 🌟 Have you entered the $10K Agent Opus Story Mode Challenge? Agent Opus Story Mode is the fastest way to create AI videos—and OpusClip is giving away $10,000 to prove it. Agent Opus Story Mode is the latest and most consistent AI video technology for creators, making it possible to generate full-length videos with the same style carried through every scene.  Upload your own custom style, turn audio into video, or choose from a preset style to create polished content in seconds. It's that easy.  Your Story Mode video could win $1,000. OpusClip is giving away $10,000 to 10 creators who channel their creativity through Story Mode. From now until March 6th, creators can enter to win simply by creating and posting one original video made with Story Mode. Here's how to enter the Agent Opus Story Mode Challenge: Choose any video topic and visit the Agent Opus website to start creating. If you're not logged in, sign up with your email, select 'Story Mode' from the left sidebar, then upload an MP3 (or paste a script). Post your video as a reply to the Story Mode Challenge thread from a public X account. (Or post your video publicly on Instagram and tag @agentopus.) The 10 most-liked videos will each win $1,000. Enter the challenge → HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 Per The Influencer Marketing Factory, 45.6% of creators now make between $10K and $100K. The Influencer Marketing Factory's 2026 Creator Economy Report found that "56% of Gen Z now consider creator content more relevant than TV or film." (Tubefilter) X Head of Product Nikita Bier announced yesterday that "users who post AI-generated videos of an armed conflict" without adding a disclosure "will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days." (X) Meta will reportedly pay "up to $50 million a year" as part of a three-year deal that will allow it to use content from News Corp brands like The Wall Street Journal for AI training. (Engadget) FCC Chairman Brendan Carr confirmed yesterday that Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is a "good deal" and should be approved "pretty quickly." (CNBC) MONEY MOVES Fixated is on a big of an acquisition spree. Fixated is focusing on creator subscriptions with the acquisition of Elevate The acquisition: Fixated is moving forward with its $50 million plan to assemble "the Avengers" of the digital content space. Launched in 2024 by former FaZe Clan President/COO Zach Katz and longtime content creator Jason Wilhelm, Fixated snagged a $50 million investment last December. At the time, it told us it aimed to use a chunk of that money for "targeted" mergers and acquisitions. Now it's putting that plan into action. In January, Fixated bought Ellify, a Canada-based digital talent management company that reps nearly 200 creators, mostly across gaming niches. Fixated's latest purchase focuses on another sector of our industry: subscription businesses, where creators turn their audience members into recurring revenue. The firm is acquiring Elevate, a management and creator monetization company that Fixated says specializes in community growth and brand-safe direct-to-fan revenue models. Elevate was founded in 2023 by Kai Plunk—who previously worked as a Creative Producer for MrBeast—and currently reps 35+ creator clients, including Taalia Vess, CrazyJamJam, and MaisieLynnie. That roster will gain access to Fixated's talent management, brand partnerships, content services, and distribution arms. As part of the acquisition, Plunk will co-lead Fixated's Community division alongside Chris Michael, Fixated's Head of Community. The context: Fixated's M&A binge is central to its goal of building a new kind of agency for today's creators. It's one that understands the full stack of their business, including marketing, production, distribution, monetization, and (now) deep audience engagement. The acquisitions are also part overarching wave of consolidation across the entire creator industry. There was a noticeable uptick in creator economy mergers and acquisitions in the first half of 2025 (52, as compared to 30 in the first half of 2024). We're not surprised to see that trend continue into 2026, especially as firms like Fixated continue to scoop up significant VC funding. FOOTBALL FRENZY Get ready for a lot of World Cup content. YouTube's soccer community is a "football revolution" The report: The Super Bowl has come and gone, and that means YouTube is shifting its focus from U.S. football to…well, the other kind of football. In a new report, the platform's Culture and Trends team explains just how big creator-led soccer content has become in Latin America. The report cites a study performed by Google and SmithGeiger, which asked Latin American soccer fans how they feel about creator content. The results were clear: 82% of Brazilian sports fans said they visit YouTube at least once a month to take in match coverage shared by fans. And in Mexico, 66% of sports fans between the ages of 14 and 49 said they engage with commentary from creators or fans on a weekly basis. The context: YouTube is not the first entity to take note of the growing impact of soccer content. Brazilian soccer creator CazéTV has nabbed the broadcast rights for the upcoming World Cup, while brands like Home Depot are keeping footy in mind as they build up in-house creator programs. Top footballers like Jude Bellingham and Cristiano Ronaldo have also joined a growing class of pro athletes-turned-YouTube stars, and our rankings of the most-viewed YouTube channels have recently been filled with hubs that are set on the pitch. Even Fortnite is picking up a piece of the action. The result of all that activity, YouTube says, is a "football revolution." Through a process it describes as "fandomification," soccer creators have become go-to sources for live match coverage, interviews with Ronaldo-level stars, and collabs that pit amateurs against pros. That fan-powered frenzy will undoubtedly continue to pick up steam as the World Cup draws nearer. WATCH THIS 👀 The rooms come with wings. Red Bull funded ImperialHal and iiTzTimmy's dream Apex Legends event The brand: Red Bull is giving risk-taking creators their wings—and some much-needed funding. The energy drink company uploaded its first video to YouTube in 2006 and went on to set a record for the platform in 2012, when it sponsored (and livestreamed) Felix Baumgartner's stratosphere skydive. The jump was a lifetime achievement for Baumgartner, and helped solidify Red Bull's unique approach to its partnerships with nearly 1,000 athletes and creators. What is that approach, you ask? Simple: it lets those athletes and creators use its money to do whatever the hell they want. The tournament: Nowhere was that more apparent than at the Red Bull Legends Inn, conceptualized and hosted by longtime Apex Legends pros and content creators ImperialHal and iiTzTimmy. With Red Bull's support, Hal and Timmy rented out multiple floors of Chicago's sleek Godfrey Hotel, transforming it into a full-scale Apex-themed destination.  Each of the tournament's 19 two-player teams got their own Apex-decorated hotel room (complete, of course, with fully stocked Red Bull minifridges). Instead of having competitors play Apex's standard battle royale mode, the tourney threw them into rounds with challenging and playful modifiers, giving the event a casual, community-friendly feel. Check out a VOD of the Red Bull Legends Inn here.  Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​ Want to introduce your brand to Tubefilter's audience? Sponsor the newsletter. Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Tubefilter 1450 2nd Street, Ste 275 Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States Powered by beehiiv Terms of Service