Netflix signs another big creator deal

Logan Paul weighs in for 'CardBound.'  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

July 10, 2026   |   Read online TOGETHER WITH It’s Friday and yet another YouTuber has scooped up a Guinness World Record. Luke Bell’s claim to fame: pulling off the longest drone flight at 261 minutes. Today’s News 🃏 A doc delves into card collecting 🎬 Character.AI joins the microdrama race 🇺🇸 TikTok tours the U.S. 🤝 Netflix makes a deal with The Stokes Twins 🏎️ Ryan Blaney hits the gas IN THE CARDS Creators have transformed the card collecting community. This documentary delves into the history of card collecting—and its creator-led future The documentary: A new feature-length film combines a Pokémon history lesson with a deep-dive into the psychology of card collecting. CardBound, which premieres today across Plex, Amazon, and YouTube, explores the world of collectible card games with help from Olympic athlete Noah Lyles and creators Logan Paul, Duke Dennis, and Deep Pocket Monster. The documentary was created and executive-produced by John Nelson, who reps members of the creator group AMP as the SVP of Digital at Night. The exec developed CardBound through ALP, a full-service production company that exists under the AMP umbrella and has worked with external clients like Sting, T-Pain, and Buffalo Wild Wings. As a lifelong collector himself, Nelson told Tubefilter that his curiosity was piqued when his friend PhillyBeatzu embarked on a quest to find the very first Pokémon card. “Once I realized there was still uncertainty about the origins of one of the world’s biggest franchises, I became fascinated and started researching and collecting the earliest Pokémon cards.”   - John Nelson The creator angle: Nelson ultimately joined Rui Couto (aka ThatMangaGuy) on a two-year mission to learn the true story of Pokémon’s origins. The research and interviews conducted during that time form the basis of CardBound—but the documentary itself doesn’t remain stuck in Pokémon’s past. The film also focuses on the present-day hobbyists who have transformed card collecting from a niche, nerdy pursuit into a powerful mainstream force. Paul, for example, wore a Pokémon card as bling during his Wrestlemania debut, while Lyles has been known to race with Yu-Gi-Oh! cards tucked into his jersey. Those creators have revived the popularity of trading cards while also turning their markets into precarious, speculative bubbles. At the end of the day, however, CardBound is most concerned with the passion that causes card collectors to pursue rare finds. 🌟 SPONSORED 🌟 Katie Swett Miller, Kit Chief Product Officer, speaking at Craft + Commerce 2026 Welcome to the email marketing platform built for creators From Matthew McConaughey to Jenna Kutcher, Kit powers over 500K creators with powerful email tools, subscriber intelligence, and commerce features.  What makes Kit the leading email marketing platform for creators? Built exclusively for creators. With Kit, every feature is tailored to how creators actually make money, grow audiences, and structure their work. Automation that runs itself. Kit's visual automation builder lets creators set up personalized sequences, tagging, and segmentation once, then let it work in the background to nurture subscribers and drive sales. Backed by real data. Kit's newly launched audience intelligence layer, Subscriber Signals, shows creators who's ready to buy, what content resonates, and when subscribers are most engaged, turning guesswork into a growth plan. Better reach, less stress. With an industry-leading 99.8% delivery rate and average open rates above 40%, your emails land in inboxes, not spam folders. Invested in your growth (on and off the platform). Kit just launched its third flagship location, Kit Studios NYC, to help creators connect in person and access professional recording spaces. Join thousands of pro creators using Kit to grow their businesses Kit helps creators of all kinds build a source of recurring and reliable revenue. Ready to reach your audience beyond the algorithm? Learn more about Kit → HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 Character.AI is getting in on the microdrama game. Character.AI has announced the launch of c.ai Series, “a new Microdramas offering” comprised of AI-driven short-form videos that viewers can interact with on mobile. (The Verge) As Netflix reckons with signs of falling engagement, the platform is reportedly considering the introduction of always-on channels and streaming bundles. (The Verge) Anthropic’s Claude is putting its own spin on features like Spotify Wrapped with the debut of a Reflect tab that allows users to view data related to their interactions with the chatbot. (Engadget) A new section in Google’s My Ad Center will allow users to see if ads on Google Search and YouTube were created with AI. (TechCrunch) AMERICAN DREAM TikTok is ready for a good old fashioned American road trip. TikTok’s U.S. tour will serve as a reminder of its small business impact The tour: It’s been a full year since we first learned the details of the U.S.-locked version of TikTok—and TikTok USDS Joint Venture is ready to take the show on the road. The app has now been operating long enough to possess a slew of new features, and its representatives are highlighting those products through a nationwide tour. That initiative, called Discover America, will bring attention to local small businesses while also reminding TikTok creators about the tools they can use to connect with their communities. The six-city swing began in New York on July 7 and will hit Atlanta, Des Moines, Denver, and Las Vegas before concluding in Phoenix on July 19. Each stop on the tour is a city where thousands of small business owners are active on TikTok. In Atlanta alone, TikTok claims there are 300,000 small businesses with ties to the app. The context: As TikTok supports the entrepreneurs who capitalize on the potential of the For You Page, the app is also insulating itself against criticism. The last time TikTok faced regulatory pressure from U.S. officials, it defended itself by pointing to its small business impact. Should a similar situation arise in the future, you can bet that TikTok will bring up those talking points. In the meantime, Discover America doubles as a promotional tool for new products like TikTok’s Local Feed—which shows restaurants, shops, and events close to a user’s precise location—and TikTok GO, the app’s two-month-old travel booking service. CREATOR COMMOTION Netflix is stocking up on creator content. Netflix is adding The Stokes Twins’ YouTube library to its trove of creator content The deal: Alan and Alex Stokes—aka the identical duo known as The Stokes Twins—have signed a non-exclusive deal that will bring an archive of their YouTube videos to Netflix. A trailer uploaded to Netflix’s official YouTube channel describes Alan and Alex as “the internet’s most creative agents of chaos.” Now, the 141 million subscribers who consume the duo’s chaotic content on YouTube will also be able to find their signature pranks, challenges, and stunts on Netflix. Beyond their repositioned YouTube content, The Stokes Twins will work with Netflix on an original series set to premiere in 2027. “When we were kids, we didn’t always know how to fit in…A camera became the way we connected with people before we fully had the words. We made videos to make other kids laugh, and somehow that turned into a community of hundreds of millions of people around the world. To now bring that journey to Netflix is bigger than a show for us. It feels like a full-circle moment.”   - The Stokes Twins The context: Since launching their joint channel in 2017, The Stokes Twins have become one of the biggest draws on YouTube and regularly rank among the platform’s most-watched creators. They’ve also proven to be dependable brand partners, with enough reach that even some international Stokes Twins fan channels draw more engagement than most other hubs on the platform. To turn their channel into a sustainable business, The Stokes Twins hired Mario Joos as their company’s CEO last year. Now, the siblings’ deal with Netflix brings them in line with other major creators who have improved their bottom lines by entering the streaming world. Mark Rober, for example, saw his CrunchLabs sales go up after his content premiered on Netflix, and Alan Chikin Chow and Alix Earle have also cut deals with the streamer. WATCH THIS 👀 What’s a creator interview without a little adrenaline? A NASCAR champ is taking creators to the racetrack The series: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney is putting creators behind the wheel for a new YouTube series sponsored by BodyArmor Sports Drink. Produced by NASCAR Studios and Words + Pictures’ Full Speed Entertainment, On The Gas with Ryan Blaney looks to combine “the adrenaline” of racing “with the spontaneity of unscripted interviews” (per NASCAR). The first season kicked off earlier this month, with the first two episodes featuring guest appearances by YouTube star The Stradman and actor/producer Keegan-Michael Key. 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

'Subway Takes' gets an Emmy nom

The nominations are in.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

July 09, 2026   |   Read online TOGETHER WITH It’s Thursday and Meta’s Bangkok office faced an unlikely intruder when a squirrel escaped from a delivered package to wreak havoc on unsuspecting staff members. Today’s News 🏆 Subway Takes gets an Emmy nom 🤝 Zigazoo and Wheelhouse join forces 💪 Netflix bulks up its video catalog 👀 YouTube vies for World Cup rights ⚽ Erling Haaland takes Texas THAT’S SHOW BIZ The show that uses MetroCards as mics has earned an Emmy nomination. Subway Takes just earned an Emmy nom. Is YouTube’s push finally paying off? The nomination: Subway Takes, the YouTube-hosted series led by Kareem Rahma, has earned a nomination at the 2026 Emmy Awards in the category of Best Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series. The three-year-old interview series—which follows Rahma as he invites guests to unleash their hottest takes from a New York City subway car—was one of several creator-led shows that sought Emmy consideration this year. Those efforts came amid a fervent push from YouTube itself, which threw its support behind some of its top stars. Other YouTube hits, like Dropout, also launched their own FYC campaigns. Ultimately, all that hullabaloo resulted in a single (richly deserved) Emmy nod. YouTube favorite Hot Ones fell short in the Outstanding Variety Series category, and neither Dropout’s Game Changer nor host Sam Reich claimed spots among the nominees. The takeaway: Despite YouTube’s best efforts and this year’s Subway Takes nomination, the TV Academy’s bias is still showing.  FYC campaigns for creator-led shows date back a decade, when MCNs like Maker Studios pushed for recognition. YouTube revived that strategy in the 2020s, but year after year, the Television Academy has made it clear that it doesn’t see creator content as anything more than a curious afterthought. Even in the Short Form Variety Series category, where Subway Takes is recognized, other nominees include the usual assortment of unassuming late-night companions. The TV Academy may finally be giving a YouTube-based show a seat at that table—but first, Rahma had to attract 750 million YouTube views with Subway Takes, throw legendary parties, score massive brand deals, and literally influence U.S. politics. 🌟 SPONSORED 🌟 Discover how Caleb Hammer built a creator empire at VidSummit. The biggest creator conference of the year is right around the corner VidSummit is only three months away.  From September 29 to October 1, the premier conference for creators will unite industry pros in Dallas, Texas for three days of exclusive sessions, practical insights, and hands-on education from 70+ expert speakers. Explore VidSummit’s 2026 speaker lineup What should be on your VidSummit agenda? Sit in on discussions about burnout, mental health, and overall well-being in the digital space with Twitch star SSSniperWolf. Drop in on Caleb Hammer’s keynote to discover how he built Hammer Media into an empire with over 7M followers, 80K paid membership subscribers, and 30K app subscribers worldwide. Find out why “The Future of Gaming is Creator Coded” in a session hosted by Clix Gaming CEO Darren Glover and award-winning streamer Cody "Clix" Conrod. Tickets to VidSummit are on sale now. Visit the website to learn more: Reserve your ticket → HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 Zigazoo and Wheelhouse are building a “launchpad for ambitious young talent” Zizagoo is joining forces with Wheelhouse to launch Zigazoo Studios, a new entertainment venture that “will identify, nurture, and scale the next generation of creator talent.” (Tubefilter) According to Elon Musk, a new X feature will notify users via DMs if “a post you interacted with is corrected.” (Engadget) Google has announced the rollout of Video Remix in Google Photos, an AI-powered tool that will allow users to turn their existing videos into “stylized, imaginative memories.” (Ars Technica) France has given Meta fifteen days to finalize a plan for compensating news organizations that produced content distributed across its platforms. (The Next Web) MONEY MOVES Netflix is bringing in even more content it doesn’t have to produce. Netflix is bulking its library with content from BuzzFeed, Tastemade, Condé Nast, and more The program: In recent months, Netflix has sealed deals with content creators, podcasters, and for live sports licensing. Most of those agreements have revolved around syndication—meaning Netflix will get the benefit of expanding its programming library without actually having to make anything itself. Now, Netflix is continuing that streak by adding video content to its platform through partnerships with digital publishers like Penske Media, BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc., and Tastemade. According to The Hollywood Reporter (which is owned by Penske Media alongside Billboard, Eater, IndieWire, Rolling Stone, and Variety), Netflix will get video content that ranges from three-minute shorts to 20-minute episodes. All of that content will be “discoverable directly from the Netflix homepage” starting August 3, with the “first wave” of videos covering topics like travel, cooking, fashion, celebrity profiles, home and gardening, and viral moments (per Netflix). The platform added that more publisher partnerships will be announced at later dates. Some of the shows arriving in August are archival IPs, while others are ongoing. Past and new installments will be available to Netflix subscribers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. (Check out our full article here for more details on the included content and verticals.) The context: Along with its recent creator signings, podcast push, and emphasis on live sports, Netflix’s new partnerships are all about bulking up its content library to better compete with YouTube. Google’s UGC juggernaut now has a commanding share of connected TV watch time worldwide, and Netflix has not been shy about viewing it as a competitor. With this latest spate of deals, the streamer likely hopes to improve its position in the market by hiking its own watch time without committing production resources. GAME ON YouTube wants in on the World Cup hype. Can creators like iShowSpeed help YouTube win World Cup broadcast rights? The bidding war: The fight for World Cup broadcast rights is in full swing, and YouTube is in the mix. According to CNBC, the suitors for World Cup broadcast rights in 2030 and 2034 include Netflix, Disney, and YouTube, with Amazon and Apple rumored to be considering bids as well. The exact size of those bids is up in the air. While FOX paid $485 million for the rights to this year’s Cup, the next two editions could come at a higher cost since FIFA plans to bundle English- and Spanish-language rights in the U.S. The leverage: A hefty price tag is unlikely to dissuade YouTube. The platform is eager to land high-profile live sports packages it can pair with related creator content—and when it comes soccer, YouTube’s creator community could serve as serious leverage in a World Cup bidding war. Soccer-loving creators have already cultivated credibility with global audiences, and fans have embraced creator-led streams throughout this year’s World Cup. Brazil’s CazéTV, who got World Cup distribution rights in his home country, currently holds the top 15 spots on the list of the most-watched YouTube streams of all time. Belgium’s Celine Dept, meanwhile, has cultivated an international fanbase. When discussing the global appeal of YouTube’s soccer creators, iShowSpeed is the epitome. His world tours have been blockbuster affairs, and soccer is often at the center of them. To emphasize how ubiquitous Speed is, YouTube has made him the poster child for the YouTube FIFA Creator Cup, an upcoming soccer competition featuring some of the internet’s biggest names. A successful Creator Cup could show FIFA the benefits of selling broadcast rights to YouTube. But regardless of the outcome of the current bidding war, the 2026 World Cup has shown us that creators are at the forefront of soccer discourse. WATCH THIS 👀 Erling Haaland is giving fans a close-up look at his World Cup adventures. Fans are loving Erling Haaland’s quirky YouTube vlogs The vlogs: Digital-native creators aren’t the only ones making waves on YouTube during the World Cup. Players themselves are using the platform to keep fans in the loop as they trek across North America. Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland is a key example. As World Cup content takes over the YouTube charts, we’re not surprised to see that Haaland’s already lively channel has picked up more than 19 million views since the beginning of July. After all, who doesn’t want to follow along as their favorite player goes shopping for cowboy hats in Dallas or celebrates a historic win against Brazil? 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