Today's News

👶 CoComelon challenges Ms. Rachel
✍️ Creators resist YouTube age-checking
🎂 Pixability taps into Famous Birthdays
🎮 VR streaming gets easier
🏴‍☠️ Netflix teases One Piece's return

YOUTUBE KIDS

CoComelon is coming for Ms. Rachel's live-action crown

The series: With nearly 200 million subscribers and more than 200 billion lifetime views, CoComelon has drawn more traffic than any other kid-friendly channel on YouTube. Now—to consolidate its position as the streaming industry's premier preschool-age edutainment option—CoComelon is ramping up production on its live-action content.

The Moonbug-owned kid video titan is gearing up to launch The Melon Patch, a YouTube series that will star Allie Rivera Quiñonez in the role of Cocomelon's Ms. Appleberry character.

CoComelon first introduced Ms. Appleberry last year, when it announced its intent to diversify its library by producing more live-action videos. In The Melon Patch, which is set to premiere on September 23, the character will be joined in her classroom by several other teachers. That educational live-action format is reminiscent of Blippi, another Moonbug-owned property that has found success across YouTube and streaming. Shannon Flynn, who worked on the Netflix series Blippi's Job Show, is the director of The Melon Patch.

The context: The Melon Patch is not just an expansion of the CoComelon universe—it's also an effort to keep pace with the rising stars of the YouTube Kids landscape. With its long-form, live-action episodes and musical tone, The Melon Patch has a lot in common with a typical Ms. Rachel video. The overalls-clad educator has become a force on YouTube, and she's challenging CoComelon on paid subscription services as well.

The Melon Patch will also reinforce kids' connections to the CoComelon franchise as it deepens its cultural impact through different mediums. A U.S. tour, for instance, hit the road in 2022, while a CoComelon-branded feature film will premiere in 2027.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

Over 65,000 people have signed a petition against YouTube's new AI age verification system, which organizer Gerfdas Gaming describes as an attempt to "quietly implement AI surveillance that violates privacy." (Change.org)
An investigation conducted by CTM360 found that scammers are targeting TikTok users by setting up "fraudulent TikTok Shops" that direct shoppers to "fake portals designed to steal cryptocurrency and data." (TechRadar)
Threads has doubled its monthly active user base year-over-year, rising from 200 million MAUs to 400 million between August 2024 and August 2025. (Engadget)
Google has announced a new "Preferred Sources" feature that will allow Search users to "select your favorite sources and stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to." (Google)

THE BIZ

Famous Birthdays says it can identify the next big creators. Pixability is passing that data on to advertisers.

The partnership: Since launching in 2012, Famous Birthdays has tracked the creator economy by measuring internal search traffic from a user base that now includes 25 million monthly unique visitors. The frequency of specific searches informs what the platform calls "velocity" numbers—and defines its rankings of trending creators. By relying on those homegrown statistics, the so-called "IMDb for creators" was one of the first companies to clock the rise of social media stars like Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae.

Now, Pixability is passing that star-tracking data onto advertisers. By incorporating Famous Birthdays' velocity numbers into SSA (which in turn powers the company's AI-driven, contextual targeting option for advertisers), the YouTube software marketing company is giving its partners new ways to reach YouTube-based audiences.

"Pixability is a company that believes, as I do, that the future of marketing will be driven by creators. Together, I know we can build a better way to help brands chart their best future on YouTube by leveraging creators that are rising right now and using our proprietary platform-agnostic rankings."

- Evan Britton, Famous Birthdays Founder

The early results: Microinfluencers and other rising creators are becoming more powerful in the world of influencer marketing, so the time is right for Famous Birthdays to capitalize on the potential of its velocity data.

It seems to be working, too. According to a joint press release from the two companies, early adopters of that data have seen conversions rise by 31% and engagement go up by 58% when channels dubbed "high-velocity" by Famous Birthdays are incorporated into Pixability-run campaigns.

GAME ON

Streaming from a VR headset is about to get a lot easier

The app: The Meta Quest line of VR headsets provides an immersive gaming experience—but actually streaming gameplay from those devices can be a challenge. That's because while Twitch and YouTube both support Quest hubs, neither offer native live streaming.

To solve that problem, U.K.-based developer BeamXR has opened up early access for a Quest app that allows broadcasting to Twitch and YouTube without the use of any device other than a VR headset. The streaming platform—called BeamXR Live—is available on Quest 2, Pro, 3, and 3S devices.

According to BeamXR, the new app was "born out of frustration with existing tools" that support the "critical" enterprise of VR game streaming. The tech company also noted that BeamXR Live "will always have a free access tier for streaming with no usage limits," though a Pro version is also in development.

The future: The future of VR could hinge on tools like BeamXR, which make it possible to connect hardware like Quest headsets to broader gaming culture. Meta has already connected Quest to the lucrative world of Roblox, and VRChat has also hooked into the creator economy by launching a store where digital designers can sell their homemade avatars.

Now, BeamXR is forging a new conduit between the VR and streaming ecosystems. If you're interested in broadcasting from your Quest headset, you can check out the BeamXR Live listing on the Meta Horizon store.

WATCH THIS

Netflix's One Piece is sailing back onto screens

The second season: Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation proved to be the most-watched show on the streamer during the second half of 2023, with 71.6 million views. Now, Netflix is teasing the return of its big pirate-themed hit—and the series' future going forward.

A first-look trailer for Season 2 gives viewers a sneak peek at Luffy's upcoming adventures, which are set to hit screens in 2026. (And don't worry—Netflix has also confirmed that "Season 3 Production is kicking off.")

Check out the first look at Season 2 here.

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