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TOGETHER WITH |
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It's Friday and Facebook is determined to resurrect one of its OG features. According to the platform, "pokes never really left, but they're making a comeback." |
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Today's News |
🧑⚖️ Schlep holds Roblox accountable 🎾 Tennis creators serve up content 🤝 PewDiePie tests out G FUEL 🎬 TikTok sells movie tickets 🏈 MrBeast "bought the NFL"
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STREAMING BIG |
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A YouTube-famous lawyer is helping Schlep hold Roblox accountable |
The collaboration: Mike Mandell—aka the creator behind Law By Mike—is working with one of the internet's top predator hunters to hold Roblox accountable for allegedly enabling abusers within its gamified worlds. By exposing sexual predators on the platform, Schlep claims to have uncovered evidence that led to at least six arrests—but despite the results of those efforts, Roblox suspended his account in August over accusations of "vigilantism." |
The fallout from that decision has soured Roblox's relationships with advertisers while simultaneously making Schlep's YouTube channel one of the most-subscribed hubs of August 2025. |
That situation is unlikely to turn around for Roblox anytime soon. In a recent Law by Mike video, Mandell discussed his dealings with several potential plaintiffs who are considering lawsuits against the platform and revealed that "on behalf of everyone, I'm helping to sue Roblox." |
The context: That statement isn't quite as cut-and-dry as it seems. Though the title of Mandell's video is "We're Suing Roblox," Schlep clarified on X that "no lawsuit" has been "filed yet," as his current priorities include "raising awareness about the dangers of Roblox, advocating reforms to improve safety on the platform, and ensuring accountability not just for myself but for all the child victims across the app." |
If Mandell does end up filing a case against Roblox, it would join several others that are currently targeting the platform's approach to child safety. In the past month alone, two families and Louisiana's Attorney General have all filed lawsuits over Roblox's alleged failure to protect underage users. |
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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 |
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THE BIZ |
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G FUEL just debuted a new formula with PewDiePie as a taste-tester |
The brand: G FUEL isn't done titillating the tastebuds of creators and fans just yet. Since launching in 2012, the energy drink powder brand has sought to reach internet-savvy consumers by sponsoring dozens of creators/streamers/gamers and even releasing official creator collaboration flavors and shaker cups. As a result (and despite a mass creator exodus in 2022 following allegations of a toxic work culture), G FUEL is pretty much baked into today's creator culture. |
That's why many netizens were shocked when, on September 2, the brand announced that it had reached "the end of an era" and was "logging off." |
The reformulation: Luckily for fans, that abrupt goodbye wasn't what it seemed. Overnight, G FUEL reduxed its website to direct visitors to G FUEL 2.0, a new formula designed to address complaints about the brand's "chalky" taste. On its 2.0 landing page, G FUEL promises that its updated formula has no added fillers and maintains the original taste and caffeine content of its stable of flavors. |
The face of G FUEL's reformulation is PewDiePie, who's been an ambassador for the brand (with his own flavors, Lingonberry and Yuzu Slash) since January 2019. Shortly after revealing its transformation, G FUEL tweeted a video in which PewDiePie responds favorably after trying Lingonberry 2.0. |
This is the first time G FUEL has tweaked its formula since launch, and it's likely hoping the change will give it the edge over rivals like Gamer Supps. |
While G FUEL was first to market and has become a 'default' creator energy brand, it's not doing as much week-to-week outreach to YouTube communities as it once was. Using data from Gospel Stats, we can see that in the third week of August, G FUEL sponsored only a handful of videos, while Gamer Supps backed nearly 25. |
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SHOW TIME |
 | 'Tron: Ares' will be the first movie to use Fandango's TikTok integration |
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Fandango is selling movie tickets through TikTok |
The integration: TikTok users are getting the ability to buy movie tickets from Fandango via an integration with the video platform's in-app Spotlight toolkit. |
Disney will be the first distributor to take advantage of Fandango's TikTok partnership by using the Spotlight integration to sell tickets to Tron: Ares. TikTok users will be able to tap a "get tickets" icon to book their seats for the upcoming film, which will see a wide release on October 10. |
TikTok is well-known for its ability to put butts in movie theater seats, so it's no surprise that one of the biggest ticketing platforms in the U.S. is looking to capitalize on that trend. |
The context: On short-form platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, film excerpts have become a popular genre, with some clip farmers hauling in millions of views per week. Hollywood entities like The Boxoffice Network have responded by using that momentum to push ticket sales, and as a result, TikTok users are 44% more likely to go see a movie at least once per month compared to non-users (according to a TikTok blog post). Fandango itself reported that 50% of domestic TikTok users have discovered a new theatrical release via TikTok. |
Now, the ticketing platform's integration with TikTok will further its mission "to connect fans with the movies they love, wherever they are" (per Fandango SVP of Marketing and Partnerships Claire Ripsteen). |
Ripsteen added that the TikTok deal is "a powerful step in meeting audiences in their daily digital lives, making it easier to turn the excitement of discovering a movie into the instant gratification of securing your tickets in advance, with no lines and no waiting." |
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WATCH THIS |
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MrBeast and the NFL celebrated April Fool's Day twice this year |
The NFL season stunt: It might be a little late for April Fool's Day pranks, but MrBeast doesn't need a dedicated holiday to hoodwink fans. Earlier this week, the creator joined forces with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for a YouTube video simply titled "I Bought the NFL." |
During that "press conference," Goodell revealed that "the NFL is now under the ownership of one individual, Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast." A number of other creators also appeared in the video, including Haley Baylee, iShowSpeed, and Dude Perfect. |
The promo: Of course, Donaldson didn't actually buy the NFL. As E! News pointed out, the entire stunt was a flashy campaign designed to remind viewers that today's Chargers vs. Chiefs game will be streamed for free on YouTube. That news might not be as earth-shattering for football fans as the sale of a professional sports league, but hey—as Donaldson pointed out, the game is "literally free" so "why not?" |
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