TOGETHER WITH

It's Thursday and you might think the world isn't quite ready for human/AI marriages—but Ohio isn't taking any chances.

Today's News

🎙️ Netflix gets into video podcasts
🎬 Indigenous House launches
📈 This week on the branded charts…
🧒 Instagram keeps it PG-13
🍕 How did Airrack make a comeback?

POD PEOPLE

Bill Simmons' Ringer network produces many of the Spotify podcasts headed to Netflix.

Netflix wants a video podcast library—so it's teaming up with Spotify

The context: These days, it seems as if every social platform wants to build a podcast library—preferably with a strong video component. But attracting an audience of devoted listeners is no small feat, and major media hubs have struggled to tap into the growing video podcast industry.

Netflix is a prime example of that trend. While the streamer produces companion shows for hit franchises like Stranger Things, those podcasts are mostly distributed through platforms like Spotify and are hard to find via the actual Netflix interface (if they're available in video form at all).

So, to stay in the game, Netflix is adopting a new strategy: rather than making its own podcasts, it's borrowing some from Spotify.

The partnership: Starting in 2026, U.S. Netflix subscribers will be able to sample a curated selection of Spotify-hosted video podcasts. That slate is set to include multiple shows produced by The Ringer, a network led by sports and culture pundit Bill Simmons (pictured above). NBA fans will gain insights from the man who wrote The Book of Basketball on his flagship Bill Simmons Podcast, while film buffs can tune into The Rewatchables.

Spotify also aims to draw in true crime junkies with originals like Conspiracy Theories and Serial Killers, and "will continue to add more podcasts from various genres and studios" while expanding its Netflix partnership to non-U.S. regions (per a press release). According to Netflix VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy Lauren Smith, the rising prominence of video podcasts paved the way for that blockbuster deal:

"From pop culture and lifestyle to true crime and sports, this curated selection of video podcasts…offers more choice to creators and unlocks a completely new distribution opportunity."

- Lauren Smith, Netflix VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

Indigenous House is kicking off on YouTube. The new streaming hub is led by Native creators and full of fresh videos across categories like music, cooking, culture, and comedy. (Tubefilter)
A new "Instant Checkout" feature will allow Walmart customers to make purchases through ChatGPT. (TechRadar)
Threads users can now form group chats of up to 50 people—as long as those users are at least 18 years old. (TechCrunch)
Head of Product Nikita Bier says X is "experimenting with displaying new information on profiles, including which country an account is based, among other details" in order to improve user trust on the platform. (Nikita Bier via X)

GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top Branded Videos of the Week: MrBeast and impressive builds

Every now and then, Gospel Stats' Weekly Brand Reports seem to revolve around a particular theme—and more often than not, that theme is simply "MrBeast-style challenges." This time around, however, another content category joined Jimmy Donaldson's signature fare at the top of the charts: building videos.

🥇 #1. MrBeast x Feastables: World's Fastest Dinner Date (167.1M views)
MrBeast videos are often sponsored by the creator's snack brand, and it makes sense that this week's food-themed challenge fits that bill. A little harder to swallow is the fact that Donaldson's chart-topping Short clocks in at just 33 seconds long and still managed to snag 167 million views—while other creators are making hours-long video essays and barely cracking 10K.

🥈 #2. CR Carpentry & Remodeling x Mileseey: Building a porch railing with a laser. #ad #MILESEEYS50 #MILESEEYTOOLS #lasermeasure (16.9M views)
This week's runner-up is also a Short and, like many videos from Gospel's final report of September, features the day-to-day services of a small business. It's common for those kinds of videos to be backed by a sponsor in the same general field, and CR Carpentry & Remodeling's Mileseey-funded clip is no different.

🎰 #4. Jordan Matter x Sephora: I Built a WATERPARK in a TRUCK (8.9M views)
After Salish Matter shut down the American Dream mall with the Sephora-based launch of her new skincare brand Sincerely Yours, we're not surprised to see the makeup giant pop up as a sponsor for her latest video. Sephora didn't just get a 30-second shout-out, either; instead, the entire video follows Salish's efforts to build a mobile Sephora store in a boxtruck, while her dad Jordan turns his own truck into a waterpark.

Check out the full branded ranking here and head over to Gospel Stats for more YouTube sponsorship insights.

SAFETY FIRST

Keeping it PG-13: Instagram has new standards for teens

The context: Like other major social media hubs, Instagram already offers a standard set of safety features designed to protect users under the age of 18. But with regulators hot on its heels and parents increasingly voicing concerns, the Meta-owned platform is amping up its efforts to keep kids safe.

The system: Instagram, like YouTube, uses generative AI to locate minors who are lying about their age and automatically lock them into teen accounts. Now, the platform has also debuted a fresh set of guidelines inspired by the film industry's rating system, which will make R-rated violent or profane material unavailable to users identified as teens. That means no alcohol ads, no over-the-top violence or risky stunts, and as little cursing as possible (although Instagram acknowledges that it would be hard-pressed to scrub every swear word from teen-appropriate videos).

The potential impact: The result, in theory, will be "the Instagram equivalent of watching a PG-13 movie." But is that a realistic goal?

While interviewing Adam Mosseri on Today, Craig Melvin reminded the Instagram Head that teens often use techniques like code words to evade moderators. In response, Mosseri admitted that "the work never ends" on that front—but he still feels "like it's my responsibility to try and shepherd the app as best I can into a healthy place over the long run, which I think is going to have to require that it is a really safe experience."

That's an honorable goal, but it might prove more feasible for Instagram to provide teens with positive resources—as YouTube is doing—instead of limiting their access to certain content based on nebulous rules. In the meantime, however, parents who don't agree with the Meta-owned hub's new rules are free to remove restrictions from their children's accounts.

WATCH THIS 📺

What powered Airrack's climb to 17M subs?

The comeback kid: According to creator economy expert Jon Youshaei, Airrack made "YouTube's greatest comeback." So, how did the Guinness World Record holder pull off his climb to 17 million subscribers?

In a new interview, Youshaei and Airrack (aka Eric Decker) dig into the thought process behind the creator's videos, his best business tips, and the hardest parts of his journey to YouTube stardom—from "overhauling everything" to "learning from controversy."

Check out the duo's full chat here.

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