It's Sunday and here's a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, the results are in from the first-ever U.S. TikTok Awards. And the award for Creator of the Year goes to…Keith Lee!

CREATOR COMMOTION

Tfue is back on Twitch

Creators are teaming up with the Grinch, turning 20, and offering financial advice

The triumphant return: Tfue is back on Twitch. The man born Turner Tenney was an OG Fortnite star, but his streaming career took a backseat as he focused more on non-gaming endeavors. Now, Tfue says his passion for gaming has been reignited.

The Tubi series: Kinigra Deon has the need for Speed. The creator-turned-independent-showrunner has thrived on Tubi, and her work with the AVOD platform is just beginning. In tandem with Spotter, Deon is bringing Speed—a new original series that will tell the story of rival street-racing crews in a gritty city setting—to Tubi.

The financial advisor: MrBeast plans to offer financial advice on a new channel. During an interview with Jon Youshaei, the creator claimed that he wants to help his fans increase their financial literacy. And if those videos just happen to turn viewers into customers for his upcoming financial services venture…

The anniversary: The Young Turks' YouTube channel is turning 20. The progressive political organization was YouTube's first partner channel and an early source of internet-based punditry long before Hasan Piker (a former TYT personality) got big on Twitch. TYT will celebrate its big anniversary with a live event on its website, which is set to kick off at 8 PM ET on December 22.

The crossover: Take a good look, and what do you see? It's a Dr. Seuss book, partnered with Blippi! Moonbug's colorful character (portrayed by Stevin John) will celebrate Christmas through an official collab with The Grinch.

INDUSTRY POTPOURRI

This week in the digital media biz…

The cash injection: Fixated has announced $50 million of follow-on funding from Eldridge Ventures. The talent management firm—which works with creators like Sketch and the Botez Sisters—plans to devote those funds to divisions like representation, content, distribution, and creator infrastructure, and to the onboarding of new leaders in creative, operational, and technical roles

The podcast deal: TikTok comedian Caleb Hearon is teaming up with digital entertainment company Wave, which will handle distribution, marketing, and ad sales for his podcast, So True. The first episode under the Wave umbrella premiered on December 18.

The ecommerce giant: TikTok found time during the holiday season to restructure its ecommerce unit. After bringing in massive sales figures over Black Friday weekend thanks to Shop, the app is reorganizing its ecommerce and data science teams. One stated reason for the change is to encourage AI-related collaboration between teams.

The partnership: PrestonPlayz is handing over ad sales duties to Studio71. The experienced digital media company will get to work selling ads across the channels in Preston's The Best Never Rest portfolio. That network reaches 90 million social media followers, including 17 million subscribers on Preston's namesake YouTube hub.

PLATFORM HEADLINES

Platforms are highlighting creators and debuting new features

The update: TikTok is making its app more accessible. Users who are sensitive to light and sound will now have the option to turn off High Dynamic Range and reduce motion effect—a handy update for migraine sufferers.

The Staff Picks: Vimeo's "Best of the Year" class is as artsy as you'd expect. In a year defined by an ownership change, the platform took the time to celebrate its continued commitment to independent artists. With its Staff Picks, it has traditionally served as an arbiter of digital-age taste, and it carried on that role with its Best of the Year selections for 2025.

The feature: Snapchat's Quick Cut wants to turn your memories into a shareable montage. The app's new video editing option is powered by Lens and turns existing libraries into a newer, snappier (pardon the pun) format. Quick Cut even syncs its creations with the beat of the background music (take that, CapCut).

WATCH THIS 👀

The Backstreet Boys still "Want It That Way"

The music video: Because anything with a minimum viable threshold of nostalgia is being reimagined, The Backstreet Boys are back with an updated version of one of their buzziest music videos. 26 years after releasing the iconic hit, we got a new iteration of "I Want It That Way", complete with all-white outfits and an airplane hangar.

The biggest change fans will notice isn't the band's spiffy threads or the video's background; it's the orientation. In true 2025 form, The Backstreet Boys debuted their new clip as a vertical music video. (According to the post's description, they also filmed it in one take.)

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