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TOGETHER WITH |
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It’s Friday and here’s a tip from AI researchers: if you’re planning to put chatbots in charge of a Sims-style society, maybe don’t make Grok the ringleader. |
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Today’s News |
➕ Meta introduces Plus 🎬 Microdramas get a festival 💸 Netflix and Spotify make a $100M deal 🍳 The Sidemen cook up a show 🗺️ Ludwig wins at Geoguessr
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ON THE PLUS SIDE |
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Meta is looking on the plus side. (Photo via Getty Images.) |
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Meta is officially launching paid tiers on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp |
The Plus plans: Meta has unveiled a trio of new subscriptions that will unlock premium features for paying customers across its top platforms. |
The official announcement of Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus, and WhatsApp Plus follows rumors that emerged back in January, when tech leaker Alessandro Paluzzi discovered a reference in Instagram’s code to “a new paid subscription that will offer new perks.” |
In a recent Instagram video, Meta Head of Product Naomi Gleit confirmed the existence of that paid tier and clarified that subscribers will gain access to “enhanced features” that provide benefits for creators, businesses, and fans. |
The Plus subscriptions on Facebook and Instagram will cost $3.99 per month. For that price, users will gain access to unlimited audience lists and enhanced data related to Stories viewership. They’ll also be able to extend Stories beyond 24 hours, spotlight one Story per week, and use a “Super Heart” reaction for Stories. |
Facebook Plus will be similar to the Instagram version of the paid tier, while WhatsApp Plus will cost just $2.99 per month and offer communication-based features like custom ringtones and additional pinned chats. Gleit also alluded to an upcoming MetaOne plan that would unite subscriptions across the company’s social apps, AI platforms, and creator hubs. |
The context: If this is yet another example of Instagram copying Snapchat (in this case by emulating its paid tier, Snapchat Plus), Meta’s strategy is well reasoned. Snapchat Plus has grown rapidly since its 2022 introduction and has been a boon for Snap’s bottom line ever since. |
Meta’s earnings could use a similar boost—and, at least for now, Wall Street seems hopeful about the Plus tiers’ prospects. Meta shares jumped after the company announced its subscription update. |
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Made 2.0 just launched. Here’s how it’ll help scale your channel without scaling your stress: |
Made—aka the AI platform developed by RHEI to amplify human creativity and scale content production—is launching a transformative new update. |
With a more intuitive interface and smarter agent interactions, Made 2.0 ensures you’ll have personalized ideas at your fingertips as soon as you log in—including thumbnail concepts, script outlines, video descriptions, social captions, and more. |
“Made has made my workflow faster and more strategic. I use it to generate video ideas, create engaging polls, and improve how I respond to comments all in one place.” |
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| ReceitasKazu (@ReceitasdoKazu) |
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Here’s a snapshot of Made 2.0’s most innovative features: |
Improved memory: Every agent, including Remi, Lila, Zara, and Milo, remembers your voice, your style, and prior conversations across sessions.
Multi-platform support: All skills and agents work across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. You can even publish to YouTube directly from Made.
More control and creativity over images: Milo’s revamped Image Studio allows you to create platform-specific assets in 30+ unique styles across photography and illustration.
Revamped agent workspaces: Each agent now has a dedicated workspace surfacing the most-used workflows first.
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The result: less lift, more output, and fewer steps to hitting ‘Publish.’ Visit the platform now to meet your team of Made agents. |
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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 |
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Platforms like Peacock are buying into the microdrama format. |
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POD PEOPLE |
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Jay Shetty is about to be $100M richer. (Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Spotify.) |
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Netflix and Spotify just paid $100M to take Jay Shetty’s podcast off YouTube |
The $100M deal: Netflix and Spotify are teaming up against YouTube. The two companies have poached Jay Shetty and his longtime life coaching/motivational podcast On Purpose through an exclusive multiyear deal that’s reportedly worth ~$100 million (per Variety). The creator and his podcast were previously locked into a three-year deal with iHeartMedia, which ended in March. |
Shetty started On Purpose in 2019, and has since posted over 800 episodes and built an audience of ~70 million people by pitching himself as a former student who underwent a “transformation” after living with monks for three years. The show has racked up 5.6 million YouTube subscribers for Shetty’s dedicated podcast channel, which draws ~15 million views a month. When YouTube launched its podcast charts in May 2025, On Purpose debuted at #55; it’s now at #89. |
Soon, however, it could drop off the charts entirely—because Netflix and Spotify’s deal prevents Shetty from uploading new episodes to YouTube. That means folks who want to tune in to On Purpose for the next few years will only be able to find the video version on Netflix. The audio-only version will live on Spotify. |
The context: Netflix has been pursuing creator scoops for a while as part of its increasingly focused push into podcast content. Earlier this week, the streamer announced that it had expanded its deal with long-running morning radio show The Breakfast Club—a first step into daily real-time programming syndication. |
Now, by “joining forces” with Spotify, Netflix VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy Lauren Smith said the streaming service is “giving ‘On Purpose’ an expansive new canvas, bringing these visually captivating interviews to our members’ screens with unmissable episodes to look forward to every single week.” |
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CREATOR COMMOTION |
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The Sidemen are dishing up some hot competition. |
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The Sidemen are cooking up a competition show on YouTube and Prime Video |
The show: One year after reviving Supermarket Sweep on YouTube, the Sidemen have ordered up another culinary competition. The creator supergroup’s latest show, Sidemen Presents: SideMenu, is set to release across both YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. |
Each episode of the upcoming original series will pair members of the Sidemen with guest competitors for team-based culinary challenges. Per Deadline, there will be “mystery box twists” (akin to Chopped) and cuisine-based challenge themes (à la Top Chef). Judges will include culinary creators like Harrison Webb and Sorted Food. |
The distribution strategy for SideMenu is somewhat unconventional. On June 18, the premiere episode will drop on the MoreSidemen YouTube channel (which reaches around ten million subscribers, as compared to the main Sidemen YouTube channel’s 23 million subscribers). The next three installments will hit Prime Video first. Eventually, all four episodes will be available on both YouTube and Amazon. |
The context: The Sidemen and their management team at Arcade have spent the past few years developing the creator group into a sprawling media company, complete with an in-house production studio. As they’ve looked to level up beyond their roots on YouTube, the Sidemen have used game show and reality formats to expand their footprint to additional platforms. Inside, for example, is a Big Brother-style competition that premiered on YouTube but eventually moved to Netflix as the Sidemen sought additional reach. |
In many ways, the group’s overarching business plan has drawn inspiration from big-name creators like MrBeast. Now, the Sidemen are bringing their brand to Prime Video, just like MrBeast did with Beast Games. |
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WATCH THIS 👀 |
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Yo! Where you at? |
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An unlikely alliance scored Ludwig a major Geoguessr victory |
The big win: Last month, we wrote about Ludwig’s unexpected triumph in the world of Geoguessr. In a Twitch Rivals tournament, he and fellow streamer Caedrel crushed the competition to land a decisive win—even though, as Ludwig puts it, he’d been playing the game for five years at that point without having “improved at all.” |
Now, Ludwig is letting fans in on the backstory behind that surprise victory. Check out the full video here to find out how he and Caedrel “masterfully won a $50,000 Geoguessr tournament.” |
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. |
