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It’s Friday and Disney is reportedly on a quest to create the next “super app.” Because what’s a streaming platform without access to cruises and resorts? |
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Today’s News |
🏈 YouTube and Netflix eye the NFL 🤝 The ACLU teaches kids on YouTube 🩹 Creators 4 Mental Health hits NYC 📱 OnlyFans makes an update 👱♀️ Legally Blonde goes back in time
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GAME ON |
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You’re most likely going to see the YouTube logo on more games this season. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) |
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YouTube and Netflix could land multi-game packages for the 2026 NFL season |
The streaming deals: Last year marked YouTube’s first time serving as the exclusive broadcaster for a regular-season NFL game. In 2026, the platform is expanding its football slate—and sharing the spotlight with Netflix. |
In accordance with ESPN’s agreement to acquire the NFL Network, the Worldwide Leader in Sports surrendered four broadcasts that were previously part of Monday Night Football doubleheaders. Per CNBC, YouTube and Netflix will each get two of those games—and that’s only part of a set of multi-game deals covering the 2026 NFL season. |
Front Office Sports also reported that YouTube was in advanced talks to secure a five-game package, while Netflix will air Christmas Day football for the third season in a row. |
The context: If those deals go through, NFL football will be split across a wide array of streaming services in 2026. Amazon Prime Video will retain its claim as the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, while Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN Unlimited will offer digital coverage of games that will also air on network channels. |
That diversified setup is being assembled at a crucial moment for the NFL. The U.S. Justice Department is currently investigating the league to determine whether the practice it uses to distribute broadcast rights is anticompetitive. In theory, a longer list of broadcast partners shows that there is stiff competition for NFL rights packages. |
Expanding its presence amid that heightened competition signifies a major win for YouTube. Its strategy on TV screens revolves around big-name live events like the Oscars and the Eurovision Song Contest—and the NFL certainly fits that bill. |
Confirmation of the league’s partnerships with YouTube and Netflix is expected to come during the second week of May, when broadcasters will deliver their upfront presentations and reveal plans for the coming season. |
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INDUSTRY NEWS |
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Les Mills wants to make fitness instructors “rockstars”. |
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Fitness instructors are the “rockstars” of their industry. That’s why Les Mills made a YouTube docuseries about them. |
The series: Les Mills—the international fitness company founded by a family of Olympians—offers a vast variety of fitness classes hosted by over 100,000 expert instructors from across the globe. |
Now, the best and brightest of those instructors are being featured in an original YouTube docuseries made by Les Mills and Auckland-based studio Tomorrowland. |
Called RISE: Search for the Ultimate Trainers, the six-episode series spans three years of production and follows a tense competition between hundreds of trainers as they perform at live fitness events around the world. Whoever comes out on top will snag a coveted spot on Les Mills’ global filming team. |
The YouTube play: The docuseries itself evolved over the course of production, but its distribution plan remained rock solid thanks to The Now Agency. Co-founded in July 2025 by Managing Partner Gabe Feldman and Reign Maker Group co-founder/CEO Jonathan Chanti, The Now Agency helps brands “transition from traditional media and traditional advertising to social media and influencer-led advertising” (per Feldman). |
The Now Agency is Les Mills’ exclusive YouTube partner and, together, the two companies are publishing one episode of RISE per week on Les Mills’ YouTube channel, plus a wrap-up podcast hosted by Les Mills ambassador trainer Bas Hollander. |
And this is just the start of The Now Agency's plans for Les Mills' presence on YouTube. |
Check out our interview with Les Mills founder and Managing Director Phillip Mills here to find out more. |
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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 |
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CREATOR COMMOTION |
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Doctor Mike is showing up off your screens and out of home. |
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Creators 4 Mental Health has tapped Doctor Mike and Vivian Tu to reach NYC commuters |
The campaign: Thanks to Creators 4 Mental Health, millions of subway riders in NYC are about to get a dose of positivity during their daily commute. |
Content creators Doctor Mike, Vivian Tu (aka Your Rich BFF), Nimay Ndolo, Frankie Grande, and Shira Lazar are all featured in a new campaign that will put their “messages of affirmation, wisdom and hope” on various NYC transit video boards run by advertising company OUTFRONT. |
“I’m honored to be a part of this campaign, and to shine a bright light on why mental health is as important as one’s physical health.” |
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The campaign is timed for May’s Mental Health Awareness Month and aimed at everyone, not just creators. Recent data, however, shows that creators are intimately familiar with mental health struggles, making them ideal spokespeople for others facing similar challenges. |
The data: A November 2025 study from Creators 4 Mental Health (which researches creator-specific wellness needs and develops corresponding support systems) showed that 89% of creators feel they don’t have access to mental healthcare from providers who understand their jobs and needs. |
The study also found that creators experience high rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout, with 10% of survey respondents saying they’ve had suicidal thoughts related to their work. That number is twice the typical rate for U.S. adults. |
Lazar, who founded Creators 4 Mental Health, said the partnership between her organization and OUTFRONT “is a powerful step forward in making mental health visible in our everyday environments.” Tu similarly emphasized the importance of visibility, noting that “conversations around overall well-being allow all of us to feel better connected and less alone. Mental health is wealth!” |
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PLATFORM POTPOURRI |
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OnlyFans is officially entering its Discovery Era. |
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OnlyFans is rolling out category-specific hubs |
The hubs: OnlyFans has revealed a trio of category-focused hubs based around specific genres. The platform’s CEO, Keily Blair, announced the update during an address at the Online Marketing Rockstars Festival in Hamburg, Germany. |
Although OnlyFans is best known for explicit content, its new hubs will highlight uploads that fall into the categories of sports, comedy, and podcasts. Many of the creators featured on those verticals already have strong followings on OnlyFans. The sports hub, for example, directs users to athletes like Cris Cyborg and Lisa Buckwitz. |
The hubs also tie into OnlyFans’ original programming endeavors. Through a platform called OFTV, OnlyFans offers all-ages shows in categories like reality TV, cooking, and even fishing. Some of those shows, like the sports program Rise & Grind and the comedy series LMAOF, can now be discovered on the relevant category-specific hubs. |
The context: By letting users market and sell their own content, OnlyFans has empowered influencers across multiple industries and genres—and that support for creator agency is on full display within these new hubs. Comedians like Claire Sundbye have prioritized OnlyFans because of its support for edgy content, while top stars like Harry Jowsey have employed the platform as a promotional tool for their podcasts and other ventures. |
Now, as OnlyFans expands, it must prioritize its community as well as its creators. That’s the move Patreon is making with its pivot toward discovery features, and OnlyFans’ new hubs will allow it to move in a similar direction. |
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WATCH THIS 👀 |
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The LBCU (‘Legally Blonde’ Cinematic Universe) expands. |
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Meet Elle Woods, circa 1995 |
The prequel: It’s been 25 years since Legally Blonde landed in theaters, but the early 2000s hit hasn’t lost its shine over the decades. Clips of the original film have amassed millions upon millions of views on TikTok—not to mention the short-form video trends inspired by the franchise at large. |
Now, Elle Woods is making her triumphant return in a Prime Video prequel series. The official trailer for Elle dropped on YouTube earlier this week, bringing fans back in time to 1995. Check out the teaser here for a hearty dose of pink-tinted nostalgia. |
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, James Hale, and Josh Cohen. |
