TOGETHER WITH

It’s Tuesday, and even LinkedIn has made its impact on the World Cup. A player at this year’s tourney, Roberto Lopes, was initially scouted for Cape Verde’s team through a LinkedIn message—one he almost deleted after mistaking it for spam.

Today’s News

💸 Fox acquires Roku
🤝 NAB welcomes creators year-round
✈️ Pete Buttigieg is coming to VidCon
🎤 YouTube debuts “Music Nights”
⚽ TikTok launches trading cards

MONEY MOVES

Fox is becoming a streaming titan. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Fox’s $22B Roku acquisition makes it the king of the FAST lane

The $22B purchase: During a recent call with investors, Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch revealed that his company will acquire Roku in a cash-and-stock transaction that places its value at $22 billion.

In addition to branded apps like Fox Nation and Fox One, Fox Corporation also controls Tubi, a top app among cost-conscious consumers. By adding Roku to that portfolio, Fox is creating an empire that excels across SVOD, AVOD, and FAST formats.

Unpacking those acronyms is key to understanding the differences between Tubi and Roku, which Fox plans to keep separate. Tubi describes itself as an ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) hub, which is distinct from the cable-style model known as free, ad-supported television (FAST). While the Roku Channel utilizes a similar AVOD model, Roku has also become a discovery engine for FAST channels.

Add in the limited overlap between the Tubi and Roku user bases, and their continued separation makes strategic sense. During the investor call, Murdoch noted that “bringing the two of them together…effectively, triples the reach of the combined service.”

The context: The differences between AVOD and FAST are often subtle, but both models differ significantly from subscription video-on-demand. SVOD platforms like Netflix and HBO Max have struggled under the weight of big-budget originals, while the economics of AVOD platforms encourage companies to place smaller, safer bets.

That’s why, when Fox brought a slate of creator-led programs to Tubi, it cast a wide net by working with a diverse array of partners. The continuation of the Tubi for Creators program shows that Fox’s dealmaking has unlocked palpable opportunities for social media standouts.

Other Tubi experiments have included social shopping programs and lower-cost Super Bowl ads. Now, with the acquisition of Roku, Fox can bring new dimensions to its streaming strategy.

🌟 SPONSORED 🌟

Over 200 top creators are coming to Cannes Lions. Find out who’s on the list:

Every year, the world’s top brands, agencies, and creators unite at Cannes Lions for five days of insider insights, exclusive programming, and in-person networking.

The best way to network at Cannes? Knowing who will be there—and how to get in touch.

That’s where The Creators List comes in.

Curated by Tubefilter in partnership with Gospel Stats, Comscore, and Whalar Group, The Creators List is an independent directory of over 200 top creators expected to attend the festival later this month.

The Creators List crosses entertainment, lifestyle, sports, culture, business, and more, giving industry leaders a clear understanding of which creators will be at Cannes and how to connect with talent ranging from Alex Cooper to Brittany Broski and Keith Lee.

“The Creator’s List is important because it helps brands move from curiosity to action by identifying the creators who matter at Cannes and creates a foundation for smarter, more measurable collaboration.”

- Steve Bagdasarian, Comscore Chief Commercial Officer

Built for the agencies and brands looking to connect on the Croisette, there’s no better way to reach the creators defining today’s digital ecosystem.

Visit The Creators List website to learn more and gain access:

View the list →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

NAB Show has unveiled a Content Creator VIP Program.

After three years of welcoming creators to NAB Show, the National Association of Broadcasters is launching a year-round creator VIP program. (Tubefilter - Partner Story)
Facebook has unveiled a new AI Mode that provides users with AI-generated responses drawn from content publicly posted across Meta’s platforms. (The Verge)
Beginning in early 2027, the U.K. plans to ban children under the age of 16 from social media. (Gizmodo)
An internal post by Meta exec Andrew Bosworth reportedly acknowledged the company’s “atrocious” AI reorganization and promised workers more stability (and snacks) going forward. (Wired)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Politicians are embracing the creator economy. (Photo by Kayla Wolf/Getty Images.)

Pete Buttigieg is coming to VidCon (Exclusive)

The speaker: Despite creators’ rising influence in the political sphere, many politicians are painfully unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the digital economy. Theorist founders MatPat and Stephanie Patrick sought to tackle that issue head-on last year, when they joined the Congressional Creators Caucus, a bipartisan effort to educate less-than-tech-savvy politicians.

Some political figures, however, do know how important creators are—and one of them is coming to VidCon 2026.

Pete Buttigieg, former South Bend, Indiana mayor and Secretary of Transportation under the Biden Administration, will join yoga YouTuber Adriene Mishler for a fireside chat exploring “the growing overlap between the political world and the creator economy and how creators and public leaders can foster meaningful connections and inspire action,” VidCon tells Tubefilter.

The politician has already dipped into our space with appearances on podcasts like Flagrant, and recently sat down for an hour-and-a-half-long chat with YouTuber Doctor Mike.

Buttigieg tells Tubefilter that he decided to join VidCon because “[m]y approach to politics has always been guided by the belief that you can’t blame someone for not agreeing with you if you haven’t gone to the trouble of reaching them in the first place.”

The convention: VidCon has welcomed political speakers in the past, including figures like U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and Christian Tom, former Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy.

For its 2026 Anaheim convention, VidCon says it selected Buttigieg because he “brings a rare combination of policy depth and digital fluency to the VidCon stage.”

Buttigieg and Mishler’s talk will be part of VidCon’s Industry Track, alongside programming from nearly 140 other speakers and panelists. VidCon 2026 is set to run from June 25-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

THE MUSIC BIZ

YouTube wants to be the go-to platform for popheads.

YouTube is looking to upstage rivals with “Music Nights” headlined by A-list artists

The concert series: YouTube is topping off its massive music video archive and extensive festival coverage with a new slate of live events.

A blog post describes YouTube Music Nights as “a series of exclusive live concerts designed for dedicated fans.” By linking up a mix of established and rising artists for tour stops, release parties, and one-off shows, YouTube is highlighting exciting venues and providing free coverage of in-demand acts.

The blog post refers to concerts that take place in “unique destinations with a special meaning to artists.” So far, New Jersey-bred band Bleachers has performed at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, while country star Kacey Musgraves celebrated the release of her album Middle of Nowhere in New Braunfels, Texas.

The series’ third concert featured a less widely known star. Jazz musician Isaiah Rashad doesn’t have as large a following as Musgraves or Bleachers do, but he nevertheless got his own Music Night in L.A.

The context: Rashad’s lifetime total of 234 million YouTube views helps explain why YouTube is putting on its Music Night events. As some of its rivals tout their value as promotional tools for rising artists, Google’s video platform is looking to underscore its own recording industry cred.

For TikTok, efforts to support A-list and up-and-coming artists are part of the In The Mix brand, which has evolved from a concert series into a podcast co-hosted by artists. Spotify, meanwhile, has sought to expand its festival coverage as it highlights deals with pop royalty like Le Sserafim.

Now, Music Nights will remind viewers of YouTube’s own powerful position in the world of music distribution and marketing.

WATCH THIS 👀

Creators are spreading the word about TikTok’s World Cup cards.

TikTok is launching World Cup trading cards

The card collection: As sports creator MomoFifaHD pointed out in a recent sponsored Short, “football fans cannot genuinely resist collecting things.” That’s what TikTok is counting on as it releases its very own set of World Cup trading cards.

Launched in partnership with 65-year-old trading card company Panini, the platform’s card collection will feature the nations, players, and legends who define the culture of international soccer. The set includes three cards for each of the 48 World Cup participants and will live within the “Fan Experience Hub” that serves as the epicenter of TikTok’s World Cup coverage.

Users can unlock those cards by checking off certain in-app actions (like following specific accounts or commenting on posts). And according to TikTok, “the more cards fans collect, the more rewards they will unlock.”

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