It’s Thursday and nothing says AI innovation quite like “Dreambeans.” Or, at least, that’s what Google seemed to be hoping when naming its latest tool.

Today’s News

🧪 Meta takes “Series” for a test run
💪 Substack puts creators in control
🍭 What goes into a meatball lollipop?
📚 Netflix taps into BookTok
🍔 McDonald’s visits the Backrooms

PLATFORM UPDATES

Meta is taking Series for a test run. (Photo illustration by Brandon Bell/Getty Images.)

Meta’s new Reels feature plays into the microdrama market

The feature: As microseries take over digital content and YouTube dominates TV screens, Meta is playing into both trends with a new Reels feature.

That tool, called "Series,” will let creators organize individual Reels into a chronological collection of episodes that can be highlighted in a special hub on their profiles (per TechCrunch). For viewers who discover an episode while organically scrolling, Reels will show them an option to tap for the full series. Users can also save a series to their accounts, giving them a way to watch later or check in for new installments.

Meta has confirmed that it’s exploring ways to monetize the Series feature, but didn’t say what that might look like. One possible option can be seen on TikTok, where a similar feature lets creators paywall entire collections of premium content.

For now, the Series feature is in a testing phase with select creators and content publishers who already post serialized content on Instagram and Facebook.

The context: Since TikTok’s COVID-days debut, short-form content has struggled with serialization. For a while, creators on platforms like TikTok and Instagram couldn’t even link out to other videos from their shorts. Some platforms’ UXs still don’t show short-form videos’ titles when browsing creators’ profiles.

With microseries becoming more popular and dedicated apps like ReelShort popping up, however, viewers are looking to social platforms to provide a similar viewership experience—and Meta is eager to fill the gap. The company told TechCrunch that it introduced Series because it’s already seeing serialized content boom on Reels.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

On Substack, creators make the rules.

Substack has announced a new “Reply Rules” feature that will allow creators to set specific guidelines for anyone posting responses “in comments on their posts, in replies to their Notes, or in Chat.“(Substack)
Top execs from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft have signed a letter urging Congress to pass laws that would hinder the development of biological weapons using AI technology. (Wired)
Three years after a prolonged battle with the FTC to acquire VR app Supernatural for $400 million, Meta is reportedly returning the company to its original founders. (TheNextWeb)
TikTok is joining forces with Sundance Institute to launch a four-week microseries writing program designed to support “the next generation of creator-led short-form storytelling for digital audiences.”(Variety)

ON THE BALL

Go big or go home, amiright?

Brands don’t win by playing it safe—just look at IKEA and Chupa Chups’ meatball lollipop

The campaign: Most brands would shy away from the idea of a campaign based around a meatball-flavored lollipop.

But IKEA and Chupa Chups are not most brands. With the help of social agency Billion Dollar Boy, the two companies built an April Fool’s joke into an eye-catching campaign—one that will culminate in the distribution of actual, limited-edition meatball, gravy, and lingonberry-flavored lollipops.

According to Billion Dollar Boy, that commitment to the bit is the reason these kinds of risky campaigns drive 25% more organic views than safer ads.

That data comes from the agency’s new report, Creator Instinct: Unlocking the Social Code, which contains its expert insights from producing over 5,000 pieces of creator-led content across the U.S. and U.K. Billion Dollar Boy cites IKEA and Chupa Chups’ project as a prime example of what brands can accomplish when they’re willing to be as daring as creators.

“Creators are so good at risk. Creators don’t have all these guardrails they follow….They don’t have to go and talk to 20 different people to get approval for things. They enjoy the shock value.”

- Becky Owen, Billion Dollar Boy’s CMO

The report: The topic of risky advertising is just one part of Billion Dollar Boy’s report. Other chapters include why front-loading brand shout-outs in creator videos can inhibit impact, why demonstrations and tutorials drive both views and brand growth, and why successful branded creator content thrives on real emotional responses. Folks interested in learning more can download the full report here.

Billion Dollar Boy will also present its findings at the upcoming Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026, during its Patreon-sponsored event The Great Unlearn. The rooftop session will take place June 24 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. local time. Spaces are limited; you can register your interest here.

FYI: Billion Dollar Boy is a Tubefilter partner.

STREAMING BIG

Netflix is coming for #BookTok.

Netflix wants that BookTok watch time

The hub: Netflix is targeting TikTok‘s community of book lovers. The streaming service has introduced a new hub called “Watch Your Favorite Books,” which collects page-to-screen adaptations (including series and films like Bridgerton, 3 Body Problem, The Queen’s Gambit, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein) into curated lists based on nine different themes:

You Crave Amazing Characters
You’re into Immersive World-Building
You Love a Great Plot Twist
You Savor Swoonworthy Romances
You’re a Nonfiction Fanatic
You’re a History and Period Piece Buff
You Adore All-Ages Adventures
You Collect Manga and Comics
and You’re Wild About Web Stories

In a company blog post, Netflix described the hub as a “special experience for fans“ that was “inspired by the vibrant book community and the popularity of our adaptations.”

Mansi Patel, Netflix’s Senior Director of Product Merchandising, added that the streamer has “seen a real passion from fans around Netflix’s library of book adaptations” and that previous digital-denizen-bait content hubs, like “Your Zodiac Watchlist,” have seen success.

The context: Given Heated Rivalry’s viral reception on HBO Max and the hype surrounding Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the Off-Campus series, Netflix’s decision to target literary fandoms is well-timed. BookTok (aka the massive community of voracious readers who post online about trending titles) has proven buying power, and TikTok just launched its own bestseller list based on both sales figures and fan chatter.

It makes sense that Netflix would want to cater to those fans, especially if its recent moves in the podcast sphere signal a broader push into listening content like audiobooks.

WATCH THIS 👀

Would you like fries with that?

Even McDonald’s is getting in on the Backrooms hype

The Backrooms (burger-style): Where can you find “the only McDonald’s with the Almond Water Refresher and McNuggets with Moth Jelly Sauce”? The Backrooms, of course.

After earning $100 million at the box office in under a week, it’s no surprise that Kane Parsons’ Backrooms movie is attracting attention from brands hoping to tap into the hype. McDonald’s is the latest company to jump on that trend.

A two-minute ad from the fast food chain takes creepypasta fans deep into a labyrinth of retro McDonald’s decor, complete with overflowing ball pits and plenty of heavy breathing.

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