TOGETHER WITH

It’s Friday and the FIFA World Cup has officially kicked off. If you want to follow the action without paying for a streaming subscription, FOX Sports’ always-on YouTube stream will offer a mix of studio analysis and live match look-ins.

Today’s News

💬 YouTube launches its new DMs in the U.S.
🕍 TikTok becomes part of history
🦁 Our preview for Cannes Lions 2026
🍳 Nick DiGiovanni brings the Food Network to YouTube

PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS

YouTube has announced a global rollout for its new DMs

YouTube’s DMs were gone for six years. Now they’re back.

The announcement: YouTube users in the United States can now slide into each other’s DMs. By tapping a “new messaging icon” on the YouTube app, users can send and receive direct messages.

Recipients will need to accept the relevant chat request before a sender can share a viral video or reaction with them. YouTube’s DMs are also limited to users over the age of 18.

The history: If this announcement gives you a feeling of deja vu, that’s understandable. After all, this isn’t the first time YouTube has announced the launch of a direct messaging feature.

The first iteration of that product arrived in 2017. Back then, DMs were flourishing on apps like Instagram and Twitter (now X), and YouTube was looking for a way to keep some of those chats on-platform. It developed a mobile-centric DM hub for that express purpose.

Two years later, that hub was already on its way out. YouTube discontinued its original DMs in 2019 to focus on more public forms of conversation. So what’s changed since then?

The return: In 2026, some social media companies are in love with the “share” button. Instagram, for example, is making “sends per reach” a key metric in its algorithm (according to Adam Mosseri), so it has souped up its DMs to facilitate those shares.

DMs have become such a prominent focal point that Instagram rivals like Snap, TikTok, and Spotify have all embraced the format. After responding to a “top feature request” from its users, YouTube is now following suit.

Will YouTube’s DMs become popular enough to compete with Instagram’s take on the format? That’s going to be an uphill battle, but if you need a space to share that video that made you ROTFLOL, now you have it.

🌟 SPONSORED 🌟

Your dream community manager is waiting for you on Made

Made is on a mission to help creators amplify their creativity and scale their production.

That’s why its AI platform gives every creator a personalized team of AI agents who can learn from their content, adapt to their voice, and support their full creative workflow.

Now, with a brand-new update, those agents are better equipped than ever to help creators create, engage, and grow with less effort and more clarity.

Meet the full Made team on the website—or keep reading to get to know your new community manager, Zara.

Get to know Zara on Made

As your resident social media expert, Zara manages comments and fan engagement at scale, drafts every response for review, and never posts without your express go-ahead.

Here’s a quick look at the tasks Zara can take off your plate:

Reply to comments with personalized responses drafted in your voice
Check the vibe by running sentiment analysis on a video's comment section
Sort comments into 11 categories (Questions, Praise, Suggestions, Criticism, etc.)
Measure your engagement by like and comment rates, and identify superfans

Zara works in the background to keep your community healthy—so you can focus on creating. Visit the website to meet the rest of the team:

Try Made for free →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

The completion of the Sagrada Familia is streaming on TikTok.

After nearly 150 years of construction, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia is nearing completion. To celebrate, Pope Leo XIV showed up for a mass, and TikTok offered live-streaming coverage of the event. Imagine trying to explain TikTok to Antoni Gaudí in 1883. (Tubefilter)
Disney+ has already won the rights to kid-friendly hits like Bluey and CoComelon. Now, it’s adding another YouTube family favorite to its lineup. Gracie’s Corner, the award-winning channel filled with nursery rhymes and sing-alongs, will arrive on Disney+ on June 15. (Media Play News)
Bumble is making a beeline for YouTube. As the dating app looks to appeal to jaded users, it is launching a call-in talk program that will offer advice to the lovelorn. Bee Line is set to premiere on YouTube on June 16. (Marketing Dive)
Julie Nolke, who you may remember from the viral sketches she uploaded during the peak COVID era, is taking the lead in a new political satire. Red Imp Films is developing Gov, which stars Nolke as an influencer who receives a political appointment. That may be satire now, but it will be reality before too long. (C21 Media)

COMING TO CANNES?

We’ll be there.

Your guide to Tubefilter @ Cannes

The festival: Cannes Lions is just over a week away, and not only is Tubefilter returning for its third year as official media partner for the festival’s content creator track, LIONS Creators, but we’ll also be on the ground with a number of top industry companies and activations.

Want to join us? Here’s where we’ll be…

Epidemic Sound x Teachable’s Creator Villa

We’re joining up with both Epidemic Sound and Teachable to host an exclusive villa in Mougins that’ll bring together creators, media leaders, and industry professionals for an afternoon of discussion, networking, and good eats.

Our very own CEO Drew Baldwin will be there, along with Olivia Owens, Teachable’s Head of Product Marketing & Partnerships; Gracie Schram, Global Head of Creator Partnerships and Strategy at Epidemic Sound; Kelly Song, Partnerships Marketing Manager at Teachable; and Marcus Bernette, Partner Development Manager at Epidemic Sound.

Comscore x Tubefilter Creator TV Roundtable

Join us and global media measurement/analytics company Comscore for a roundtable focused on the current creator entertainment landscape and the value of reaching audiences outside the norm. Comscore’s Chief Commercial Officer Steve Bagdasarian will moderate!

Billion Dollar Boy’s The Great Unlearn

We’re the official media partner for Billion Dollar Boy and FiveTwoNine‘s rooftop session, The Great Unlearn, where BDB will present its new report Creator Instinct: Unlocking the Social Code.

This gathering is aimed at encouraging other agencies and brands to “unlearn comfort” and “unlock growth in a creator-led world.” It promises discussions with brand leaders and platforms, plus the opportunity to meet creators sponsored by Billion Dollar Boy’s Creator Fund–a grant that helps up-and-coming content-makers afford events like Cannes.

The Creators List

Last but certainly not least, we’ve partnered with the Whalar Group, Comscore, and Gospel Stats to curate The Creators List, an expansive directory of every top creator expected to attend Cannes Lions. The List was specifically designed as a one-stop resource for brands that want to connect with content-makers on the ground during one of the world’s largest industry events.

We have hundreds of creators, their reps, and their contact info, and we continue to add names as more creators book travel. If you want face time with creators in Cannes, The List tells you exactly who’ll be there and how to get in touch.

Request it here.

See you in France!

WATCH THIS 👀

Nick DiGiovanni has gone from cooking show contestant to cooking show judge.

Nick DiGiovanni keeps it 100 with Food Network judging gig

The premiere: The new show 100 Cooks, airing on the Food Network and HBO Max, has a star-studded cast. Terry Crews hosts, and cooking show stalwart Alex Guarnaschelli is one of the judges. To balance out Guarnaschelli’s pointed critiques, she has been paired with an upbeat partner: YouTube and TikTok favorite Nick DiGiovanni.

DiGiovanni got his star as a contestant on MasterChef. Now, as he brings his cooking career full circle, he is celebrating with his fans. The first episode of 100 Cooks is available in full on DiGiovanni’s More Nick YouTube channel. To watch beyond that point, you’ll need a streaming or cable subscription.