Good morning. Over the weekend, Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed embarked on the ultimate Sisyphean livestream: beating all four major Minecraft bosses on hardcore mode. Each time they die in the game, they lose all their progress and start over.
With a combined 500K concurrent viewers, 83M total views, and 33 in-game deaths over the course of three days, we don’t see this marathon ending anytime soon.
Today’s lineup:
MrBeast’s TikTok breaks the platform’s repost record
Lyrical Lemonade expands its content slate
The new way to monetize on X
MrBeast Dance TikTok Becomes Most Reposted Video Ever
MrBeast dances to a viral Russian song about him eating rice / MrBeast
Has your TikTok For You Page (FYP) been taken over by an absurd video of MrBeast dancing to a Russian song about him eating rice? You’re not alone. With over 250M views, 10M reposts, and 32M likes, it’s now the most reposted video in TikTok history.
The meme, explained:
Why it worked:
Global appeal, which seems to play a key role in Donaldson’s short-form strategy. He’s said before that his most-viewed shorts are ones where he doesn’t speak, because they can be understood from anywhere in the world.
“Jimmy has always been good at fielding and pursuing opportunities in international markets,” viral stunt creator (and former MrBeast employee) Anthony “Anthpo” Potero told us via text. “This meme is not even that big in the US, but it goes to show the power of [audiences] overseas.”Simple visuals: Potero told us that TikTok viewers are starting to favor lower-production videos—wanting a more stripped-back look at their favorite creators.
“[This video is] a testament to consumers' taste changing,” Po said. “Jimmy has been spending thousands and thousands of dollars on short-form videos and it’s fascinating—but ultimately not surprising—that this seemingly low lift one is his highest performer.”
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Lyrical Lemonade Breaks Into Travel Content
Shawn K (right) joins Cole Bennett's Lyrical Lemonade TV to host its first travel show, No Comfort / Shawn K
Lyrical Lemonade TV (LLTV), the media arm of Cole Bennett's 24-million-subscriber music video channel, launches its first travel show, No Comfort, on YouTube August 17. It is the latest addition to a growing slate of shows where LLTV functions more like a network than a channel.
The details: Music producer and longtime Lyrical contributor Shawn K is hosting the Anthony Bourdain-inspired show, where he takes music artists around the world to connect with locals. Lyrical’s Head of Content & Programming Elliot Montanez told us it’s "not a food show," but includes "the art elements of food.”
No Comfort joins three interview and commentary shows launched on LLTV this year with backing from Whalar's Lighthouse Studios. The goal, Montanez says, is "a creator-led network that has something for everybody,” like MTV for the YouTube era. LLTV publishes twice a week, but aims to reach two uploads per day.
How it’s going:
LLTV's TV viewership is up more than 200% year-over-year, according to LLTV’s CEO Joseph Rocha.
The core audience skews 25 to 34, roughly 75% male and about 70% US based, Montanez told us. It is a base that has aged up alongside Lyrical's 13 years on the platform.
Two-month-old interview show Call It A Day, hosted by network producer Sara Kolli, already averages around 100K views per episode.
Big picture: Niche content has long been the proven model on YouTube, but can a network-style channel work too? Strategists including former YouTube Creator Liaison Matt Koval advise against it. “Don't run your YouTube channel like a TV channel,” Koval said on LinkedIn, arguing that the algorithm rewards repeatable formats that bring a viewer back. LLTV is betting its loyal audience will follow it no matter the subject matter.
Do you think network-style content could work on YouTube?
X Changes Its Monetization Program
X updates its monetization policy to application-only / Illustration by Moy Zhong
In an effort to crack down on aggregators and AI accounts earning money on the platform, X is discontinuing its Creator Revenue Sharing program and replacing it with an Original Content Rewards Program.
Inside the program:
Under the old model, X paid Premium users for engagements on posts. Starting September 7, payouts are opt-in. Creators need 500 verified followers and 500K impressions over the past 90 days to apply for the rewards program.
Approved creators will be paid based on “unique impressions from Premium users” on the Home Timeline feed.
The new content requirements target aggregators and repost accounts, but it does not ban AI-generated content. Creators only have to make the content themselves.
Why now? One potential reason for the switch is X’s reported influx of AI slop, according to Wired. With the platform incentivizing articles and other original content, X might be using this program as another way to clean up its feed.
Are you currently monetizing on X?
👀 Creator Jobs
Public Opinion is hiring a marketing manager to develop brand proposals for its Public Opinion and Track Star shows.
Minecraft creator EYstreem is hiring an ideation lead to work on research and internal channel analysis.
Creator microdrama platform Second Rodeo is hiring vertical editors to handle the post-production process, including organizing and syncing footage.
🔥 Press Worthy
Spotify tests a feature that lets Premium users skip podcast ads that weren’t sold by Spotify.
Hank Green releases an AI use policy for his personal YouTube channel.
Kickstarter launches a $1M fund for creators.
Addison Rae releases a custom Fortnite skin.
Comedy creators Slushy Noobz join iHeartMedia’s podcast network.
55% of Americans post less than they did five years ago, according to a new study from Incogni.
