Good morning. In an effort to “build a better world,” Minecraft announced its Good Trouble DLC—a free, downloadable expansion that allows players to explore global civil rights movements in cube form. 

Players can engage with the avatars of famous activists like Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and Malala Yousafzai, and learn the power of speaking up for what’s right. 

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

Yesterday, Netflix announced a multi-year talent deal with Salish Matter, a 16-year-old creator who has quietly become one of the most influential figures in family entertainment alongside her father and creative partner, Jordan Matter.

How they get here →

Jordan sat down with our own Samir Chaudry to share the details of the deal → 

“It’s a huge leap of faith in us and a lot of trust because we didn’t come to [Netflix] with a show at all. They came to us with an interest in us as talent and they want to develop something with us together,” Jordan said.

The fine print: Unlike traditional development deals, which center around a show, Jordan and Salish’s Netflix partnership is closer to an overall talent deal. 

Why take the deal? For Jordan, the Netflix deal wasn’t about replacing YouTube, it was about expanding what’s creatively possible. “We make a 30-minute video every week in one day,” he said. “Now, we have the time, the support, and the resources to find another gear creatively.”

The Matters will continue to post weekly on YouTube. Their first Netflix show is expected to release later this year.

Listen to Samir’s full conversation with Jordan here.

As we settle into Q1, platforms are finding new ways for creators to connect with their audience, and brands to connect with creators.

Here’s the latest →

YouTube expands the YouTube Create iOS app, their CapCut competitor, to more markets, and adds Google’s AI video generator VEO to the app.

Creators now have access to dual-format streaming, allowing livestreams to simultaneously appear horizontally on channel pages, and vertically in the Shorts feed.

Meta implements AI tools to connect brands with like-minded creators as part of their newly expanded creator marketplace. 

Big picture: YouTube is investing in creator output and lowering the barrier to entry, while Meta is investing in brand outcomes.

This year, Instagram will make up 11.1% of all US digital ad spending, according to Emarketer. Meta is doubling down on what’s working, making its ad ecosystem more predictable for brands.

Sponsored by Shopify

When the auto channel BigTime launched, they gained 1M subscribers in 7 days. Before they even hit publish on their first video, they had a Shopify store live.

Why? Because when the audience shows up, it’s too late to figure out merch.

BigTime turned inside jokes into product drops, experiments into revenue, and fans into a real community through selling products that made sense for them and their audience. And fans want more. BigTime hosted a sold-out pop-up and is now opening a retail store in LA. 

Shopify is the infrastructure that lets creators move quickly without slowing content down, and enables creators like BigTime to build a community and sustainable business independently.

Spain is the latest country to implement a social media ban for teens under 16, with France and Greece voting on similar measures.

Context: Australia enacted a social media ban in December, with 550K teen Meta users losing their accounts. Some are using VPNs to skirt around the ban, but alternative apps like Coverstar and Lemon8 are also growing in popularity.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is tightening social media rules even further. In addition to the ban, Sánchez says he plans to hold platform executives legally accountable for illicit activity happening on their sites and implement a system to track how platforms promote hate speech.