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TOGETHER WITH |
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It's Tuesday and Google Search isn't just feeling the heat from TikTok anymore—Meta is reportedly developing its own search engine, too. |
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Today's News |
👎 Instagram downgrades the video quality of less popular content 📈 Four YouTube channels rule the charts with 700M+ weekly views each 🥜 Gospel Stats' latest brand report covers nuts, nopes, and engineering ➰ TikTok meets Bluesky on a new app called Loops 🎃 A YouTube duo preserves pumpkins (for science)
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QUALITY CONTROL |
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Instagram downgrades creators' video quality if it thinks they're not driving enough views |
The post: Earlier this year, Instagram assured users that it aims "to make sure every creator feels empowered to succeed" on its platform. Now, an AMA from Instagram head Adam Mosseri is casting doubt on that mission statement. |
According to the exec, Instagram maximizes data storage potential and minimizes costs by degrading the quality of videos posted by creators it doesn't think bring enough views and older videos with view counts that have dropped off. The end goal, Mosseri says, is to "show people the highest quality content that we can." |
"We bias to higher quality (more CPU intensive encoding and more expensive storage for bigger files) for creators who drive more views." | | | | Adam Mosseri |
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Mosseri added that the system isn't set to "a sliding scale"—meaning there isn't a foolproof way for creators to identify how many views they need to hold onto high quality. |
The rationale: It's not surprising that Instagram wants to cut spending. Parent company Meta has been spending heavily on data processing thanks to its interest in generative AI, and other UGC platforms like Twitch have also taken measures to reduce data costs. Quality-dropping also has practical uses: YouTube, for instance, lowered automatic video playback quality to reduce strain on servers at the start of the pandemic. |
The response: Regardless of Instagram's reasoning, the platform's decision to downgrade the quality of less-watched content has sparked serious concerns among creators. One commenter noted that "spending time on creating high quality content just for it to be downgraded to low resolution sucks," while social media consultant Matt Navarra questioned how creators are supposed to "gain traction if their content is penalized for not being popular." |
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Spotter Studio's suite of creator resources just landed on a whole new continent |
Spotter Studio has touched down in Europe. After helping creators across the U.S., Canada, and Australia increase their video views by 49%, Spotter Studio's full suite of content ideation tools is now available in all EU countries. |
What does that expansion mean for you? |
In two words: unlimited access. The Spotter Studio Membership now includes real-time data insights, cutting-edge AI models, and personalized video outlines, including… |
Unlimited AI concepts, titles, thumbnails, Outlier video tracking Collaborative project planner 1 connected YouTube channel Free invitations for 2 team members Access to Brainstorm, Outliers, Projects, and more coming soon
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Join top creators like Dude Perfect, Kinigra Deon, Rebecca Zamolo, and Jay Alto by signing up for Spotter Studio. |
Kickstart your membership → |
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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰 |
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📈 DATA • GOSPEL STATS |
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Top 3 Branded Videos of the Week: A three-year-old vlog goes viral |
This week's branded YouTube ranking includes an unexpected twist. While channels like Revolt and brands like Ground News are familiar sights in Gospel Stats' weekly reports, the appearance of a three-year-old vlog with an erroneous upload date is a bit of a wild card. |
🥇 Arden Rose x Blue Diamond: May/June 2021 VLOG (finally feeling like a normal person lol) (6.6M views)
Arden Rose's May/June 2021 vlog is exactly what it sounds like: a video from three years ago, with comments from three years ago. According to the video's data, however it was uploaded Oct. 16, 2024—and whatever happened that day prompted a surge of new engagement. |
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Our theory is that Rose recently unprivated the clip, somehow prompting YouTube's systems to read it as new(?). Even if that's the case, the vlog's sudden virality is still out of the norm for Rose, who typically brings in around 100,000 views a month. |
🥈 Practical Engineering x Ground News: The Wild Story of the Taum Sauk Dam Failure (3.9M views)
Practical Engineering's place in the branded charts is less surprising. Edutainment is having a moment on YouTube right now, and Ground News has been particularly active with the approach of the U.S. presidential election. The site—which lets readers compare media coverage from across the political spectrum—sponsored nearly 50 other videos this week. |
🥉 Revolt x Walmart: Can DDG & Jacquees Uncover Free's Mysterious Career? Lala Milan Hosts | Receipts Live (3.2M views)
Revolt snagged Gospel's #2 spot last week with a lengthy recap of its IRL event, Revolt World. Now, it's back in the top three with more content from the Walmart-sponsored gathering—including a special live edition of its comedy game show, Receipts. |
Check out our full Top 5 overview here or head over to Gospel Stats for more YouTube sponsorship insights. |
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NEW APP ALERT |
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This new app wants to bring the best parts of TikTok to the fediverse |
The platform: A new short-form video app aims to bring TikTok-style content to the fediverse. The decentralized network of social media services already includes platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, and Meta's Threads—but Loops' approach sets it apart from both other federated apps and video platforms like TikTok. |
While many of the data points on Loops (likes, comments, etc.) give the platform a TikTok-like feel, the new hub is decentralized, secure, and will not profit from user data or deliver it to third parties. Instead, Loops plans to fund its platform through a combination of grants, sponsorships, and direct donations from user. So far, it hasn't received any venture capital. |
How it works: According to the app's creator (aka Pixelfed developer Daniel Supernault), a side-loadable APK will power an Android version of Loops, while the iOS version will be made available through the developer-facing program TestFlight. Sign-ups are currently open on Loops website. |
Approved Loops users will be able to post videos up to 60 seconds long, which will be categorized and made available to the platform's viewers. Real-life humans will moderate that content via a points system that rubber-stamps "trusted users" while holding back videos from low scorers until those uploads can be individually evaluated. Loops creators will also be able to curate the comment sections on their videos. |
The context: The idea of a decentralized TikTok with no recommendation algorithm sounds great (especially given the hundreds of lawsuits that have been triggered by its addictive FYP). Before Loops can take on Bytedance's embattled video platform, however, it will need to complete its ActivityPub integration, launch its previewed features, and prove to potential users that it's worth their time. |
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WATCH THIS 📺 |
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Will this be the year of the perfectly preserved pumpkin? |
The duo: Earlier this week, we dove into the intricacies of creator breakups—but there's one YouTube couple who knows exactly how to preserve a relationship (and a whole bunch of other things). |
For the last few years, Evan and Katelyn Heling have poured resin over just about everything. Some of their experiments have been more successful than others, and some are just downright scary (including the creation of this terrifying Furby/dog hybrid). But the important thing is that they're in it together—especially when Halloween comes around. |
The mission: Evan and Katelyn have spent nearly half a decade trying to perfectly preserve a jack o'lantern, an effort that has earned them millions of views across TikTok and YouTube. Their latest teaser (which hints at this year's pumpkin preservation process) has already accumulated more than 16 million views. |
Check it out here. |
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. |
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