YouTube CEO on AI Moderation, Golden Globes Best Podcast, Twitch Sponsorships + TOS.gg Wrapped 2025
Hello and welcome! I'm keeping the intro short because I added a whole TOS.gg Wrapped section at the bottom. It offers a unique look at this newsletter and the community of readers - and gives me some ideas on how I can continue to improve it for you in 2026! Also, this is the second-to-last newsletter of the year, as there likely will not be one on December 29! But with that, after a message from my main sponsor, Streamlabs, we can jump into the recap!
How does this sound: Live sports streaming, no paywalls, no restrictions, just you and your audience cheering on your favorite teams! Sounds good, right?
Well, what if you also get paid to do it?!
A brand new opportunity is available with Streamlabs Sponsorships and the Creator Sports Network that offers exactly that! Go check it out right now!
🟪 TWITCH
- Twitch's Sponsorships continue to offer below-standard industry rates, despite them having generally increased rates 3 times already. Know your worth!
- When working with Twitch creators, brands are "getting multi-hour engagement at around $1–$3 per viewed hour." Know your worth!
- The Sponsorship product does allow creators to decline an offer with a reason, such as Not a Fit, Didn't Like the Look, Other, or Pay Not Sufficient. Know your worth!
- Twitch has been elected to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.
- You can now React and see how many Reactions a Twitch Clip has. You can also customize the emotes used to represent the reactions.
- Twitch is testing volume-based discounts for larger Gift Sub amounts.
- The 1000 Gift Sub option has returned.
- You now have improved control over notifications on the platform, including new channel-specific notifications.
- Twitch is planning another Shared 35% Discount at the end of December. This could mean that the Bonus Round is dead.
- New Badges: 15, 10, 5 Year Staff, Diana ($), Paris Open ($), Frog Lantern ($), Raider Icon ($), Hunt Crosses ($), WOT ($), Jeff Shark ($)
- Amazon is recasting Twitch as a core part of its CTV (Connected TV) pitch.
- You can now limit Watch Streak announcements to start at 10.
🟥 YOUTUBE
- YouTube has expanded the Voice Replies experiment to more creators.
- Adobe launched a creation hub in Premiere Mobile for YouTube Shorts.
- YouTube creators continue to push back against the platform's use of AI moderation, as Neal Mohan attempts to defend it.
- A/B Title Testing has now launched globally.
- Neal Mohan won TIME's CEO of the Year.
- Dual Streaming (Horizontal + Vertical) has been released to more creators.
⬛ TIKTOK
- TikTok now Auto-posts live highlights to boost your exposure to potential audiences.
- TikTok announced a Live podcast series with Demi Lovato, as they go deeper into the podcast space.
🟦 DISCORD & TWITTER X
- Discord has been elected to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.
- Discord shared their December 8, 2025, Patch Notes, with updates to User Settings, CDNs, and media upload improvements.
- Twitter may return under a new startup seeking to reclaim abandoned trademarks.
🔲 OTHERS
- Playback TV has shut down.
- Kick may be blocked in France on December 19.
- The New York Times did a feature on xQc, Drake, Adin Ross, Trainwrecks, Kick, Stake, and other crypto casinos called "Inside the Dark and Predatory World of Crypto Casinos."
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