Made On YouTube Recap, Discord Age Verification, Ad Season + A New Record

Good day and welcome to this week's newsletter! YouTube hosted its annual 'Made On' event, where it announced all the new features slated to launch in the next year. Unsurprisingly, many of the updates are AI-centric, aimed at optimizing and improving titles, thumbnails, and the content itself. With all the new features and optimization points YouTube has added in the last couple of years, being a YouTuber these days seems to require a staff of people who work for you. Sure, you can ignore some of the features, but you're doing so at your own peril. Will you get any views if you're not optimizing for eyes on the thumbnail, and attention, and the algorithm, and the title, and the description, and your first 30-second hook, and your editing style, and the story of the video, and cutting it into Shorts, and making playlists and series, and optimizing for TV viewing, and... It's a lot to ask! YouTube recognizes that, which is why every new optimization pain point launches with an AI solution to help you address it.

Many new YouTube creators start with a subject they are passionate about, a phone, and a basic editing program. As YouTube adds more tasks to the plate, it pushes people away from their passions and turns it into a job. Flip that switch, turn that dial, engage that toggle, pull that lever, and if you do it well, we'll show your video to people. So my question about YouTube's present and future is: Can you succeed as a YouTuber in 2026 without feeling like you have to become a Deloitte Accountant in the process? If you have any thoughts, drop them in the comments below! And with that, let's get into the news!

🟪 TWITCH

• Twitch addressed Shared Viewership abuse by no longer showing Combined Views in Browse when you sort from High to Low.
• Twitch is adding the ability to stream from your browser.
• Twitch alerted creators that it is Peak Ad Season.
• Twitch promoted a partnership with Cameo.
• Twitch's Global Head of Music, David Rosenberg, has left the company.
• New Watch Time Badges: Rematch, Runescape.
• New Paid Badges: Ace Combat 8, Big Walk, Witcher 3.

🟥 YOUTUBE

• YouTube's Made On event was Wednesday, and they announced dozens of new features, including:
  • Live: Watch With Expansion to React Live to all YouTube Videos.
  • Live: Expansion of Co-Hosting, with a new 'live creator matchmaking' feature.
  • Live: Live Showdowns allow you to compete in financial battles (similar to TikTok Battles).
  • Live: Auto-Dubbing experiment to instantly translate English and Spanish.
  • Monetization: Making it easier to pitch brands and customize a media kit.
  • Monetization: Expanding Affiliate programs to 35 new countries and bringing on new affiliate partners.
  • Viewing: Custom Feeds prompted with AI.
  • Viewing: You'll be able to ask YouTube how to purchase things with voice.
  • Viewing: Comments will soon include GIFs.
  • Creation: You'll soon be able to A/B test up to three different cuts of the same video.
• Creation: AI Studio assistant that can help give you feedback on videos before you post.
• Creation: AI can do basic video edits as you tell it what you want to edit, change, or fix.
• Protection: Likeness detection is being improved with speaking voice detection, with plans to add full voice detection later.
• You can watch the YouTube Made On Recap, or check out their Help Article thread.
• YouTube is testing a new way to display product tags on videos.
• YouTube execs have some suggestions if you ever want to pivot your channel to different content.
• YouTube extended its deal to livestream Coachella till 2030.

⬛ TIKTOK

• TikTok may soon offer Stream Keys directly in the app.
• Regular TikTokers are making $6K a month by posting stealth ads.
• TikTok settled with Alabama and will pay them ~$100M and introduce new safety features for teens. It also dropped its fight in the UK over a $16.8M USD fine.
• ByteDance's revenue is growing, but AI spending is pressuring total profits.

🟦 OTHER PLATFORMS

• Kick now lets you pick your VOD thumbnail.
• Twitter X has rebuilt its Livestream API. Official docs can be seen here.