Hey Creatorverse readers,
I never wanted to get to this point, but here we are. Chat, it’s time we talked about VTubers.
Vtubers, short for “virtual YouTubers,” refers to creators who use a virtual avatar to post online instead of their real face. These animated avatars are often controlled by real people using motion-tracking software and are especially popular among gaming creators.
So why are we talking about this? It’s because VTubers are gaining popularity, especially with the rise of AI. And in the wake of the Tilly Norwood fiasco, the VTubing industry is one worth keeping an eye on.
How these avatars are used varies wildly from creator to creator. While someone like Schlep (2.1 million YouTube subscribers) uses his avatar to speak to his audience in documentary-like videos, Combo Panda (2.9 million YouTube subscribers) — part of the Ryan’s World (40 million YouTube subscribers) universe — has essentially turned Roblox videos into a scripted cartoon. Anime VTuber acts even sold out a 1,200-person Hollywood venue in July, though be warned some VTubers aren’t exactly PG.
And I’ll be real with you: Because this is a streaming method that often features cute anime girls, there are some less PG corners of the VTuber community.
An April report from YouTube found that a sample of 300 VTubers scored over 15 billion views. As for Twitch, VTubing is one of the fastest-growing niches on the platform with Twitch hosting 60% of VTuber channels. Brand interest has also increased for this subcategory. Cover Corporation, the company behind one of the most prominent VTuber management agencies, told Digiday that licensing and brand partnership revenue grew by about 30% in 2025.
AI is also rapidly changing the VTuber space. Bloo, a fully AI VTuber with 2.8 million YouTube subscribers, has generated more than seven figures in revenue, according to the channel’s creator Jordi Van Den Bussche. An arguably less bleak example is IShowSpeed (45 million YouTube subscribers), who used an AI VTube model of himself to interact with his fans when he was sleeping during his recent 24/7 live stream.
For many in Hollywood, the idea of dealing with digitally enhanced talent is (justifiably) horrifying. But for agencies like Cover Corporation’s Hololive Production, this has been the norm for a while, and they’ve found ways to get their clients paid. VTubers and in-person talent are in no way an apples-to-apples comparison, but if I was on the agency side, I would be seeing what I could learn from this community.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
New York Times launches TikTok-inspired “Watch” tab
The Grey Lady is taking a page from the modern era. On Tuesday, the New York Times added a “Watch” tab to its app. The swipeable video feed has been available to a small group of users for several weeks, but now all Times subscribers can scroll through shortform videos from the paper of record’s News, Opinion, Cooking, Wirecutter and The Athletic divisions.
The Times isn’t the only legacy media giant trying to make fetch happen. Today marks the premiere of “CNN Creators – The Intro,” a broadcast 30-minute show from CNN featuring a group of multiplatform content creators who will also produce exclusive content for CNN.com and the brand’s social channels. The new project is helmed by Andrew Potter, a former senior editorial producer at Vice, and will air new episodes on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Brand safety is now the No. 1 priority for companies working with creators
A new report from CreatorIQ found that 82% of brands said brand safety was more important to them this year compared to last. But these companies also reported that their return on investment from creator marketing increased year-over-year. The bottom line? Brands are more interested than ever in working with creators, but they’re still nervous about losing creative control as creators aren’t as tightly managed as other advertising partners.
Wariness aside, it’s hard to argue with the results. The same report found that creator content produced 14 times more engagement than owned content from the top 100 Fortune 500 companies. Creators also accounted for 33 times more posts.
ShopMy hits a $1.5 billion valuation
ShopMy, the platform that helps creators earn money through affiliate marketing, hit a $1.5 billion valuation on Wednesday after raising $70 million. But they’re far from the only players in this game. Here’s why Abra Potkin and Nicole Winnaman’s VideoShops, which has raised $42 million thus far, is taking the industry by storm by giving creators at all levels a way to earn affiliate revenue.
The AI Revolution
YouTube rolls out AI likeness detection tools to 5,000 creators
After partnering with CAA at the end of last year, YouTube is starting to roll out its AI likeness detection tool to the whole world. On Tuesday, the company gave 5,000 creators access to the technology, which will allow them to identify and report unauthorized videos that use their likeness. The chosen creators were ones that YouTube determined would have the most immediate use for the tool. Ultimately, YouTube plans for all global monetized creators to have access to it by the end of January.
Meta AI’s daily active users jump to 2.7 million
The use of Meta AI’s mobile app shot up, according to an analysis from Similarweb. As of Oct. 17, the app’s daily active users across iOS and Android averaged 2.7 million, a nearly 250% increase from four weeks ago. Not only that but New downloads are up to 300,000 per day, a 50% increase during the same time period.
That’s not all. When OpenAi’s Sora app launched, it jumped to the top of the iOS charts, and AI-powered Christian videos are really picking up steam across YouTube Shorts. AI is in its “it girl” era.
Pinterest is letting users dial down the AI … to an extent
Since AI has taken off, no social media platform has been impacted as heavily as the aspirational and image-heavy Pinterest. Now the company is pulling back on AI with a new tool that lets users select which categories they want to be populated with more or less AI-generated content. The catch? This option will only be available on “eligible image Pins” in categories that are already overrun with the new tech like beauty, art, fashion and home decor.
Movers and Shakers
Anthpo tricked us (again)
If you were delighted by John Chungus (480,000 Instagram followers), the man who went viral for telling people to touch grass back in September, I have bad news for you. It was Anthpo again.
If you don’t think you know Anthony Po (1.9 million YouTube followers), you do. He’s the creator who specializes in orchestrating real-world viral events like the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest or kid with Crocs, the mysterious guy who put Crocs on New York statutes. And he did it again with John Chungus, an upbeat man with a white beard who led a group of strangers to go outside in late summer. Anthpo revealed he was behind the Touch Grass Together campaign this week.
Golloria, Mika Ninagawa, Tyshawn Jones and more win Instagram’s Rings award
A total of 25 creators were the inaugural winners of Instagram’s Rings, a prize that awards creativity across the platform. Thirteen judges, including Spike Lee and Ilona Maher (5.3 million instagram followers), nominated their favorites before a panel selected the final list. Those winning creators include beauty creator Golloria (1 million followers), photographer and director Mika Ninagawa (1 million followers) and skateboarder Tyshawn Jones (739,000 followers).
Dan Rhodes, Mackenzie Turner, The Rizzler and more team up for a new Hulu show
Hulu is partnering with pocket.watch on “Rabbit Hole,” an original creator-led series that is set to premiere in 2026. The variety show will feature several creators like Dan Rhodes (26 million YouTube followers), Mackenzie Turner (2.3 million YouTube followers) and The Rizzler (1.7 million TikTok followers) participating in on-screen collaborations, challenges, games and performances. Other creator cast members include Papa Jake, Jesser, Topper Guild, Zhong, ZHC, Matthew Beem, ExtraEmily, That’s Amazing and AJ & Big Justice.
Who to Watch
bbno$
I don’t often cover music here, but one of my new faves deserves a major shoutout. Known for his aggressively silly and Gen Z style, the Canadian rapper bbno$ (pronounced “baby no money” with 3.9 million YouTube followers) has been outspoken about supporting real artists versus AI. He put his money where his mouth is with his music video for “ADD,” which features animation from over 20 independent artists and took over six months to make. Also? It’s a banger.
“I just wanted to give back to the community that’s shown me so much love,” bbno$ told Mashable about the collaboration. He also told an artist at TwitchCon that he’s looking to create his own animator team, so it seems like there’s more delightful madness to come.
Bonus Content
- Why Is TwitchCon So Uniquely Unsafe for Streamers? (via Mashable)
- Traditional Criticism Is in Trouble. Here’s What’s Replacing It (via The Atlantic)
- The ‘Angelicism01’ Girls and Their Faceless Internet Prophet (via The Cut)
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This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.