YouTube Q3 Ad Sales Jump 12.5% to Nearly $8 Billion, Alphabet Beats Estimates

Nella Rose, 26, who is an influencer, is putting on her hat and camp gear and reportedly heading into the I'm A Celebrity jungle for the 2023 series alongside a host of other stars. She could be partaking in the usual hellish challenges featuring bugs and revolting food in a bid to win food for camp. But who is Nella Rose and how did she become famous? Here we take a closer look at her life and career....

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer NBCUniversal has laid off less than 50 employees across three divisions: Peacock marketing, NBCUniversal Entertainment and ad sales. The majority of these cuts, approximately 30 to 40, were made at Peacock as part of a restructuring under CMO Shannon Willett, a source within the company told Variety.

Lionsgate revenue jumped to over $1 billion in the latest quarter, up from $858 million, driven by a nearly 80% jump in the motion picture division.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Nebula, which launched in 2019, describes itself as a creator-focused, creator-built, creator-first premium streaming service — akin to a Netflix or Hulu, but with the ethos of Patreon. The four-year-old indie streaming service, which is backed by creator-owned management company Standard and a minority stake held by Curiosity Stream, costs $5 a month or $50 a year and currently totals 650,000 subscribers and passed 100,000 daily active users in October.

Megan Thee Stallion has made the biggest YouTube debut for a solo female hip-hop artist this year.On Friday (November 3), Megan dropped her newest single ‘Cobra‘, which saw the rapper “shedding” her past. The single follows from the rapper’s recent announcement that she had formally parted ways with her former label after a lengthy legal dispute.The rapper has now reportedly scored the biggest YouTube debut this year, with the Douglas Bernardt-directed video gaining over 2.15 million views in 24 hours.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple‘s services segment continues to record healthy gains, increasing 16.3% for the September quarter to reach a record $22.3 billion, while it also reported a 2.8% lift in iPhone sales. Overall, Apple posted revenue of $89.50 billion (down 1%) and net income of $22.96 billion (up 11%), translating to earnings per share of $1.46, for the quarter ended Sept. 30.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apparently, totaling a super-expensive luxury car can get you noticed in Hollywood. Cody Detwiler, the YouTube creator behind automotive DIY, stunts and vlog channel WhistlinDiesel, has signed with CAA. Detwiler, alongside partner Matt McGuire, will next focus on expanding Nashville, Tenn.-based WhistlinDiesel into new genres, premium content, consumer products and other areas, according to CAA.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku shares rose after the streaming-platform company beat Wall Street expectations for the third quarter of 2023 on the top line. But in providing forward-looking guidance, Roku told investors that the macroeconomic environment remains “uncertain.” The company reported Q3 revenue of $912 million, up 20%, and a net loss of $330 million (or $2.33 per share) — more than double the net loss of $122 million in the year-ago period.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney is on the cusp of becoming the 100% owner of Hulu. The media conglomerate announced that it expects to pay $8.61 billion to Comcast to acquire the cable operator’s 33% stake in Hulu following Comcast’s Nov. 1 exercise of its right under the put/call arrangement between the two companies.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A year ago, tech mogul Elon Musk griped that he was “obviously overpaying” for Twitter in the $44 billion deal that the social network sued him to complete. Now we know how inflated Musk believe his bid was: X, the new name of Twitter, on Monday informed employees eligible for stock grants that they would receive shares at a valuation of $19 billion.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Marketers, mark you calendar: Google is bringing YouTube‘s Brandcast back to New York City during TV’s upfront ad-sales season for 2024 for a third year running. Next year’s YouTube Brandcast will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Amazon kept the cash register ringing in the third quarter, including a strong 26% uptick in advertising revenue, turning in results that came in above Wall Street forecasts. Overall, Amazon reported Q3 revenue of $143.1 billion, up 13%, and net income up more than threefold to $9.88 billion (94 cents per share).

YouTube advertising revenue increased 12% to $7.95 billion in the third quarter compared with the same period a year ago, helping corporate parent Alphabet beat Wall Street expectations.

YouTube is working on a new AI tool that would allow users to create videos that use the voices of well-known musicians.Billboard reported that the company is currently in talks with record labels to negotiate permission for the use of artists’ intellectual property.If it goes ahead, the beta version of the tool would allow a “select group of creators” to use the voices of the artists that agree to participate to create new video content on the platform.However, it is reported that conversations between YouTube and record labels are taking longer than expected. YouTube had intended to unveil the tool at their ‘Made on YouTube’ event in September, but that did not happen.Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are some of the major labels that are currently in talks over voice rights for the beta version, although it is expected that any wider launch of the tool would require a new set of legal agreements.UMG CEO Lucian Grainge has said that the new technology could “amplify human imagination and enrich musical creativity in extraordinary new ways.”Robert Kyncl, the CEO of Warner Music Group said, “You have to embrace the technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle.”It is thought that many major artists are resistant to allowing their voices to be used, and Billboard reports that there remain questions about how artists would be paid for the new content that the tool would create.This week (October 18), music publishers including Universal Music Group Publishing, Concord Music Group and ABKCO sued an Amazon-backed AI company over alleged copyright infringement.

In case you missed it – and if you did, we’re not sure how – Netflix released its Beckham documentary earlier this month following David Beckham’s illustrious football career, as well as his life off the pitch with wife Victoria Beckham. Although the documentary spawned countless conversations about the couple, it wasn’t just his football skills or relationship that had people talking – it was his fashion, too.

A chicken restaurant created by popular YouTubers is coming to the Arndale with its first venue in Greater Manchester.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Most contests in the 2024 Summer Olympics set for Paris, France, won’t start until next summer. NBC has been running one race for months.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Hank and John Green — aka YouTube’s Vlogbrothers — promoted chief operating officer Julie Walsh Smith to the role of acting CEO of their educational entertainment studio, Complexly, and hired Gabriel Blanco (most recently with Mythical Entertainment) as the company’s first chief creative officer. Earlier this year, Hank Green stepped away from his role as CEO of the company to receive treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymphatic system.

MrBeast dropped a new YouTube video on Saturday (October 14) and it, of course, already has millions and millions of views!

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said the video giant is more focused on refining its newest sports experience, NFL Sunday Ticket, than it is in pursuing NBA rights when they become available after the 2024-25 season.