Each week the Insights Team at The Goat Agency pull together the latest news from the social space in a weekly social media industry news round-up. This week we cover another YouTube boxing clash, with Deji vs Mayweather, Meta loses its court case over Giphy acquisition, and YouTube aims to dominate the podcast market.
Don’t forget you can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for real-time announcements of all our new blog content!
Contents
Meta Loses Court Battle Over GIPHY Acquisition
TikTok Declares New Age Limits For Live Content
YouTube Aims To Dominate Podcast Space With New Ad Type
Ludwig Takes Merch To New Level With Bidet Launch
TikTok Announces First Global Gaming Event
Using TikTok To Study? Its Time To Revyze
Deji Vs Mayweather
Just when you thought you’d seen it all with YouTube boxing, Deji vs Mayweather emerges as, what has to be, one of the craziest match ups to ever take place. Deji, brother of KSI and popular YouTuber in his own right, will be facing one of the greatest to ever do it in Floyd Mayweather.
Although the fight is deemed an exhibition and will take place entirely for monetary and entertainment purposes – it is an enormous mismatch. Deji, who has only won a single time out of four ring appearances, did so recently against FouseyTube. Mayweather, on the other hand, has never been defeated inside a boxing ring. He has a flawless record of 50 wins, zero losses; has won twelve world titles, the lineal championship in four different weight classes, and is widely regarded as the greatest of all time.
What date is Deji vs Mayweather?
An official date for Deji vs Mayweather has finally been confirmed. Prior to its confirmation, it was reported by The Mirror that this bout would take place on Sunday 13th November 2022. Deji has now confirmed this date via his Twitter account.
The outcome seems inevitable. Although Mayweather is 46 years old now, skill never wanes. The things to lookout for in Deji’s performance is how well he fairs in comparison to Logan Paul, who fought Mayweather last year.
The YouTube boxing story continues to unfold. KSI has returned to the ring, creator boxing has its own platform now with the partnership between Misfits Boxing and DAZN, and of course we still have Jake Paul, who will be fighting MMA Legend Anderson Silva very soon.
Meta Loses Court Battle Over GIPHY Acquisition
After a prolonged court battle in the UK, Meta has lost its bid to acquire Giphy. This means that Meta will now be forced to divest the platform, stepping away from the $400 million takeover.
This marks the first time that a regulatory body has successfully overturned a big tech deal, marking a prominent development for ongoing antitrust concerns within the industry. Meta is also faced with an antitrust probe in the US in regards to its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
Despite losing the case, Meta might not be as devastated as you’d expect. That’s because, in Giphy’s words, GIF’s just aren’t popular anymore.
Giphy argues in a CMA filing that no company other than Meta would be willing to buy it, because GIFs have fallen out of fashion, they have become cringe, and labelled strictly for ‘boomers’. Giphy itself has argued that the takeover should be enabled, simply because nobody else wants it.
Much like Twitter after Elon Musk’s repeated damnations, leading into his proposed takeover, Giphy is likely even worse than ever.
TikTok Declares New Age Limits For Live Content
TikTok is increasing the minimum age requirement for live steaming in the app. The platform is also adding a new ‘adults only’ live stream category, in addition to new keyword filtering options for live comments.
Each of these new updates proposes an improvement to the safety of TikTok’s live-stream channel. On the new age limits for live-streaming, TikTok stated:
“Currently, people must be aged 16 or over to host a LIVE. From November 23rd, the minimum age will increase from 16 to 18. As we consider the breadth of our global audience, we already take a graduated approach to the features that our community can access based on their age; younger teens need to be aged 16 or older to access Direct Messaging and 18 or older to send virtual gifts or access monetization features.”
TikTok has already come under fire over the ways in which it incentivizes young people to post provocative and potentially harmful content. Live-streaming multiplies this, as users can interact with the broadcaster and potentially putting teens at an even worse risk.
TikTok’s new ‘adults only’ mode could see TikTok lean into even more controversial areas with live content, if it has the license to do so via an adults-only network.
“For instance, perhaps a comedy routine is better suited for people over age 18. Or, a host may plan to talk about a difficult life experience and they would feel more comfortable knowing the conversation is limited to adults. We want our community to make the most of the opportunities LIVE can bring without compromising on safety.” Explains TikTok.
Live-stream management is also set to improve on TikTok with the ability to filter live comments, enabling the removal of unwanted comments, keeping conversations more focused.
“When we tested this feature, we found that it nearly doubled those using keyword filtering when looking at the most popular LIVE creators.”
YouTube Aims To Dominate Podcast Space With New Ad Format
There’s no doubting that YouTube has become a major hub for podcast lovers. The platform is home to a massive library of long-from episodic content. Now, YouTube is looking to take a larger portion of the podcast market share.
The platform is introducing audio ads, which will enable brand to target podcast listeners on its platform, much like how ads work on Spotify and SoundCloud.
YouTube addressed the new option during a presentation at Advertising Week. Tests began back in 2020 as YouTube looked to capitalize on pandemic-era media consumption, namely podcasts. YouTube’s partners will be able to limit their audio ad buys to specific categories, like comedy, news and sports.
YouTube Podcasts
Consumers of digital content are leaning towards video podcasts over solely audio, and that is good news for platforms like YouTube. Although competitors like Spotify have inked exclusivity rights with people like Joe Rogan, clips from his shows still amass millions of views on YouTube.
YouTube has also produced its share of hit podcasts. The Full Send, hosted by the Nelk Boys, and True Geordie podcast’s are two examples of long-form episodic content that delivers a unique combination of watch time and attention on both sides of the pond.
Podcast hosting site are eager to implement as many monetization features as possible, whilst assuming a higher percentage of the multi-billion dollar market share.
Ludwig Takes Merch To New Level With Bidet Launch
Ludwig Ahren is one of the top streamers in the online video space. His latest release offers a lot in the way of streaming, just not in the digital kind. Ahgren has launched a company by the name of Swipe, which is listing two different types of bidets.
Swipe offers its customers two alternatives for bathroom cleanup. The brand’s cheaper model is a $50 device that attaches to any conventional toilet. Those looking for the premium bathroom experience can opt for the $500 Swipe+ option. This model offers a brand new toilet, along with a remote-controlled wash, a warm ai dryer, two different rim shapes to choose from and much more!
Ludwig announced the launch of Swipe via his Twitter account, explaining that his bidet brand has been kept quite while in development.
This latest entrepreneurial venture is strange to say the least. Creators aren’t exactly known for selling toilet accessories, but it is unlikely to harm the streamers on-the-up career. On December 11th, Ludwig is set to host an event combining two influencer trends with a chess boxing tournament, described as the biggest event of his career.
TikTok Announces First Global Gaming Event
I think we’re all familiar with the TikTok movement of ‘TikTok made me buy it’, a trend where users showcase products bought because of influencer from TikTok.
Now, TikTok has announced its first global gaming event, with ‘TikTok Made Me Play It’. The event will feature popular gaming creators from the platform as well as representatives from some of the top gaming companies.
“The future of gaming is here – and it’s happening on TikTok. Leading publishers are launching games on our platform as culturally relevant entertainment properties, building communities, and inspiring broader entertainment audiences to discover and play their games. Now, your mission is simple: discover why TikTok is the gaming industry’s #1 gateway to growth.” Explained TikTok.
With this event, we’ll learn the role that TikTok now plays within game promotion and engagement as well as the key trends, stats and insights that brands can tap into to maximize their promotions.
Gaming is arguably the biggest influencer of online culture, with an influx of top platform creators having a route back to gaming in one way or another. Gaming saw a huge turnover during the pandemic, with many people switching on their consoles and PC’s as their main social outlet – which is now a small fragment of the thinking behind the metaverse.
If you’re not a brand, you should still consider signing up for TikTok Made Me Play It as there is bound to be opportunities to spark new thinking around your approach.
Using TikTok To Study? Its Time To Revyze
TikTok has become a frequent tool for American teens studying for test prep. Could teen reliance on TikTok for educational content become subject to change?
A new app has emerged on the seen, called Revyze. Currently, the app resides in France but there are plans to expand to the US in the near future.
With its vertical orientation and swipeable video feed, the influence of TikTok is clear. The app’s main advantage is that it filters out non-educational content, helping students to focus solely on their studies.
Revyze raised $2 million pre-seed round earlier this year. As reported by TechCruch, the app debuted in its home country ahead of the annual baccalaureate test, an integral exam for graduating high schoolers. Thanks to a marketing campaign, the app witnessed 35,000 downloads and a surge up the local app charts.
Revyze is looking to replicate the educational experience on TikTok, but as co-founder Florent Sciberras told TechCruch, the app is not trying to become a social network. Regardless, it will still include some social features, including a reward system that gamifies content creation and consumption.
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And that’s all for this week, but don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for real-time announcements of all our new blog content!
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