Yahoo Creators platform hits record revenue as publisher bets big on influencer-led content
Launched in March 2024, Yahoo Creators was built to capitalize on the growing appetite for personality-driven content. Now, a little more than a year in, the platform is gaining momentum: Last month marked its highest revenue and engagement levels since launch, a spokesperson told Digiday.
Historically, Yahoo has aggregated stories from around the web and produced original journalism through its in-house newsroom. Now it's also staking its claim in the creator economy.
According to Digiday, the program currently includes 135 lifestyle-focused creators, whose work is featured prominently on Yahoo's homepage. There's a dedicated creator vertical, and creator content is woven throughout the Yahoo app and newsletters, appearing alongside articles from traditional publishers. There's even a waiting list of influencers eager to join.
Selected creators have access to monetization tools, affiliate commerce, and audience analytics in exchange for posting on the platform. While the program focuses mainly on written content, creators can embed audio and video. Yahoo offers a 50-50 split on ad revenue—comparable to platforms like Substack and YouTube.
'We hear consistently that people want to get their news from other people,' Kat Downs Mulder, senior vice president and general manager of Yahoo News, previously told Fast Company. 'They have institutions they trust, but they also really want connections. . . . In addition to the publisher network that we have, and the journalists that we have in-house, creators would add an additional dimension to that content. And so it would really help us to flesh out that whole ecosystem of content as we really look to become the world's best guide to the internet.'
Since launch, revenue, engagement, and feedback have all been positive. 'Yahoo's new media model is wild (and maybe genius),' Michelle Songy, founder of Press Hook, posted on LinkedIn last month. 'Legacy media is finally taking notes from creators, and honestly, I'm here for it.'
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Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Love Island USA' prepares to crown winning couple following tumultuous seventh season
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 'Love Island USA' will crown the winning couple of its seventh season Sunday evening, culminating a tumultuous summer full of explosive breakups and shock exits. The finale will air on Peacock at 6 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Eastern, following a chart-topping run since the season premiered on June 3. The show brings young singles together in a remote villa in Fiji to explore connections with the ultimate goal of finding love. The show, an American spinoff to the UK series, has shaken up reality TV, becoming Peacock's most watched entertainment series on mobile devices, according to NBC Universal. This season follows breakout success from last summer, which captured mainstream attention. 'Love Island: Beyond the Villa,' a new series spinoff premiering Sunday, follows Season 6's main cast as they navigate relationships, life and newfound social media fame in Los Angeles. This season has also been under fire as two contestants – Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar – left the villa following resurfaced posts in which they used racial slurs. Ortega, who was half of one of the season's strongest couples, left the villa just a week before the popular reality show's finale after old posts resurfaced that contained a slur against Asian people. She apologized for the resurfaced posts in a nearly five minute TikTok video Wednesday. Friday's episode saw the elimination of Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe, setting the stage for the finale. Green and Bissainthe were the only couple to maintain a relationship throughout most of the show. With $100,000 up for grabs for the winning couple, here's a look at the season's run and the final four couples heading into the finale. What is 'Love Island USA?' Stripped of their phones and connection with the outside world, five men and five women arrive in the villa and coupled up based on initial romantic interest. Throughout the season, the show introduces a steady stream of bombshells, new contestants who are brought in to disrupt existing relationships and build new storylines. Under constant surveillance, contestants partook in kissing competitions, heart rate challenges and drama-inducing games ripe for viral moments. The final six couples even became instant parents, startled awake by cries as they were tasked with taking care of baby dolls to further test their romantic connections. Halfway through the season, established couples were temporarily separated for Casa Amor, the show's ultimate test, and encouraged to explore new relationships with a fresh group of single contestants. Contestants are routinely dumped from the villa, removed either by a public vote or by the islanders themselves. Amaya and Bryan Amaya Espinal, 25, made waves when she walked in as a bombshell early in the season and has been credited for some of the season's most viral moments. 'I never said I was perfect. I never said I didn't have any flaws. But at least I'm pretty, and at least I'm a little funny, and at least I'm my own best friend,' Espinal sang to herself in the makeup room, which prompted various covers online and inspired a Google pop-up message when you search up her nickname, Amaya Papaya. The New York City native, who labeled herself a 'sensitive gangster,' tested various connections, including Greene, Austin Shepard and Casa Amor contestant Zak Srakaew, that all fizzled out. Her previous partners on the show said Espinal, who is Dominican, expressed affection too quickly. A connection sparked between Espinal and Bryan Arenales, 28, a Casa Amor contestant, late in the season after he defended her, saying that 'coming from a Hispanic household, calling someone babe, mi amor, mi vida, that's just how we talk.' Arenales is from Boston and is of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, according to his Instagram page. 'I always stress that as I get older, it's important to be with someone that keeps you young. I definitely think Amaya is that type of person,' Arenales said during a confessional interview. Huda and Chris Huda Mustafa, 24, and Chris Seeley, 27, explored different connections in Casa Amor before expressing interest in each other and eventually recoupling. Mustafa, from North Carolina, is the first contestant in the series to be a mother, which caused tension with her initial 'Love Island' partner, Jeremiah Brown. The two coupled up and developed a strong connection very quickly, causing the other contestants to doubt their relationship. Mustafa and Brown, 25, had a turbulent experience, leading to some of the most viral arguments of the season. The two eventually broke off their relationship and Brown was dumped from the villa halfway through the season. Mustafa explored other connections but remained single until Casa Amor, where she built a connection with Seeley, who was initially interested in Bissainthe. The two quickly developed an unexpected connection, bonding over Seeley's struggles with leaving his overseas basketball career and Huda's difficult experience with motherhood. 'I think me and her are actually really good for each other,' Seeley said during a confessional interview. 'She helps me kind of get out of my head and I help her, you know, be her true self and I calm her down in moments where she gets emotional or heated.' The two hit a snag during the show's baby challenge, where they argued over Mustafa's lack of public displays of affection. Iris and Pepe Iris Kendall, 25, and Jose 'Pepe' Garcia-Gonzalez, 27, came in as bombshells with fellow contestant Jalen Brown in the ninth episode and explored various connections before coming together in the show's last recoupling. 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Olandria and Nic Olandria Carthen, 27, and Nic Vansteenberghe, 24, had an unconventional path to the finale. The pair had expressed initial interest in each other during the first episode, before settling into separate couples. Carthen, an Alabama native, was set on finding her 'cowboy,' coupling up with Taylor Williams, 24, from Oklahoma. The pair remained together for most of the season, though Williams sporadically mentioned he lacked a physical connection with Carthen. Vansteenberghe initially coupled up with Belle-A Walker, 22, before choosing to recouple with Ortega, who walked in as a bombshell at the end of the first episode. The pair remained together throughout the show until her abrupt departure from the villa a week ago. During Casa Amor, Carthen and Vansteenberghe didn't didn't find new connections and they were dumped from the villa. In a shocking twist, however, the contestants were offered a lifeline — they could return to the villa if they couple up with each other. The pair then briefly explored a romantic connection before ultimately deciding to remain friends. Carthen chose to return to Williams but was left single after he recoupled with Casa Amor contestant Clarke Carraway. Vansteenberghe and Ortega stayed together, but her departure days later ultimately left him single. Carthen and Vansteenberghe ultimately recoupled in the same episode. 'For our journey to be almost identical is mind-blowing to me. I can't wrap my head around this situation,' Carthen said during a recent confessional interview. 'Maybe it was Nic this whole time and we've just been so oblivious to it.'
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kanye West Is A 'Golden Goose' Being 'Exploited' By Hollywood, 'Seinfeld' Writer Says
Kanye West seems to have changed drastically in the eyes of many who knew him prior to his marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Famous comedy writer, Larry Charles, described the rapper, whom he almost worked with many years ago, as a "sweetheart," nothing like the Nazi-endorsing artist he has recently become. Kanye West has now run into financial difficulties due to his unsettling social media rants and very public support for Hitler, as many venues have reportedly banned him from performing in their location. Long before the reality shows and the controversial headlines that have now defined him, West was, according to comedy creator Charles, a "sweet, funny, and self-aware" artist. The "Seinfeld" writer sat down for an interview with Page Six and recalled almost working with West around 2008 when he was working on "Entourage." "He was like a sweet, funny, self-aware guy. He was very loose — this is pre-Kardashians," Charles told the news outlet, referencing West's marriage to Kim Kardashian from 2014 to 2022. Charles went on to share that the first thing the "Vultures 1" rapper told him at the time was, "I'm the Black Larry David." "[West] was constantly telling me funny stories about putting his foot in his mouth and having to apologize," the "Borat" director continued. West and Charles worked on a half-hour comedy show based on the rapper's life that was set to air on HBO but didn't see the light of day after the network dropped it. "That show was kind of like him," Charles explained. "His life as a comical horror story." "Everybody got along great," Charles continued, "and [West] was wonderful to work with, actually. And I even considered him a friend at that point." The comedian also shared that he sometimes thinks about how West's life would have turned out differently if the show had been picked up. "There's all these little things, these little changes in life that sort of have these gigantic consequences," he said. "And so, again, he's somebody who has veered off into this direction, and clearly there are mental health issues." Ever since their meeting, West went on to marry the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" alum and also welcomed four children with her before their divorce, which was finalized in 2022. In that same year, West married his wife Bianca Censori, and together they've sparked controversy for her indecent public appearances, especially when she pulled a nude stunt on the 2025 Grammys red carpet. The "Carnival" rapper has also been embroiled in several lawsuits from his former employees who accused him of sexual harassment, unfair work treatment, and unpaid wages. He went on an anti-semitic rant in 2023 that saw him fall from his billionaire status as brands like Adidas and The Gap severed ties with him. Despite the dislike for West, Charles told the news outlet he feels sorry for him instead. "He's a golden goose and golden gooses in Hollywood are exploited," the comedy writer said. "Nobody steps up to help them and take them out of the limelight for a while and get them the help they need." "Instead, they continue to exploit them because they can make so much money," he added. Meanwhile, West is reportedly experiencing financial troubles and scrambling for shows to perform in as he's seemingly been blacklisted in and outside Hollywood. The rapper has come under fire for his controversial social media rants and vocal support for Hitler, making many venues refuse to host him for shows. West is scheduled to play a small music festival in Slovakia next week, but the location, which has a 26,000 capacity, appears to be something he's settling for as he has been told to "stay away" from Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, and Australia due to his anti-semitic comments. Reports suggest both Wembley Stadium and the London Stadium in the U.K. blacklisted him even before he released his scandalous "Heil Hitler" song in May, leaving him to scramble for bookings around the globe. According to a Daily Mail insider, several top venues have no intention of associating with West anymore after his multiple controversies. "He's getting his team to phone around desperately asking for gigs, and he is said to be asking for $7 million a night. No one will touch him with a barge-pole," the insider told the news outlet. "Wembley and London Stadium both said: 'No chance, we don't need the protests,' and that was before the single came out," they continued. The insider added, "It's the same story everywhere they have asked. He is banned pretty much everywhere in Europe – either the venues won't touch him or he isn't able to travel there as he cannot get a visa."
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nvidia CEO Tops Buffett in Billionaire Index After Cashing Out Stock
July 11 - Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) Chief Executive Jensen Huang offloaded approximately $36.4 million worth of company stock this week as part of a pre-set trading plan initiated in March, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The transaction involved the sale of 225,000 shares and follows an earlier sale in June valued at around $15 million. Huang's trading plan permits him to sell up to six million shares by year-end. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with NVDA. Despite the sales, investor confidence in Nvidia appeared intact, with the stock rising about 1% in early Friday trading. Nvidia remains a key player in the AI chip market, which continues to see strong demand for its GPUs powering next-gen models. Huang's fortune has climbed significantly this year. Bloomberg data shows his net worth has surged by more than $29 billion in 2025, reaching $143 billion, putting him in close range of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) Chair Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio). Forbes estimates released Friday indicate Huang's wealth briefly overtook Buffett's, topping $145 billion compared to Buffett's $142 billion. The sales appear to be part of regular planning, with Nvidia's momentum and Huang's rising profile continuing to attract investor attention. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
