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The US government may be starting to crack down on international creators.
Foreign creators who come to the US with “the sole purpose of creating content” will be required to obtain a work visa, according to a joint statement from the US Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security provided to Spanish newspaper El País late last week.
If the rules are enforced, that could hamper creator strategies at the FIFA World Cup.
The statement came just one day before the US’s first World Cup match played in Los Angeles on Friday. I was one of the roughly 70,000 people in attendance.
As expected, the event was full of Hollywood A-listers from Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton to Vince Vaughn and Hilary Duff. I also spotted Victoria and David Beckham and former Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović on jumbotrons in the bustling SoFi stadium.
iShowSpeed, a top livestreamer with more than 55 million YouTube subscribers, was also there as part of an official partnership with FIFA.
Just days before the tournament began, FIFA gifted iShowSpeed the first official fan ID and announced a livestreamed tour documenting his experience attending matches in the US, Mexico and Canada. (The streamer is an avid soccer fan.)
His livestream from Friday’s game lasted for more than two hours and racked up 4.2 million views on YouTube by Saturday. I caught iShowSpeed on his way out of the stadium, before the US scored its final goal in a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. His crew was still filming him as he exited the grounds, jumping over turnstiles and barricades along the way.
iShowSpeed is American, so his FIFA partnership is not affected by the new visa rules. But FIFA has also struck deals with YouTube and TikTok to bring dozens of international creators to the tournament. In May, TikTok said it would invite 30 creators from 11 countries to capture behind-the-scenes moments. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
Snapchat is also getting in on the action, including through a partnership with Alix Earle, who will be on the ground at games.
These partnerships show how important creators, including those from other parts of the world, have become to coverage of the World Cup. Creators help generate excitement, while also offering different perspectives and other types of content around the tournament.
In one case, a creator is even distributing live coverage of the tournament. The only way for viewers in Brazil to watch every World Cup game is via a livestream creator on YouTube, underscoring just how much sports media has changed.
Casimiro Miguel, who has more than 30 million subscribers on his channel CazéTV, scored exclusive broadcast rights to all 104 games in Brazil, beating out local broadcaster Globo, which will only air 55. Miguel will also be at the matches providing coverage.
For context, the World Cup is one of the largest sporting events in the world. About 1.5 billion people, or close to one-fifth of the global population, tuned into the final match of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, according to FIFA. In the US, a record 16 million viewers tuned into the USA-Paraguay match, per Fox Sports, which has English-language broadcast rights in the country.
Still, it’s unclear whether—and how aggressively—the US will enforce the new rules for foreign creators. FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under fire for his suggestion that people “chill, relax” over other visa issues surrounding the tournament.
But creators and digital platforms would be wise to pay attention. A referee from Somalia was denied entry to the US in Miami, despite reportedly having been issued a visa. Iranian staff have also experienced trouble at the border and eventually moved the country’s training base from Arizona to Mexico.
Zooming out, the new rules also come several months after similar regulations were implemented in the United Arab Emirates.
International creators now need a temporary “Visiting Advertiser Permit” to create sponsored content there, as we reported in January. Meanwhile, local creators must obtain an “Advertiser Permit” to accept gifts or cash for brand deals—and may have to get approval from authorities before publishing an ad.
As we said then, we don’t expect the US to adopt as stringent rules as the UAE. But even a lighter approach can create headaches for creators, platforms and brands participating in the World Cup.
The Round Up
Fox Corp. will acquire Roku in a $22 billion deal. Fox also owns streaming service Tubi and Red Seat Ventures, a talent and podcasting firm.
Snap unveiled the new consumer version of its AR glasses, Specs. It tapped influencers and celebrities including model Kaia Gerber, athlete Jimmy Butler and singer Jack Harlow for its launch campaign. The glasses cost $2,195 and are expected to ship later this year.
Meta announced a new search feature on Facebook called AI Mode, which surfaces answers from public posts, Groups and Reels using Meta AI.
Substack is expanding its sponsorship program connecting individual creators with brands including Balenciaga, Uber and T-Mobile. Dan Robbins, a former PayPal ads exec, joined the company to lead the brand partnerships business.
Substack also launched Creator Kits, a new tool where creators and publishers can create a media kit based on the information they choose to share about their publications.
Kit, a creator-focused email marketing platform, opened a studio in New York where creators can record content and attend events.
Regulatory Woes
The UK is the latest country planning to ban social media for teens. By the spring of next year, those under 16 will no longer be able to use apps including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat.
The announcement follows Australia’s historic teen ban last year, which has had ripple effects around the world. A long list of countries, including Poland, Spain and France are all planning similar restrictions.
Kaya spoke to the Business of Fashion about the UK ban and the potential impacts. You can read the story here.
Florida, meanwhile, sued TikTok this week after Attorney General James Uthmeier accused the social media company of violating a 2024 state law that bans social media for teens under 14. TikTok told Politico it’s been engaging in “good faith” with the AG and it’s “continuing to update our platform in Florida in response to state law.”
By the Numbers: 92%
That’s how many marketers in the US and UK now use creator content as paid media, according to new research from CreatorIQ. The most common way they do this is by using boosting or whitelisting creator content as paid ads.
That comes as creators are finding it harder to both break through and reach their followers on social media, making paid ads a more reliable and predictable way brands can reach audiences with creator partnerships.
We went deeper on the creator economy’s reach recession here.
Creator Moves
MrBeast surpassed 500 million subscribers on YouTube, becoming the first individual creator to do so.
Netflix inked more video podcast deals, including with Martha Stewart and YouTuber Lele Pons as part of its existing deal with iHeartMedia. Similarly to previous deals, the shows will no longer be available on YouTube. Netflix has been putting the pressure on rival YouTube, including by teaming up with Spotify on a recent deal for Jay Shetty’s podcast.
CNN tapped Kyla Scanlon, a financial content creator, as an analyst and contributor. It’s the latest example of how legacy media organizations are embracing the creator economy.
Kevin Cate’s “Open Door,” a sci-fi short film with nearly 15 million views across social media will be adapted into a feature-length film, Variety reported. Cate is a filmmaker and former Obama spokesperson.
Alex Cooper will executive produce a series adapted from Hannah Grace’s best-selling novel “Icebreaker” for Netflix.
Her media company Unwell also launched a bi-weekly newsletter on Substack called Unsaid, which will feature contributors like writer Tom Smyth and influencer Isabel Timerman. Unwell recently signed Timerman and reality TV star Georgia Hasserati’s podcast “Girls, Disrupted” to its network.
Both announcements come amid more reports of turmoil at Unwell. But there still aren’t answers about what really happened between Cooper and Alix Earle, who was part of the Unwell podcast network until 2025.
Watch our breakdown of Cooper’s and Earle’s businesses in a recent YouTube video, embedded below.
A Message from Core Advisors
Core Advisors partners with founders, operators, boards and investors on M&A and strategic advisory assignments where judgment, discretion and preparation matter. Learn more at coreadvs.com
Soundbite
I think it’s actually a pretty useful way for people to go and learn about other accounts.”
That was Mosseri’s response to a question about whether users could turn off their follower counts. But he also said that “it’s worth considering” and that he would talk to his team to see if it’s something the company could explore.
As we discussed in last week’s episode, follower counts aren’t always a good indicator of a creator’s actual popularity or reach. But they still matter: They’re the quickest way for brands and others to make a quick judgment call about a profile.
Talent Tracker
Malik Ducard will step down as Pinterest’s chief content officer next month after nearly five years. “I’m hitting pause—briefly—so I can hit ‘go’ even harder on what comes next,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Alison Werner joined Substack as head of entertainment partnerships. Before that, she was director of communications at luxury fashion house Bulgari and a senior talent director at MasterClass.
Maya Shaff is the new global director of influencers and affiliates at Oura, the smart ring company focused on sleep and health tracking.
Jenny Kelly is Deloitte Digital’s new head of content, creator and AI. Previously, her role didn’t include social media and creator. Kenny Gold, who previously led social, content and influencer, recently left Deloitte Digital to join Edelman as its first global chief creator officer.
