Welcome to the Collective.  As summer rolls into fall and TV time begins to increase, remember that streaming was once introduced as an easier way of watching television. Imagine something being so easy you had to roll three services into one to be able to sell it?

Yesterday, we launched the Coeus Collective Podcast’s first episode on YouTube and all podcast platforms. The episode features Kotryna Jukneviciute, Co-Founder of AI fashion styling app Arête. She shares some incredible actionable insights like her “secret double timeline” method - which we’ve picked up on ourselves.

— Antonio DiMeglio & Leon Li

YouTube & Shopify Team Up Against TikTok Shop

30 billion hours of shopping-related videos were watched on YouTube last year. Shopify has over 2 million merchants globally. So, a partnership between these giants made public yesterday is certainly set to be a game changer for all involved in the creator economy.

In this updated partnership, eligible Shopify merchants will now be able to use the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, enabling thousands of eligible creators to showcase their products at scale in their videos. This will have a distinct impact on the e-commerce brands seeking visibility from influencers while also fortifying an additional affiliate revenue stream for creators.

The move comes on the heels of TikTok Shop becoming a behemoth in the e-commerce space. TikTok aims to grow its Shop business tenfold to $17.5 billion this year after reporting that it had 500,000 American merchants on TikTok Shop at the end of 2023. 

Experiential shopping social media experiences remain to be a relatively nascent category in the US, as Instagram Shopping has continuously failed to gain a cultural foothold. Time will tell if YouTube and Shopify’s partnership, or TikTok Shop, could break this curse.

The results of Monday’s poll? Using Starbucks for “functional convenient coffee” as compared to using Starbucks as a “comfortable third place” got 100% of the votes! Looks like our Collective is Team Starbucks Mobile App instead of Team Starbucks Comfy Seats.

Three Point Attempt BLOCKED

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the launch of Venu, a joint sports streaming venture between Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, due to monopoly concerns. The joint venture was set to revolutionize how sports fans stream, providing streams of 14 linear networks in addition to the Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming services.

Considering the large amount of content available on Venu in addition to the high proposed cost of $42.99 per month, it seems clear that the joint venture sought to create a content-rich business model that resembles basic cable more than streaming. 

Media industry startups should be wary of the possibility of streaming joint ventures like this in the future. Conglomerates may use their market power to consolidate the technology used to power these services and even use them to gain leverage against prospective brand advertisers. 

The litigation was brought by competing cable streaming service Fubo TV. As of Tuesday evening, $FUBO stock is up over 48% since this news broke.

A Chatbot in the News

Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch announced the media conglomerate’s groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI. Familiar publications like Vogue, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Wired, and Bon Appétit - all specifically mentioned by Open AI - are set to have their content featured by OpenAI chatbots. Furthermore, OpenAI will have permission to train their models using Condé Nast content.

Strategically, this news sends a message that OpenAI is here to stay. The company is past the leadership turmoil of late 2023, and startups in all fields should stop to consider the impact that OpenAI may have if they choose to enter their field.

Startups may choose to be like the New York Times and sue OpenAI, or they may choose to be like Condé Nast and play on the same team. The generative AI landscape is still in its early stages, as ChatGPT is still somehow less than two years old. Nevertheless, as the future of generative AI begins to take shape, partnerships will likely become commonplace. 

Companies follow their users’ demands and interests. If ChatGPT or another generative AI company maintains a large user base, companies will want to use them as tools to gain market share.

Kaleidoscope Focused: Key News

1. Dropbox has acquired the productivity-boosting AI scheduling app Reclaim.AI

2. BEVC, a life sciences investor, is raising a $25M fund to target climate tech startups

3. Beyonce is collaborating with Moet-Hennessy to create a new American whisky brand

4. Amazon Prime Video is launching a video game-inspired anthology series in December

5. Backyard Sports gaming franchise, beloved in the 1990s and 2000s, is set for a relaunch

Curated Picks: New Product Spotlight

Product: SirDavis Whisky

What It Is: Beyoncé has collaborated with Moet-Hennessy to create a new American whisky brand.

Differentiator: Named after her great-grandfather, Beyoncé’s personal connection to the brand will surely stand out. But so will its components: the whisky is a blend of 51% rye and 49% malted barley. Food & Wine calls this “uncommon” for an American whiskey, noting that a combination like this is “found more typically in Scotch and Japanese whiskies.”

Just Released

Yesterday, we published our podcast with Arête Co-Founder Kotryna Jukneveciute. Kotryna discusses her background in business from the days she ran a “controlled market” in elementary school to her time as a Defense Analyst in international affairs until she decided to take her passion for fashion to the next level by founding AI styling app Arête. Check the episode out on YouTube and all major podcast platforms!

Grow the Collective

Some special surprises may be in store for our first referrers! 👀

Thanks for reading! We’ll be back on Friday. In the meantime, stay tuned with us on socials @CoeusCollective.