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Social Media

Social Media Influencers

The List

The top social media influencers are dominated by global celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Ariana Grande, primarily known for massive Instagram followings, while TikTok sensations like MrBeast, Charli D'Amelio, and Addison Rae, along with YouTube stars like PewDiePie, also rank high for their engaging content across platforms, showcasing a mix of sports, music, beauty, and lifestyle influence in late 2025.

Here's a snapshot of top influencers by platform and general popularity (late 2025 data):

Most Followed on Instagram (Individuals):

Cristiano Ronaldo (Footballer)

Lionel Messi (Footballer)

Selena Gomez (Singer/Actress)

Kylie Jenner (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor/Wrestler)

Ariana Grande (Singer/Actress)

Kim Kardashian (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)

Beyoncé (Singer)

Khloe Kardashian (Reality Star)

Top TikTok & YouTube Personalities (Various Platforms):

MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson): Known for stunts, challenges, and philanthropy on YouTube.

Charli D'Amelio: Rose to fame with dance videos on TikTok.

Addison Rae: TikTok dancer and actress.

Khaby Lame: Comedian famous for his silent, witty videos.

PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg): Gaming and commentary on YouTube.

Key Trends:

Athletes & Musicians Dominate: Footballers and pop stars often lead follower counts due to global appeal.

Kardashian-Jenner Empire: The family consistently ranks high across platforms.

YouTube & TikTok Stars: Creators like MrBeast and Charli D'Amelio have massive influence beyond their initial platform.

News Bonus

WWE Most Popular Wrestlers On Social Media

Media Notes

February 2026

The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) remains the most popular WWE-associated personality on social media by a vast margin, primarily due to his massive global crossover appeal as a Hollywood actor.

Others

Logan Paul and John Cena lead in total followers.

The following rankings reflect current social media popularity across major platforms:

Top Most-Followed WWE Superstars (Instagram Focus)

Instagram is the primary platform for measuring current WWE social media reach. These figures are based on reports from February 2026:

The Rock (Dwayne Johnson): ~390.8 million followers.
Logan Paul: ~27.1 million followers.
John Cena: ~21.8 million followers.
Ronda Rousey: ~16.9 million followers.
Roman Reigns: ~11.2 million followers.
Nikki Garcia (Nikki Bella): ~10.4 million followers.
Brie Garcia (Brie Bella): ~8.3 million followers.
Triple H (Paul Levesque): ~7.8 million followers.
Randy Orton: ~7.5 million followers.

Active Roster Popularity & Engagement

While legends hold the highest total counts, several active stars dominate current engagement and search trends in 2026:

Roman Reigns: The "Tribal Chief" is the most-followed full-time active roster member and recently surpassed the 10 million follower milestone on Instagram.

Rhea Ripley: One of the fastest-growing stars on social media, she frequently ranks in the top 5 for most-searched superstars.

Seth Rollins: Consistently ranks in the top 5 for combined Twitter and Instagram followers among active male talent, totaling over 8.5 million.

Liv Morgan: Noted for high social media engagement metrics alongside Roman Reigns and Rhea Ripley.

Most Popular Female Superstars

Female talent often commands higher engagement rates. In early 2026, the leading women include:

Rhea Ripley: ~6.7 million followers.
Alexa Bliss: ~6.2 million followers.
Becky Lynch: ~5.5 million followers.
Charlotte Flair: ~5.4 million followers.

WWE as a brand also announced in 2026 that it has eclipsed half a billion total fans across its global social media platforms, with John Cena specifically noted as the No. 1 most-followed active American athlete on Facebook with over 36 million likes.

Media Man

Media Man Data Indicates The Following WWE Pro Wrestlers are extremly popular on social media:

Blake Monroe (NXT)
Tony D'Angelo (NXT)

Rey Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio
Tiffany Stratton
Matt Cardona
Chelsea Green
Braun Strowman
Paul Heyman (manager/advocate)
Kabuki Warriors
Joe Hendry

*we are not releasing numbers, as numbers vary on a daily basis, however the above wrestlers frequently trend on X.

Media Man Int

Social Media

Social Media Influencers

The List

Here's a snapshot of top influencers by platform and general popularity (late 2025 data):

Most Followed on Instagram (Individuals):

Cristiano Ronaldo (Footballer)

Lionel Messi (Footballer)

Selena Gomez (Singer/Actress)

Kylie Jenner (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Actor/Wrestler)

Ariana Grande (Singer/Actress)

Kim Kardashian (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)

Beyoncé (Singer)

Khloe Kardashian (Reality Star)

Top TikTok & YouTube Personalities (Various Platforms):

MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson): Known for stunts, challenges, and philanthropy on YouTube.

Charli D'Amelio: Rose to fame with dance videos on TikTok.

Addison Rae: TikTok dancer and actress.

Khaby Lame: Comedian famous for his silent, witty videos.

PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg): Gaming and commentary on YouTube.

Key Trends:

Athletes & Musicians Dominate: Footballers and pop stars often lead follower counts due to global appeal.

Kardashian-Jenner Empire: The family consistently ranks high across platforms.

YouTube & TikTok Stars: Creators like MrBeast and Charli D'Amelio have massive influence beyond their initial platform.

Sports Business: Digital

Report: YouTube the priority platform for sports industry

November 2025

Sports marketing agency IMG has launched its Digital Trends Report 2026, exploring the technologies and developments that will shape the sport and media landscape for rightsholders over the next 12 months. Featuring insights and analysis from IMG’s global team of digital experts, this year’s predictions explore the disruption of content distribution, Amazon’s unique position in the sports value chain, and the concept that more is more, all underpinned by the disruptive force of AI.

The report, now in its eighth year, has once again ranked the 12 most influential third-party media platforms for the global sports industry. For the first time, the power rankings also feature a list of the most important platforms for engaging audiences in China, in recognition of the tailored approach required to reach and engage sports fans in the market. The platforms are ranked based on a detailed analysis of their audience profile and growth, commercial potential, and the functionality they offer rightsholders and users, and more.

This year’s edition has crowned YouTube as the priority platform for the sports industry for the second year running, due to its ability to reach new audiences across a variety of media formats, drive revenue, and deliver audience analytics, followed by Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Spotify has broken into the list for the first time, in recognition of the platform’s potential for the sports industry and the increasing cultural crossover between sports and entertainment. Meanwhile, Douyin comes out top in China.

IMG’s SVP & Managing Director, Digital, Lewis Wiltshire said: “This year represents our most global trends report to date, capturing insights from our team of more than 200 digital experts across five continents. Each edition has reflected the evolution of our digital world, and for the first time you’ll see AI is threaded throughout our predictions as the heart of all change for our industry. But amidst the technological advances, we predict that human creativity and local insight will matter more than ever as we move into 2026. Our decision to spotlight the particular opportunities for engaging digital audiences in China recognises the region’s unique digital landscape and cultural insights, allowing our report to offer sport federations, leagues, teams and brands a truly global outlook.”

Headline predictions from the report include:

More is more is more: The age of quality over quantity is over. Sports brands can no longer rely on infrequent, polished content. They must publish high-quality, high-volume material across every platform all the time. Success lies in being consistently visible, authentic, and responsive, using AI to streamline workflows but investing heavily in creative talent and resources. The brands that scale up production without sacrificing purpose or originality will dominate attention and engagement.

Do all roads lead to Amazon? Amazon now sits at the intersection of sports, technology, and fan experience. From AWS-powered AI insights to live streaming and integrated commerce, its ecosystem connects rights, data, and retail like no other. To stay competitive, rightsholders must develop platform-specific Amazon strategies, address data governance and IP ownership, and design content tailored for its AI-driven, commerce-first environment where content and transaction blend seamlessly.

Handling discovery when fans outsource decision-making: AI assistants and agentic search tools are increasingly deciding what fans see, buy, and attend, removing human choice from discovery. As zero-click searches and AI summaries dominate, sports brands risk being invisible unless they adapt. The new discipline of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) demands authoritative, structured, human-authored content that AI agents can trust and cite. Future success means becoming the verified source that machines, not just people, recommend.

Main character energy: The digital era favours people over institutions, with fans following creators not corporations. As platforms prioritise individual voices, sports organisations must develop on-camera talent, empower players and creators, and embrace two-way communication to build parasocial trust. Those that humanise their brands and collaborate with creator ecosystems will stay relevant, while those that cling to traditional broadcast control risk cultural obscurity.

The world speaks one language: Real-time AI translation has made content globally accessible, but not culturally meaningful. True localisation still depends on human understanding of tone, humour, and relevance. To resonate worldwide, sports brands must maintain quality control, invest in regional ambassadors, and create locally authentic narratives rather than relying on machine-translated messaging. Being local as well as fluent is now the key to global growth.

The short form fallacy: Short form video dominates feeds, but mistaking virality for value is a strategic trap. While Shorts, Reels, and TikToks are vital for discovery, long-form content builds fandom, retention, and revenue. Modern audiences crave depth, not just dopamine hits. Sports organisations must balance formats, using short clips to attract attention but guiding fans toward podcasts, live streams, and storytelling that sustain engagement and emotional connection.

Gen Alpha stake their claim on RedNote: In China, Gen Alpha’s internet revolves around Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a hybrid of search, social, and shopping that has become the country’s discovery engine. For global sports brands, an authentic presence there is non-negotiable. Winning on RedNote means building trust through native, community-driven content, collaborating with local creators, and optimising for AI-based discoverability. In this ecosystem, influence is earned through authenticity, not advertising.

The 2026 Platform Power Rankings are as follows:

Platform Power Rankings: China
Douyin
WeChat
Kuaishou
RedNote
Weibo
Bilibili

Platform Power Rankings: Rest Of World
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
X
Reddit
Spotify
WhatsApp
Snapchat
Twitch
Substack
Threads

Social Media News

X Wins Media Man 'Social Media Platform Of The Year' award; Runner-up: YouTube

Grok wins Media Man 'AI Of The Year' award

December 28, 2024

News

Elon Musk's X Actions Stir Free Speech Debate

Prominent conservative accounts on X, including Laura Loomer's, have recently lost their verification badges and faced other account restrictions after critiquing Elon Musk's views on immigration. Musk has indicated that the platform's algorithm reduces the reach of accounts that are frequently muted or blocked by credible users. This incident has led to allegations of censorship among right-wing influencers, while Musk himself has addressed these changes in policy. The actions have reignited discussions about the balance between free speech and content moderation on X. (Credit: Grok)

Grok Profile via Grok!

"Grok" is a term coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 science fiction novel "Stranger in a Strange Land." It means to understand something deeply and intuitively, often with an empathetic or profound connection to the subject. The word has transcended its original context to become part of the vernacular, especially within communities like computer science, where it signifies a comprehensive and intuitive grasp of concepts or systems.

The term also refers to an AI chatbot developed by xAI, named Grok, which aims to provide answers with a humorous and truthful perspective, modeled after the "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy." This AI chatbot is designed to engage in natural conversation, provide witty responses, and even tackle "spicy" questions that other AI might shy away from. It has real-time access to the world via the X platform (formerly Twitter), which gives it an edge in providing current information.

In summary, "grok" can refer to:

A verb meaning to understand something profoundly and intuitively.

The name of an AI chatbot with unique capabilities in humor and real-time information processing. (Grok)

Grok News via Grok!

Here's a summary of the latest news related to Grok:

Grok-2 Release: xAI has released Grok-2, a new version of its AI chatbot, which is now available for free to all users on X. This model is three times faster, offers improved accuracy in following instructions, and has enhanced multilingual capabilities. It also includes features like web search for real-time information and citation capabilities for fact-checking.

Image Generation: xAI introduced an image generation model, initially code-named Aurora, which is now part of the Grok chatbot's capabilities. This feature allows for photorealistic image creation and is available to users on X, with plans to expand access.

Mobile App and Standalone Web App: Grok has expanded its reach with a standalone iOS app and now a web app in Australia, broadening its accessibility beyond the X platform. These apps include features like PDF analysis, image generation, and real-time X post searches.

Funding and Future Developments: Elon Musk's xAI has secured a significant funding round, increasing its valuation and focus on developing new consumer and enterprise products, including plans for Grok 3. This funding will support further advancements in AI technology and the expansion of Grok's capabilities.

Controversy and Public Perception: Grok has faced scrutiny for potential misinformation, especially in political contexts. Despite this, there's a growing positive sentiment among users who appreciate its straightforwardness and utility in searches, particularly for political or controversial topics.

User Accessibility: Previously exclusive to premium subscribers, Grok is now accessible to all X users with some limitations on usage for free-tier accounts, such as a cap on the number of prompts and image generations per session. (Grok)

xAI via Grok

xAI is an artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk with the goal of "understanding the true nature of the universe." The company was established in March 2023 and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. xAI focuses on developing AI to accelerate human scientific discovery, aiming to create a maximally helpful AI, exemplified by their product, Grok, which is designed to provide truthful and helpful answers.

xAI has raised significant funding, with a Series C funding round bringing its valuation to over $40 billion by December 2024, after raising $6 billion. This funding is being used to enhance its AI models, including the development of Grok 2 and the construction of a massive supercomputer named "Colossus" in Memphis, Tennessee.

The company's approach includes leveraging real-time data from Musk's other ventures like X (formerly Twitter) and Tesla, suggesting a synergy that could potentially give xAI an edge in the AI race. xAI also released an API for its AI models, allowing developers to integrate its technology into various applications.

The mission and operations of xAI have been met with a mix of excitement and skepticism, with some viewing it as a significant player in advancing AI, while others are concerned about the implications of Musk's influence over AI development, especially considering his past with OpenAI and his views on AI safety and regulation. (Grok)

Media Man: Groking impressive stuff Team Musk.

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Sky News Australia

Sky News Australia wins Medfia Man 'News Outlet Of The Month' award

Sky News Australia Wins Media Man 'News Outlet Of The Month' (Australia) Award Again

News

Meta, Mark Zuckerberg are joining the 'vibe shift' in the Western world by ending their collaboration with biased third-party fact checkers

Meta's stunning about-face on its fact-checking program shows the pendulum is in full swing towards common sense as free speech makes its long-awaited comeback, writes Rocco Loiacono.

It was Bob Dylan who sang, “for the times they are a-changin’”.

Just under four years ago Meta/Facebook acceded to pressure from the Biden Administration to censor content on its platforms regarding COVID, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted.

Much of that content, of course, proved to be true.

Meta also placed restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender identity during a crackdown at the time.

Now Zuckerberg has suddenly discovered that the Meta fact-checking program was biased against conservatives.

That much we already knew, as exposed through Sky News host Peta Credlin, SkyNews.com.au Digital Editor Jack Houghton and others, particularly in relation to actions by the thoroughly discredited RMIT Fact Check Lab, which partnered with Meta, to censor opinions on the ‘No’ side of the Voice Referendum.

Zuckerberg said the recent elections around the globe felt “like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritising free speech”.

You got that right.

There is a cultural shift afoot, a shift, hopefully, that sees a return to a mutual respect for dissenting views, a respect for arguably the greatest gift the liberal Western democratic tradition has given us: free speech. (Sky News Australia)

In a recent op-ed published in the Australian, historian Niall Ferguson referred to a Substack post from February 2024 by Santiago Pliego, who declared we were witnessing a “vibe shift”.

Pliego wrote that the vibe shift is “a return to – a championing of – Reality, a rejection of the bureaucratic, the cowardly, the guilt-driven; a return to greatness, courage, and joyous ambition” and “spurning the fake and therapeutic and reclaiming the authentic and concrete”.

I am old enough to remember how old Eastern Bloc leaders told their subjects how superior communism was, before it all came crashing down.

Now we are seeing another vibe shift.

The rise and success of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and Javier Milei in Argentina – in the teeth of internal and global opposition and condemnation – is testament to that. (Sky News Australia)

Full article and coverage via Sky News Australia

https://www.skynews.com.au/insights-and-analysis/meta-mark-zuckerberg-are-joining-the-vibe-shift-in-the-western-world-by-ending-their-collaboration-with-biased-thirdparty-fact-checkers/news-story/9429235bf25bd774088fff76f27fba99

Video

'Win for free speech and common sense': TV host welcomes Meta scrapping fact checkers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOYvfTVvRE&t=21s&ab_channel=SkyNewsAustralia

January 8, 2025

Sky News host Danica De Giorgio has welcomed Mark Zuckerberg scrapping Meta’s fact checkers in America, stating the decision as a win for free speech and common sense.

In a significant move, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be scrapping third-party fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram, instead the social media giant will replace them with user-generated ‘community notes’.

The announcement comes just weeks ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“This is the Donald Trump effect at work already,” Ms De Giorgio said. (Sky News Australia)

News Flashback

Elon Musk trolls Sydney Morning Herald for predicting he will be 'forced to hand over the reins' at Tesla in 2025

Billionaire Elon Musk has given a brutal reply to the Sydney Morning Herald after the publication made the wild prediction he will leave his role at Tesla in the new year.

December 30, 2024

By Patrick Staveley and Max Melzer

Elon Musk has hit back at the Sydney Morning Herald after the masthead wildly predicted the billionaire would quit Tesla in 2025.

SMH published an opinion piece by technology editor David Swan on Sunday evening which shared a series of predictions for tech in the new year.

One of the predictions centred on Musk and whether his busy list of commitments would force him to part ways with Tesla as he focuses on a new role in 2025 as the joint lead of the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration.

"To be juggling leadership roles at X, Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, the Boring Company and Neuralink was already unsustainable," the SMH op-ed read.

"Musk has already found himself at loggerheads with MAGA diehards like Steve Bannon over immigration issues, and the inauguration is still weeks away. He’s also been at loggerheads with the justice system, after a US judge blocked Musk’s $US56 billion ($90 billion) pay package from Tesla.

"After constant controversies and distractions, it will all come to a head in 2025, and Musk will be forced to hand over the reins at Tesla, a company many mistakenly think he founded." (Sky News Australia)

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/elon-musk-trolls-sydney-morning-herald-for-predicting-he-will-be-forced-to-hand-over-the-reins-at-tesla-in-2025/news-story/1ec0b3fb3aa99d2af1b76fa3b76b3007

Full article and coverage via Sky News Australia @SkyNewsAust

Media Man

Sky News Australia is the Media Man 'News Outlet Of The Year' 2024 (Australia) award winner

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https://www.youtube.com/@SkyNewsAustralia

Sky News Australia website
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Sky News Australia via Grok

Sky News Australia is a conservative-leaning news channel, part of the News Corp Australia network. Here are some key points about it:

Ownership and History: It was originally launched in 1996 as a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), Seven Media Group, and Nine Entertainment Co. News Corp Australia acquired it in 2016, making it a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Content and Ideology: Sky News Australia is known for its conservative perspective, often featuring opinion-based programs in its prime time lineup. Its content includes rolling news coverage, but it's particularly noted for its commentary and analysis from a right-leaning viewpoint.

Distribution: The channel is available on pay television in Australia and New Zealand. There's also a free-to-air version, Sky News Regional, which combines programming from Sky News Australia and Fox Sports News, distributed through select terrestrial TV stations.

Digital Presence: Sky News Australia has a significant online presence, with apps available for mobile and tablet devices providing access to breaking news, analysis, and opinion pieces. They also maintain an active social media presence, including on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, where they share news updates and clips from their shows.

Controversies and Notable Moments:
The channel has faced criticism for its political stance, particularly in relation to climate change skepticism and its coverage of certain political figures or events.
A notable incident included the termination of a contract with former Liberal Party MP Ross Cameron due to his use of offensive language.

There have been instances where Sky News hosts and commentators have stirred controversy with their remarks on various social and political issues, reflecting the channel's conservative editorial line.
Current Trends and Topics:
Recent discussions on X related to Sky News Australia have highlighted political issues like the visit of Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus to Israel, debates over election cycles, and responses to antisemitic incidents in Australia. These reflect the channel's engagement with national and international politics from its conservative perspective.

Sky News Australia thus plays a significant role in shaping public discourse in Australia, especially among those who align with or are interested in conservative viewpoints. (Grok)

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Media Man Int X

Elon Musk’s X Files Antitrust Suit Against Global Advertising Alliance

August 6, 2024

Elon Musk’s social media platform X has launched a significant antitrust lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and several of its member companies, alleging an illegal ad boycott that targeted the platform. The lawsuit, filed in Texas, is aimed at GARM, its parent firm World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and members including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

In an open letter to advertisers, X CEO Linda Yaccarino highlighted the reasons behind the lawsuit, stating that it was a direct response to GARM’s actions which allegedly cost the company billions of dollars. “This is not a decision we took lightly, but it is a direct consequence of their actions,” Yaccarino wrote. “The illegal behavior of these organizations and their executives cost X billions of dollars” per The New York Post.

The lawsuit is seeking trebled compensatory damages and injunctive relief, according to a complaint viewed by The New York Post. GARM, led by Robert Rakowitz, is an initiative of the WFA, which represents many of the world’s largest companies and ad organizations, including Disney and Coca-Cola. Its members control 90% of global marketing spending, nearly $1 trillion per year.

Yaccarino emphasized that the issue extends beyond financial damages. “This case is about more than damages — we have to fix a broken ecosystem that allows this illegal activity to occur,” she added.

According to The New York Post, the suit argues that the boycott undermined the marketplace of ideas by financially harming certain viewpoints over others. (Credit: PYMNTS)

Full article and coverage via PYMNTS

https://pymnts.com/cpi-posts/elon-musks-x-files-antitrust-suit-against-global-advertising-alliance/

PYMNTS is a former Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award winner and finalist

News

Elon Musk takes GARM, several companies to court over alleged advertising boycott of X outlined in bombshell report

August 7, 2024

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has taken several companies and an advertising alliance to court over allegations of a "boycott" of X.

Elon Musk has waged “war” against advertisers as his social media platform X filed an antitrust lawsuit against a global ad alliance and several major companies, accusing them of illegally boycotting the site.

X filed a suit in a federal court in Texas against the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and its members CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever.

The suit comes after a report from the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee found GARM and its members “directly organised boycotts” and employed other indirect tactics to target disfavoured “platforms, content creators” and news organisations to demonetise them.

It alleges that GARM’s boycott led advertisers to pull money from X under the guise of “brand safety” concerns.

X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino argued this tactic hindered users on the social media platform from accessing a wide breadth of ideas by funding alternative viewpoints.

“The consequence - perhaps the intent - of this boycott was to seek to deprive X’s users, be they sports fans, gamers, journalists, activists, parents or political and corporate leaders, of the Global Town Square,” she wrote.

“To put it simply, people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is undermined and some viewpoints are not funded over others as part of an illegal boycott.”

Mr Musk shared his colleague’s statement to the platform and boldly declared: “We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war.”

He later encouraged “any company who has been systematically boycotted” to file a suit.

Following his post, video sharing platform Rumble joined Mr Musk’s lawsuit, claiming it has also been impacted towards GARM’s alleged skew away from right wing voices and ideologies.

The platform announced its move on X where it accused GARM of being “a conspiracy to perpetrate an advertiser boycott of Rumble and others, and that's illegal”.

Since Musk took over the social media platform in October 2022, X has suffered a serious dive in ad dollars with the platform taking in US$2.5 billion in 2023, according to Bloomberg.

This was down from the US$1bn it was bringing in every quarter of 2022.

Musk triggered controversy again in November 2023 when he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish communities push “hatred against whites”.

The X owner responded: “You have said the actual truth,” sparking an advertiser exodus that was reported to have lost the company as much as $75m, per The New York Times.

He made headlines again in the same month after blasting advertisers boycotting the social media platform, boldly declaring: “Go f**k yourself”.

“If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f**k yourself. Go f**k yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” he said. (Sky News Australia)

Full article and coverage via Sky News Australia

https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/elon-musk-takes-garm-several-companies-to-court-over-alleged-advertising-boycott-of-x-outlined-in-bombshell-report/news-story/7bac6243aada770042d14ca84afc23e7

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Yahoo Finance wins Media Man 'Business News Outlet Of The Month' award

PYMNTS wins Media Man 'Businees News Outlet Of The Month' award

Market, Commodities and Financial News Snapshot via Media Man

August 7, 2024

Australian Dollar: $0.6520 USD (up $0.0024 USD)

Iron Ore Sep Spot Price (SGX): $102.85 USD (down $0.70 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $72.96 USD (down $1.02 USD)

Gold Price: $2,389.45 USD (down $19.96 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.0095 USD (up $0.0085 USD)

Bitcoin: $56,485.71 USD (up 3.10% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 38,997.66 at 5.02pm NY time (up 294.39 points on yesterday's close)

(Roy Morgan Summary)

WWE surpasses 100 million subscriber mark on YouTube - March 8, 2024

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, today surpassed 100 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel, becoming one of only 10 channels worldwide to achieve the milestone.

The return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has helped supercharge the channel’s subscriber total in recent months, highlighted by the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event in Las Vegas on Feb. 8, which added more than 100,000 subscribers in a day. Every segment featuring “The Rock” since his surprise SmackDown return on Sept. 15, 2023, has drawn more than one million views. Prior to The Rock’s return to WWE television in September, the company was tracking to reach the 100 million subscriber milestone in late April.

With more than 100 million subscribers and 81 billion lifetime views, WWE is the largest sports channel on YouTube and No. 10 overall. The new subscriber total is more than the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL combined.

An early adopter of the platform, WWE joined YouTube in 2007 and has since created and curated exclusive and original content to super serve the WWE Universe. Today, the channel combines premiere in-ring action highlights from Raw, SmackDown, NXT and premium live events, archival premium live event footage, exclusive interviews and content featuring Superstars, weekly episodes of WWE's The Bump, post-event press conferences and more.

Much of WWE’s success on the platform is owed to original programming created specifically for YouTube. Productions such as WWE Playback, where Superstars rewatch classic matches; WWE Now, a news series covering all things WWE; and popular highlight compilations like WWE Top 10 and WWE Playlist have driven massive growth for the channel.

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(WWE.com)

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WWE surpasses 100 million subscriber mark on YouTube - March 8, 2024

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, today surpassed 100 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel, becoming one of only 10 channels worldwide to achieve the milestone.

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(WWE.com)

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Facebook

More than 70 rights groups have asked Facebook to clarify its policies for removing content, especially at the behest of governments, alleging the company has repeatedly censored postings that document human rights violations.

In a letter sent to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, the organisations criticise the social media company for cases in recent months where it has deleted content involving police violence, removed iconic imagery from the Vietnam War and briefly suspended accounts belonging to two Palestinian journalists.

"News is not just getting shared on Facebook: it's getting broken there," read the letter, whose signatories include the American Civil Liberties Union, Sierra Club, Center for Media Justice and SumOfUs.

"When the most vulnerable members of society turn to your platform to document and share experiences of injustice, Facebook is morally obligated to protect that speech," it continued.

Facebook's content policies have come under growing international scrutiny amid several controversial takedowns and reversals in recent months, including the company's handling of an iconic Vietnam war photo showing a naked girl burned by napalm.

A Facebook spokeswoman said the company was reviewing the letter.

"We welcome feedback from our community as we begin allowing more items that people find newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest," the spokeswoman said.

Facebook announced last month it would begin weighing news value more heavily when deciding whether to block content.

(Reuters)