Bonded Bitesize - Your Midweek Roundup

Threads Adds Hidden Words Tools and Time Limits

Threads have introduced two key features to give users more control: separate “Hidden Words” moderation from Instagram and new time limit settings. This means users can now manage sensitive content filters independently on Threads, tailoring their experience per platform. The time limit tool lets users set app usage boundaries, which is an increasingly popular feature for mental wellness. As Threads matures, Meta is clearly listening to feedback and building tools that support user safety, focus, and content control.

Netflix Says Ads Revenue Will Double in 2025

Netflix has announced it expects to roughly double its ad revenue in 2025, with 90% of its Upfront deals already secured. The ad-supported tier is gaining traction, especially in the U.S., with improved targeting and new ad formats drawing in bigger brand investment. Netflix now reaches over 40 million global ad-tier users. With Hollywood content, detailed user data, and global scale, Netflix is solidifying its place as a serious player in the ad-funded streaming space.

Snapchat Acquires Calendar App Designed for Teens

Snapchat has acquired Amie, a social calendar app with strong appeal among Gen Z. The acquisition aims to help Snapchat become a central hub for real-world connections, not just digital ones. Amie blends scheduling with social features, letting users see friends’ plans and coordinate meetups. With Gen Z shifting away from traditional calendars and toward shared, fluid planning tools, this move makes sense. It aligns with Snap’s broader strategy to strengthen everyday utility, adding stickiness beyond messaging and AR filters. Whether this becomes a new standalone product or a built-in Snap feature remains to be seen, but it’s a smart step toward everyday relevance.

Netflix Starts Using GenAI in Production

Netflix is now experimenting with generative AI in its content production pipeline including for visual effects and animation prototyping. The tech is being used to streamline workflows and reduce costs, particularly in storyboarding and VFX-heavy scenes. While Netflix insists creatives will remain central to its process, the move signals how quickly AI is becoming standard across Hollywood. For marketers and media professionals, it’s another sign of how AI is reshaping not just distribution, but creation itself.

ITV and Disney+ to Stream Each Other’s Content

In a surprising collaboration, ITV and Disney+ will begin cross-streaming selected content in the UK. This deal allows ITV to showcase some Disney+ hits via ITVX and vice versa, introducing ITV shows to a global Disney audience. For ITV, this expands reach and modernises their streaming proposition; for Disney, it’s a strategic move to increase UK market penetration. In a crowded streaming landscape, partnerships like this reflect how content providers are breaking traditional competitive boundaries to boost visibility and share.

LinkedIn Boosts Creator Insights Across Platforms

LinkedIn has launched a new analytics feature for creators, enabling performance tracking beyond the platform itself. Now, users can better understand how LinkedIn content performs across the wider web, including search and social referrals. This update is part of LinkedIn’s ongoing push to retain and support professional creators with more transparent, usable data. For marketers and thought leaders using LinkedIn for brand storytelling or employer branding, this visibility could shape smarter content strategies and improve ROI.

ChatGPT Is Testing a ‘Study Together’ Mode

OpenAI is quietly testing a new ChatGPT feature called “Study Together,” designed to replicate a co-working or co-studying experience. The tool encourages focus by simulating the presence of a study partner likely offering nudges, encouragement, or timed study blocks. While still in early testing, this move leans into the wellbeing and productivity space, appealing especially to students and remote workers. As AI becomes more personalised, tools like this show how digital companionship and productivity could soon merge.

Meta Centralises Ads Across WhatsApp, Instagram & Facebook

Meta has unveiled a new unified system that allows advertisers to manage campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in one place. This centralisation brings improved efficiency, shared targeting insights, and simplified campaign management. As WhatsApp continues to grow in business messaging, this integration helps bridge the gap between social and conversational commerce. For marketers, it means greater control over omnichannel experiences, tighter attribution, and fewer platform silos. A big win for performance marketers.

Amazon to Shut Down Freevee in August

Amazon is discontinuing its Freevee streaming service next month, marking a quiet end to its ad-supported video platform. Freevee never gained the traction Amazon hoped for, despite original programming and integration with Prime Video. The shutdown reflects broader consolidation in the streaming space, where even tech giants are streamlining content distribution and focusing on monetisation through premium or bundled experiences. Expect Amazon to refocus energy on Prime Video and its FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) strategy within that ecosystem.

TikTok Tests Broadcast Channels for Creators

TikTok is testing a new broadcast feature similar to Instagram’s Channels, allowing creators to send one-way updates to followers through text, polls, and voice notes. It offers a new way to build community without relying solely on video content. This follows a broader trend of platforms giving creators more tools for passive engagement and behind-the-scenes interaction. For brands, this could become a useful way to drive campaign hype, share exclusive news, or humanise storytelling.

Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup