U.S. Users Switch to RedNote as TikTok Ban Looms, Beast Games Tops Amazon Prime Charts, Netflix Sets January 2025 for New Ms. Rachel Series, Adam Mosseri Shares Instagram’s 2025 Priorities

U.S. TikTok Users Flock to RedNote

With the looming U.S. TikTok ban effective January 19th, the platform’s 170 million active users based in the U.S. are looking for the next big platform to migrate to. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, has recently run several ads promoting its lifestyle photo-focused app Lemon8. RedNote is the latest platform to make headlines as the next great alternative to TikTok, following the wave of American creators joining Clapper in hopes of freedom of speech and more creative liberties. The viral Chinese platform, also known as Xiaohongshu, was founded back in 2013 by Miranda Qu, current President of RedNote, and Charlwin Mao, CEO of RedNote, to create the ultimate lifestyle platform to assist Chinese tourists traveling abroad.

RedNote has become the #1 app in the U.S. Apple App Store, surpassing platforms like Lemon8 and ChatGPT, according to PopBase (Acquired) , and leads both the Free Apps and Social Networking charts. Reuters reported that the app gained 700,000 new users in just two days during the week of January 13th, driving a 200% year-over-year increase in downloads. Additionally, Sensor Tower confirmed to NPR that RedNote is now the top-ranked social app on the Google Play Store. According to a recent report from Wired, RedNote is actively looking to hire English-speaking content moderators in response to the sudden influx in U.S. downloads. RedNote’s sudden popularity also triggered a 216% year-over-year rise in U.S. users learning Mandarin on Duolingo this past week, as per a report from Tech Crunch.

The key appeal of RedNote in comparison to TikTok, according to The Wrap, is its unique algorithm that emphasizes audience interests when recommending content rather than promoting Notes and videos from creators they follow. This ultimately promotes more diverse content on the platform and empowers users to interact with new creators within their desired niche. To learn more about the latest social platform to be adopted by “TikTok Refugees,” check out IMF’s official blog on RedNote vs TikTok: A Side-by-Side Analysis of Content and Community today!

Beast Games Celebrates Record-Breaking Success

Beast Games, MrBeast’s record-breaking reality game show, has broken new streaming records for Amazon Prime. According to a recent report from Variety, Beast Games garnered over 50 million views in the 25 days following its premiere on December 19th. Amazon confirmed the data to Variety, noting that Beast Game’s success marks it as the second-best-performing series to be released on Amazon Prime after Fallout. Amazon also added in its statement to Variety that more than 50% of the show’s audience is outside of the United States, with monumental performances in India, the U.K., and Mexico.

Tubefilter also reported on Beast Games’s remarkable streaming success. According to Tubefilter, Beast Games is currently the #1 most-streamed unscripted series on AMAZON PRIME to date. Tubefilter noted that Beast Games is, “Amazon’s most ‘acquisitive’ series since Fallout, which means it drove more new Prime subscriber growth than every other original released in 2024 other than the video game adaptation.”

Although Beast Games has broken several records from Guinness to Prime, it is important to consider its performance in comparison to MrBeast’s YouTube content. It took Beast Games more than three weeks to surpass 50 million views on Amazon Prime. On the other hand, MrBeast’s YouTube videos average anywhere from 50 to 150 million views in the span of a week. Tubefilter noted in its report that the success of MrBeast’s reality competition series demonstrated a higher ROI for Amazon since its production budget was $100 million compared to Fallout’s $153 million budget. The final episode of Beast Games is scheduled to air exclusively on Amazon Prime on February 13th.

Netflix Announces New Series with Ms. Rachel

Beloved children’s educator and YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel is making her Netflix debut this month, offering a curated collection of her widely popular, research-backed videos. Starting January 27, families can stream four episodes designed to support early childhood development through playful lessons in speech, reading, and emotional expression.

Ms. Rachel, whose YouTube channel boasts over 13 million subscribers and more than a billion views, has been celebrated for her engaging, sing-along teaching style that resonates with toddlers and their families. According to an official blog post from Netflix, Ms. Rachel’s newest collection of educational content includes episodes like Learn to Talk, Baby Learning, Learn to Read, and Hop Little Bunnies, complete with interactive activities to teach letters, numbers, and colors. Available in English with subtitles in 33 languages, Ms. Rachel’s series in collaboration with Netflix expands her reach to a global audience. Ms. Rachel’s success in children’s entertainment and education demonstrates a larger trend of extensive youth viewership on YouTube. According to a recent report from Tubefilter, “YouTube viewership among two-to-11-year-olds went up 4% last year at Netflix’s expense.” Additionally, Tubefilter reported, “Ms. Rachel, who typically gets hundreds of millions of views per month, was one major factor underlying that shift.” Although Ms. Rachel’s Netflix series is set to air later this month, Netflix confirmed that more episodes are to be expected throughout the year.

Adam Mosseri Shares Instagram’s 2025 Priorities

Instagram is gearing up for a transformative 2025, with creativity and connection as its key priorities, according to a recent Reel shared by platform chief Adam Mosseri . This year, Instagram aims to enhance user experience by boosting creator opportunities and making social interactions more engaging.

On the creativity front, Instagram plans to elevate its tools to “best in class,” leveraging AI to help creators produce high-quality, original content. In his video, Mosseri emphasized rewarding creativity, noting that future algorithm updates will prioritize originality while demoting aggregator profiles. This continues Instagram’s 2024 shift toward showcasing emerging creators, ensuring new voices have a platform to shine.

For connection, Mosseri confirmed that Instagram will double down on private messaging, which is already the app's primary method of content sharing. Features like Notes and more interactive content recommendations will foster deeper, more social user engagement between friends as well as between brands and fans. Instagram also aims to make content consumption feel more dynamic and personalized, keeping social sharing at the forefront.

As Instagram pivots toward these goals, creators should focus on originality, using enhanced in-app AI tools to craft content that resonates and drives engagement with their followers.

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