2026 Winter Olympics have come to a close with no shortage of viral moments. In this Uppload, we’re recapping on three and revealing what they mean for the future of competitive sports. Whilst we’re on the ice, the new “Wuthering Heights” has had a cold reception from commentary creators… Stick around for goss on the future of pop culture videos, law suits, and how you could win $500 with our Uppbeat survey on AI in creator content.
Has the Olympics become TikTok-ified?
Welcome to the new Olympics: a 16-day event brought to you through 30-second clips.
If you caught any of the Milan Winter Olympics, you might know what we’re talking about. From curling scandals and Brazilian superstars, to Snoop Dogg and The Bachelorette on ice, competitive sports are increasingly broadcasted through short form content and viral moments.
A catalyst → In 2024 the IOC loosened its rules on what athletes could post on their social media. This led to a host of BTS clips from the Olympic village, athletes lip syncing and chocolate muffins…?
Why it works → Pre-2024, the global audience for the Olympics was declining. Creators on the ground is one way to boost viewership. Put simply, more content = more eyes on the Olympics = continued relevance in the internet age.
Curling back round to 2025, and we’ve seen a renewed focus on short-form. NBC flew out 25 creators to help cover the event, and the Olympics provided regular coverage on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. But how has this changed how we interact with the Olympics? Let’s unpack the trend through 3 viral moments…
1. Pro snowboarder Jonas Hasler earns a viral following with the title, ‘tiramisu man.’
This isn’t the first time an Olympian has gone viral for their love of canteen food. Audiences increasingly want to see the ‘real person’ beneath the crash helmet and athletes are happy to share it. Hasler might have placed 24th in the Olympics, but he won the people’s vote and in turn sponsorships with the likes of Mentos and Oakley.
2. ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin falls twice during his Free Skate routine.
“I blew it.” Malinin spoke out after his skate routine disintegrated, earning him 8th place — a devastating loss of the expected gold medal. His heartfelt TikTok post on the ‘psychological distress’ of being online has opened up discussion on whether social media stardom could become a distraction from the sport itself.
3. Biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid confesses to cheating on his girlfriend on live TV.
Nowadays, it takes more than a gold medal to become immortalized. Lægreid found this out the hard way after his tearful apology to his ex went viral, overshadowing Johan-Olav Botn who won gold just minutes prior.
Wuthering Heights and the future of pop culture commentary
$82 million in the box office. 800k TikTok searches in the past week. Google searches up 9900% on last year… You could say Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights movie is a pretty big deal. And where there’s a trending term, there’s a creator with a microphone…
Wuthering Heights has caused uproar in the commentary community, with many claiming that it strayed too far from Emily Brontë’s text. Since its release, the film’s inspired thousands of uploads as creators cash in on the hot topic. But with this surging popularity comes competition for viewers’ attention.
We all have a limit to how many hour-long video essays we can watch about the same film. In an effort to get seen, commentary creators are finding new ways to re-invent the traditional format. Let’s take a look:
Hot takes, brought to you live.
A great commentary video can make you feel like you’re sat chatting with a friend. So why not make it a true conversation? D’Angelo did exactly this, live streaming his Wuthering Heights commentary for 4 hours to 54k dedicated fans. The best bit? He then doubled his content by cutting favorite takes into a separate commentary video.
Google Doc podcasting. Yes, you heard right.
In a fresh take on the podcast, three culture critics ‘jumped onto a Google Doc’ to discuss Wuthering Heights. The conversation was moderated by beloved YouTube commentator Mina Le and shared on newsletter platform, Substack, which is now home to millions of creators looking to expand their communities — learn more in Issue 7 of The Uppload.
A fraction, not a whole.
Karolina Żebrowska is a master of the niche. Hot pop culture moments aren’t enough to tempt her away from her passion for vintage history and fashion. Instead, her Wuthering Heights commentary delves into the costume design and is, as always, fantastically on-brand.
What are we watching?
We asked Emma Jones from our Growth team the channel she’s been loving recently and why.
What’s your favorite channel right now? "Mythical Kitchen (@mythicalkitchen), but more specifically, their 'Last Meal' videos. I can't get enough of them."
3 words to describe them? "Hunger-inducing content."
Why do you love them? "I find it so interesting seeing what people pick for their last meals, but Mythical Kitchen goes one step further and actually cooks it for them. I think talking about food brings a lot of people together and it's a way to find out why certain dishes mean a lot to some people. Also, it's all just looks delicious."
We think they would love… "It would have to be our Kitchen Grooves collection. Having some great music on can really make or break the cooking experience."
Elsewhere on the web
AI video tool, Seedance 2.0, will be ‘restrained’ after Disney threatens legal action.
Stealing hearts. Baby monkey goes viral after bonding with an Ikea plushie.
"Addiction machines.” Zuckerberg appears in court in a landmark trial against Instagram.
That’s AI... or is it? Short film about distrust in reality goes viral. And yes, no AI was used in the making.
100 million. K-pop group BLACKPINK become the first artist to reach the subscriber milestone.
“Me at the zoo.” The first ever upload features in this recreation of old-school YouTube.
2-3 ads: the breaking point before podcast listeners drop off, according to this report.
Latest Uppdates
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