Watch The Throne

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Happy Tuesday, TFP. There’s truly nothing as viral right now as the Coldplay “kiss cam” affair. Concerts and sporting events across the country have been parodying it (except explicitly Oasis). The fallout has been so intense that Astronomer CEO Andy Byron — the man at the center of the scandal — resigned from his role. Not that Astronomer is sweating it too much. New CEO Pete DeJoy posted, “The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.” It sure is, Pete.

Smart-bathroom startup Throne Labs is rolling out high-tech stalls all across America that are clean, cost-effective, and designed to keep out those who make a mess.

Why It Hits: Public restrooms are something of a crisis in the US, with studies finding the country ranks 30th in the world for clean, accessible facilities (tied with Botswana). As Americans stack up the poor state of their toilets against the impressive offerings of France and Japan, we may be on the cusp of a restroom renaissance.

Between the Stalls: Throne Labs has a clever way of keeping people accountable in public restrooms — by adding a rating system similar to an Uber rider score.

The Future Flush: So far, Throne Labs’ “bathroom as a service” has proved successful, with over 100 stalls installed nationwide. Long-suffering civil servants love them, homeless populations (who rely on public restrooms) have policed stalls to ensure cleanliness among the community, and cities appreciate that they’re far cheaper and easier to deploy than a typical bureaucracy-laden public restroom. In San Francisco, it can cost $1.7 million to build a single-toilet public restroom. That… for lack of a better word… stinks.

Prediction: With Los Angeles expected to add 44 more stalls — on top of the 20 already installed — for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, the city could become the ultimate test case for Throne Labs’ global rollout.

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Superstar digital creator IShowSpeed (real name Darren Jason Watkins, Jr.) is currently on a world tour that he’s livestreaming… and countries are paying top dollar to ensure they’re on the itinerary.

The Big Picture: While countries like Spain and Italy would prefer less tourism, there are plenty of regions willing to take big swings to boost their travel industries. With all eyes on IShowSpeed, tourism offices are seeing this as a rare opportunity to get on the map — another reminder of how far-reaching an influencer’s influence really stretches.

Behind the Itinerary: During IShowSpeed’s stop in Turkey, the creator drew roughly 437,000 concurrent viewers on YouTube and 48,000 on Twitch, making him the most-watched livestream creator simultaneously on both platforms.

No wonder countries are fighting for his attention.

Last Stop: With 42 million YouTube subscribers, 30 million Instagram followers, and 1.1 million Twitch followers, IShowSpeed really does have the eyes of the world on him. Kaarel Kõvatu, the Tourism Marketing Project Manager at Estonia’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundation, said, “Every destination is fighting for the attention of the same travelers.” So, splurging to ensure you can capture the attention of would-be travelers takes some creative thinking.

Luckily for Estonia, IShowSpeed’s livestream in the country on July 15th brought in about two million viewers. Time will tell how many of them become visitors.

Takeaway: We wouldn’t be surprised if countries started creating influencer-outreach departments to start well… influencing… global soft power.

53.3% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert?

“I’m an elder millennial, and I honestly never watched any late-night talk shows. I only ever randomly caught clips online.”

“Past my bedtime...”

“I’m not into celebrity interviews. I prefer intelligent conversation — you don’t get that with celebrities. Too much pandering to the audience and selling movies on these shows.”

“Political humor is great but only when you blast both sides.”

“In this current atmosphere of daily uncertainty, he helps end my day with a good belly laugh or two. AND, he tells it like it is!”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🏈 Fox Sports has inked a broad deal with Barstool Sports, bringing Barstool content and personalities to both the TV channel and Tubi.

🎮 The Entertainment Software Association found that adults over the age of 50 now make up a third of all gamers.

💿 It was revealed that PleasrDAO purchased Wu-Tang Clan’s secret album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, in 2018 for over $2.2 million.

🤖 Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced a new bill that would prohibit AI companies from training their models on copyrighted material without obtaining prior consent.

🏛️ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is touring DC to lobby for the “democratization” of the economic benefits generated by AI.

🌪️ The NYC government is teaming up with the Citizen app to roll out public safety warnings for hazardous weather conditions.

💰 Polymarket is acquiring derivatives-exchange QCX, so it can re-enter the US legally.

🍞 A Consumer Price Index report found that grocery prices have increased by 3% so far, largely due to the impact of climate change.

💸 Opendoor, a real-estate tech company that helps sell homes quickly, has become a new meme stock, with its shares popping 215% in just a week.