Affiliate Roundup: YouTube Expands Amazon Affiliates, ChatGPT Ads Hit $1B, E-Commerce Growth Accelerates, & More

This week in FMTC’s Affiliate Roundup: YouTube now lets U.S. creators tag Amazon products and earn commissions. ChatGPT’s ad business has reportedly reached a $1 billion annual run rate. U.S. e-commerce grew 12.2% in Q2, its fastest pace in five years.

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• Levanta raised $22 million in Series B funding to expand its creator affiliate platform across more retail marketplaces.

• YouTube now lets eligible U.S. creators tag Amazon products in videos and earn commissions directly through its Shopping Affiliate Program. 

• Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, while introducing major teen safety measures including daily usage limits and nighttime restrictions. 

• Google is restricting automated access to Search, raising questions about whether AI agents may eventually need paid access to search results.

• ChatGPT’s advertising business has reportedly reached a $1 billion annual run rate, as OpenAI expands self-serve ad buying to Europe and continues building out its ad platform. 

• Minecraft selected impact.com to power its first affiliate program as the platform expands its AI and creator commerce capabilities. 

• U.S. e-commerce grew 12.2% in the second quarter, its fastest pace in five years, reaching a record 17.1% of retail spending as online shopping resumed taking share from physical stores.