THE ESSAY ISSUE

"YouTube invented one literary form of its own: the video essay. We grade the canon — the monarchs, the economics, and the 89 held at the door."

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#020 CTRL+WATCH

▶ CTRL+WATCH #020 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE ESSAY ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 20 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀ CTRL+WATCH #020 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE ESSAY ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 20 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀

▶ WHAT IS CTRL+WATCH

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RATINGS

Every channel scored out of 100. No mercy. No algorithm-safe takes. Just honest, loud opinions.

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BOSS FIGHT

Head-to-head battles between creators. Two channels enter. One gets the crown. No rematch clause.

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TIME CAPSULE

Fictional interviews with legends who never saw YouTube. What would Cronkite think of MrBeast?

▶ LATEST ISSUES

ESSAY November 2026

THE ESSAY ISSUE

YouTube invented one literary form of its own: the video essay. We grade the canon — the monarchs, the economics, and the 89 held at the door.

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COMPETITION October 2026

THE COMPETITION ISSUE

The esports leagues froze. The couch, the chessboard, and a streamer's boxing ring did not. Who actually owns competition on YouTube?

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VIEW ALL ISSUES ▶

There was a time when someone else decided what you watched. CTRL+WATCH exists because YouTube deserves what gaming had in the 80s and 90s: a magazine that is loud, opinionated, and unafraid to put a number on things.

— CTRL+WATCH, ISSUE #001