PewDiePie responds to critics upset about how much money he earns

The Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral two years ago, raising hundreds of millions of dollars, has helped identify a new gene behind the neurodegenerative disease ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, researchers say. The challenge involved people pouring ice-cold water over their heads, posting video on social media, and donating funds for research on the condition, whose sufferers include British physicist Stephen Hawking.

Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg's Twitter account was briefly suspended this week, and the blue check mark denoting his once-verified status was removed after the YouTube star changed his avatar to an image that could be interpreted as obscene.

Einojuhani Rautavaara, an acclaimed Finnish composer of symphonic, choral and chamber music, has died at the age of 87. His international breakthrough came with his 7th Symphony, "Angel of Light", which led critics to compare him with his country's greatest composer Jean Sibelius.

Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, has managed to retain his title as the highest-paid YouTube star for a second year running, bringing in a reported $15 million. All this, despite recently suggesting he'll delete his channel after hitting 50 million subscribers.

The government said Warner Bros. hired YouTubers such as Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg, who boasts over 46 million subscribers, through an advertising agency and instructed them to publish the sponsorship disclosure where consumers couldn't easily spot it.

The streaming site is attempting to make some noise of its own with a crop of films and shows that will be exclusively available with YouTube Red, a subscription service the San Bruno, California-based company launched last October.

YouTube's content chief Susanne Daniels told MIPCOM, the world's biggest entertainment convention held in the French resort of Cannes, that it was using data from its more than a billion viewers to give them what they want.

The problem, as Olson sees it, is that YouTube has had trouble persuading TV and movie studios to license more of their content on their site, something that that might have made YouTube as dominant in video as Google is in search.

Kjellberg posted Tuesday on Twitter that he was unverified because he and a friend joined ISIS. He explained in a video posted Wednesday on YouTube that he purposely unverified his account "as a joke" and because he believes the system is annoying.

Besides selling $10 subscriptions, the move into premium content is also an opportunity for YouTube to keep top talent from straying. Several high-profile YouTubers, such as Colleen "MirandaSings" Ballinger-Evans, Freddie Wong and "Awkward Black Girl" creator Issa Rae have recently been tapped by the likes of Netflix, Hulu and HBO for projects.

Warman noted that online video is more than twice as effective to reach consumers as TV. He said 35 percent of gamers use YouTube to discover new titles, while only 14 percent do through TV commercials.

The Google-owned video giant said that former wrestler Johnson, who shot to fame in "The Fast and the Furious" films, will produce a series called "Lifeline" about an insurance company that sends its agents 33 days forward in time to prevent the deaths of its customers.

YouTube still intends for advertising revenue to remain its core business, and executives say they believe it could take a while for paid subscribers to grow significantly. Some original content will also be made available to non-subscribers later with ads.

Robert Kyncl, YouTube Chief Business Officer, speaks as YouTube unveils "YouTube Red," a new subscription service, at YouTube Space LA offices Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, in Los Angeles. The service combines ad-free videos, new original series and movies from top YouTubers like PewDiePie, and on-demand unlimited streaming music for $10 a month. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

The FTC action against Warner Brothers followed similar charges in the Spring against retailer Lord & Taylor. According to the regulator, "Lord & Taylor paid 50 online fashion 'influencers' to post Instagram pictures of themselves wearing the same paisley dress from Enter the free PewDiePie signed poster giveaway! new collection, but failed to disclose they had given each influencer the dress, as well as thousands of dollars, in exchange for their endorsement."

Ad-blocking software has become popular on personal computers, and Apple's iOS 9 operating system update last month allowed ad-blocker apps to run on its mobile Safari browser for the first time. Worldwide usage of ad blockers rose 41 percent last year to nearly 200 million people, according to PageFair, a firm that seeks to counter ad blockers.

It's been five years since fans of "Harry Potter" tearfully said goodbye to the boy wizard they had grown up with, but a new play, book release and spin-off film are casting his spell all over again. Fans around the world went into mourning after the final movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in 2011, cemented the end of the seven-book series from J.K. Rowling.