For over 14 years, Caleb Denison has been the face of Digital Trends on YouTube. Over that time he, along with some other hosts, amassed a following of over 1.3 million subscribers on the Digital Trends YouTube channel reviewing and reporting about TVs, soundbars and other tech gear. That all changed last Monday, April 21st when we got word Caleb had quit Digital Trends and launched his own YouTube channel called CalebRated intended for TV reviews and tech product advice.
On a recent podcast we hosted with Caleb, he mentioned the sudden change was all about ownership. He said, “I’ve been making a lot of creative works and I don’t own any of them… It all belongs to somebody else. I am very thankful for the time spent with Digital Trends and I learned a lot while I was there. But I want to run a business the way I want to run a business… around my personal code of priorities and around my strategies of growth and sustainability. And I’m really excited to start a brand from the ground up and to build that identity in a new way.”
Initially all seemed to be going well. Digital Trends even posted on YouTube on April 21st saying that they “wish Caleb the very best as he sets off to do his own venture.” In the first week Caleb published two videos on his channel and quickly gained over 32,000 subscribers. Then suddenly his videos were gone.
Apparently YouTube removed his videos due to a copyright claim from his former employer, Digital Trends.
Although Caleb published the videos on his new YouTube channel after resigning, Digital Trends Media Group submitted a copyright claim to YouTube, which in turn got Caleb’s content pulled off YouTube.
It’s typical for YouTube to remove content in question while it investigates and notifies all parties. So although YouTube hasn’t officially ruled on the situation, they put the burden of recovery on the alleged “copyright violator.” That’s standard YouTube practice. Also not helping Caleb’s case is the newness of his channel, which is up against a nearly 18 year old established YouTube channel.
When asked for comment, an inside source from Digital Trends informed us they were “stunned” to learn of Caleb’s new channel, when they saw his first video appear on April 21, 2025 — just one week after his departure. They also confirmed, Caleb signed an “Proprietary Information, Invention Assignment, and Non-Solicitation agreement” and was provided an opportunity to disclose his future plans and work out an arrangement before exiting. However, no such disclosure occurred. (We should note that such a disclosure is in no way required by law).
In addition, Digital Trends believes Caleb “solicited advertisers and used company equipment in support of his new venture while employed.” The company rep said they noticed that the CalebRated YouTube channel was originally registered (but not used) on February 21, 2025.
Yet, even given these alleged infractions, our Digital Trends’ source assured me they want to work out a deal with Caleb, rather than draw things out further.
As it stands, Caleb Denison cannot use the CalebRated YouTube channel he personally started. Of course, he could potentially dispute the claim outright, or just register a new channel name on YouTube, and start over again. But even if YouTube re-enables his channel, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s in the clear if legal proceedings press on.
When asked for comment, Caleb told us this: “On the advice of legal counsel, I will not reply directly to these claims, but I will say that, in general, I believe they are not rooted in fact.”
A GoFundMe page, “Help Caleb Denison Save His YouTube Channel,” has been co-organized by Rich Shibley and Caleb Denison in order to raise money for legal expenses. Rich was Caleb’s original producer and another big contributor toward Digital Trends’ success on YouTube. He is also a former long term employee of Digital Trends.
We’ll keep this story updated as it unfolds. Feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments below, in the comments on YouTube or across social media.
Update: It has been confirmed 9 videos from Caleb’s personal YouTube channel called “Caleb Loves Tech” have also just been removed from YouTube for copyright infringement dating back to January 2, 2024. The content in question included off-the-cuff vlog style videos on-the-road or behind-the-scenes moments. Caleb’s personal YouTube channel was registered on April 22, 2010 — 17 months before his employment with Digital Trends began.
Correction: The title of Digital Trends’ employment agreement has been corrected above. “Proprietary Information” replaced “Intellectual Property”.
