"YouTube topped TV viewership every month throughout 2025, according to Nielsen metrics (Note: This doesn't include December, which Nielsen has yet to report). As for advertising, the Interactive Advertising Bureau predicted that U.S. ad spend for the creator economy would hit $37 billion in 2025, a 26% increase compared to the previous year, and the industry expects that to continue this year."
""Hopefully, a shift finally in media dollars from advertisers will start catching up with consumer behavior. There's always a lag," Jo Cronk, co-CEO of the creator and social agency Whalar, told TheWrap. "30-to-60-second TV spots - of course, there's a place for them. But we have to really ask ourselves, 'How often do we view, connect and act on a 30-second TV spot compared to something that we see on our phone?'""
"But what exactly is ahead for the new year? Expect more platform diversification, whether creators are moving from shortform content to longform or branching out into podcasting and live streaming. AI is going to remain a major threat, but it will encourage more platforms like YouTube and TikTok to invest in creator-focused tools and may even inspire an entire aesthetic change for the internet."
The creator economy continued strong growth as traditional media declines and streaming shifts toward profitability. YouTube outpaced TV viewership across 2025 and creator-focused ad spending surged, with the IAB estimating $37 billion in U.S. creator ad spend for 2025. Momentum is expected to carry into 2026 as creators diversify into longform, podcasting, and live streaming. AI poses risks but also motivates platforms to build creator tools and could change internet aesthetics. Brand deals are enlarging amid consolidation of intermediaries, and Hollywood increasingly partners with creators while accommodating creators' terms.
#creator-economy #digital-advertising #platform-diversification #ai-impact #creator-hollywood-partnerships
Read at TheWrap
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