Creators
State of Play
Revised Nov 1, 2026The moment. Every platform with a TV screen wants long-form creator video. Tubi and TikTok launched the Creatorverse Incubator, with Tubi investing in 12 creators to develop 10 original series; Instagram is testing videos up to 90 minutes and landing on Apple TV, still with no ad-revenue share; Netflix hired Steve Wilson, a 15-year Apple veteran, to run podcast acquisition on top of more than 60 video podcasts; Banijay struck a partnership with Don’t Tell Comedy and its 14 million followers. Creators are meanwhile organizing like the companies buying from them: Ad Age has top creators restructuring under holding companies with their own CEOs, the SBA gave creator businesses an official classification code, and XR Extreme Reach, which handles over 80% of US commercial talent payments, launched XR Pay for Creators.
The tension. The distribution is being bid up and the business underneath is thinning. Simon Owens flags Business Insider’s report that Netflix may be cooling on video podcasts even as it hired someone to buy them. Digiday has nearly 60% of Americans getting news from social media while news creators call it the hardest category for brand deals. The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey reports newsletter growth slowing industry-wide, with Taylor Lorenz saying she lost a third of her paid subscribers, and a recipe business with 130,000 email subscribers still lives on unpredictable Google and Facebook traffic. The Verge has Google’s AI Overviews dismantling the bargain where publishers fed the index in exchange for clicks, and Adweek has media buyers warning that Meta blocking links to TikTok cuts into creator campaigns that run across both.
Who’s moving. Tubi and TikTok, incubating 10 creator series. Instagram, at 90 minutes and on Apple TV. Netflix and Steve Wilson, on podcast acquisition. Banijay America, with Don’t Tell Comedy. The SBA, filing creators under NAICS code 5121. XR Extreme Reach, paying creators through Hollywood’s pipes. Beast Industries and Mastercard, on creator finance. Bill Owens, leaving 60 Minutes for Newpress. Meta, blocking links to TikTok. The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey, on subscriber fatigue. The Daily Mail, running 12 to 15 generative engine optimization tests. Airwave, taking ad sales in-house.
What the desk is watching. Whether Instagram pays creators a share for the 90 minutes it is asking for, and whether Netflix’s podcast hire settles which way its podcast strategy is going.
Usage rights, not fees, are the real friction in creator deals
Marketers and agents tell Digiday that inconsistent usage-rights terms, not base fees, are driving up creator partnership costs. Brands increasingly seek perpetual usage, while pricing for paid usage, organic usage and exclusivity varies wildly with no shared standard.
Why AI-generated restaurant menus all look eerily the same
TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling reports that Restaurants are turning to generative AI for menu images, but the illustrations share an oddly smooth, symmetrical look. Reality Defender’s CTO says the models drew on a narrow “pleasing” corpus, so results resemble a Chili’s menu from 2015.
How a meme page built a 95-million-follower content empire
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Doing Things CEO Reid Hailey traces the company’s path from the anonymous Instagram meme account Shithead Steve to a 75-plus-employee studio behind Recess Therapy, Bob Does Sports, and Breezy Golf.
Creators own 91% of lawn care video uploads while media sits out
TVREV’s John Cassillo reports that Lawn and yard care videos drew 3.3 billion U.S. YouTube views this year, but Tubular Labs data shows creators claimed 85% of views and 91% of uploads, leaving media companies with just 45 uploads total.
Why Netflix vs. YouTube isn’t the creator war it looks like
TheWrap’s Kayla Cobb reports that Netflix has signed more than 20 top YouTube creators in two years while YouTube quietly offers incentives to keep talent from leaving.
CreatorFi raises $45 million to fund creators against platform revenue
Business Insider’s Lucia Moses reports that CreatorFi raised $45 million in equity and debt to advance capital to creators against earnings from Roblox, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube, up from a $12 million credit facility in 2025.
Ex-UTA chief Jeremy Zimmer resurfaces as a Twitch talk-show host
The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey reports that Jeremy Zimmer, who stepped down as UTA’s CEO in March 2025 after nearly five decades in the agency business, now co-hosts a live career-advice talk show on Twitch called 877unmplyd.
Pangram’s CEO on why AI detection beats simple ‘real or fake’ labels
TechCrunch’s Theresa Loconsolo reports that Pangram co-founder Max Spero joined TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to discuss AI content detection, weeks after the startup raised $9 million and struck a partnership with Substack to flag newsletters written with AI.
Vertical dramas turn a 47-year-old career auditioner into a working actor
The Ankler’s Degen Pener reports that TJ Wilk, a former waiter, trainer and manny who logged 729 auditions over two decades, has filmed more than 30 mobile-first microdramas since 2023. His debut vertical, a 56-episode werewolf series, drew 28.8 million views on ReelShort.
MrBeast signs multi-year deal to promote Gemini and Google Health
The Verge’s Stevie Bonifield reports that Google inked a multi-year partnership with Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson to feature Gemini, Google Health, and the Fitbit Air in upcoming videos.
Podium signs four creator-led podcasts weeks after Roost rebrand
Deadline’s Jesse Whittock reports that Podium, the Night-owned network formerly known as The Roost, has signed Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, Commander at Home, Stan Wars and Love, Lex P, adding to a roster with over 50 million monthly impressions.
Netflix adds another YouTube creator as cross-posting deals multiply
Travel vlogger Drew Binsky will bring select videos to Netflix starting September 19th, joining Kevin Langue, Nick DiGiovanni, and Mythical Entertainment in similar cross-posting arrangements. YouTube has reportedly offered creators millions of dollars not to strike such deals.
Creator marketing may be nearing its own programmatic-style correction
Digiday’s Future of TV Briefing argues influencer marketing is following ad tech’s path, as companies like Dentsu, L’Oreal and LTK automate deals between brands and creators.
Mansa Studios launches microdramas directly on TikTok Minis
David Oyelowo and Nate Parker’s Mansa Studios is releasing three vertical microdramas straight through TikTok Minis, its first shows on the platform after months of talks with TikTok’s team.
MrBeast’s biggest business risk is MrBeast himself
Business Insider’s Lucia Moses and Dan Whateley report that a Business Insider review of court documents and interviews finds investors in Beast Industries, valued above $5 billion, have raised “key man” concerns about Jimmy Donaldson’s outsize role.
Workweek raises funding to open its creator platform beyond core network
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Workweek, a B2B creator platform with a Puck-like model, raised new funding to offer its publishing tools to creators outside its vetted core network.
Netflix strikes global deal for true-crime podcast ‘Outlore’
Deadline’s Jesse Whittock reports that Netflix has signed an exclusive global deal to host “Outlore with Eleanor Neale,” a UK true-crime podcast that has drawn more than 500 million YouTube views and 2.8 million subscribers.
Google launches Pics, an AI design tool baked into Workspace
TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez reports that Google is rolling out Pics, an AI image-creation and editing tool built on its Nano Banana model, to Workspace and Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers starting with Docs and Slides.
Digiday maps payout rules across every major creator platform
Digiday compiled the follower thresholds, activity minimums, invitation status and payout terms for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, X, Facebook and Snap.
19-year-old talent manager details path into creator economy careers
In a TVREV interview, 19-year-old Braden Blacker, founder of The Content Code, explains how he grew creator Asher Lara from 1.2 million to over 16 million followers by mining audience data to steer content toward proven niches like couples storylines.
NBA builds Gen Z pipeline through 2K, creators and social formats
Next in Media’s Andrew Perlmutter reports that the NBA is treating NBA 2K, athlete-run shows like Joakim Noah’s Nomad, and social-native formats as a coordinated content ecosystem rather than side projects.
T-Series retakes YouTube’s global viewership crown, powered by Shorts
Tubefilter’s Sam Gutelle reports that T-Series topped Tubefilter’s weekly Global Top 50 with 778.8 million views, pushing its lifetime total to 353.2 billion.
Dr. Squatch bets $1 million on IShowSpeed-fueled scavenger hunt over ads
Marketing Dive’s Chris Kelly reports that Dr. Squatch and streamer IShowSpeed launched “Speedrun: Million Dollar Mission,” a nine-week, $1 million contest with hidden briefcases, weekly missions and a $250,000 finale, built by Applied MSCHF and spanning more than 4,000 Walmart stores.
Instagram to throttle reach of undisclosed AI influencer profiles
TechCrunch’s Lauren Forristal reports that Instagram is renaming its “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” and will reduce reach for creators who fail to disclose AI-generated people on their profiles.
Micro dramas near $14 billion as TikTok moves to eat the category it feeds
Business Insider’s Peter Kafka reports that consumers may spend up to $14 billion this year on one-minute vertical dramas, CandyJar’s Ali Albazaz tells Business Insider. TikTok already supplies most of these apps’ audiences, and now runs its own free and paid micro drama apps.