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.
Red Seat Ventures adds golf franchise with LeBron-fueled launch
Inside Radio reports that Fox-owned Red Seat Ventures signed an exclusive audio and video rights deal with Homecoming Golf, adding the creator-led golf brand to its roster of more than 40 podcast and digital talent.
XR Extreme Reach extends Hollywood talent-payment infrastructure to creators
TVREV’s John Cassillo reports that XR Extreme Reach, which handles over 80% of U.S. commercial talent payments, launched XR Pay for Creators on October 22, combining onboarding, payments and rights tracking into one platform for brands and agencies juggling multiple creator payment systems.
Netflix taps ex-Apple Podcasts exec to lead podcast acquisition
Variety’s Payton Turkeltaub reports that Netflix hired Steve Wilson, a 15-year Apple veteran who led Apple Podcasts marketing, to run podcast content acquisition on a contract basis, building on its slate of more than 60 video podcasts.
A recipe blogger bets on direct-to-consumer as Google traffic wobbles
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Nicole Hunn, who built Gluten Free on a Shoestring into a business with 130,000 email subscribers and six cookbooks, now relies on unpredictable Google and Facebook traffic for ad revenue.
Newsletter writers face subscriber fatigue as AI threatens inbox dominance
The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey reports that newsletter growth is slowing industry-wide, with Taylor Lorenz saying newsletters are “cooked” after losing a third of her paid subscribers in recent months.
85 South Media strikes distribution deal with Tubi
Deadline’s Katie Campione reports that 85 South Media has inked a distribution deal with Tubi, launching a curated ten-episode collection called The Best Of The 85 South Show.
SBA gives creator businesses an official classification code
Digiday’s Alyssa Mercante reports that the SBA issued its first small business classification guidance for content creators on October 15, placing creator-led businesses under NAICS code 5121, Motion Picture and Video Industries.
Banijay teams with Don’t Tell Comedy in creator-economy push
Deadline’s Matt Grobar reports that Banijay America has struck a strategic partnership with Don’t Tell Comedy, pairing Banijay Rights’ global distribution with the stand-up brand’s 14 million followers and 115 hours of content.
Instagram tests 90-minute videos, lands on Apple TV — still no ad-rev share
Variety’s Todd Spangler reports that Instagram is testing video lengths of up to 90 minutes and expanding to Apple TV, positioning itself as a bigger YouTube rival.
Tubi and TikTok launch creator incubator for 10 original series
Variety’s Isabelle Farina reports that Tubi and TikTok have launched the Creatorverse Incubator, with Tubi investing in 12 creators to develop 10 original long-form series spanning animation, horror, reality and YA genres.
Ex-60 Minutes EP Bill Owens joins creator startup Newpress
The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin reports that Bill Owens, former executive producer of 60 Minutes, is joining creator media startup Newpress as its EP.
Banana Republic launches scripted TikTok series to court Gen Z
Retail Dive’s Jessica Hammers reports that Banana Republic debuted “The Agency,” a five-part TikTok series starring Jack Innanen, as parent Gap Inc. pushes its Fashiontainment entertainment-marketing platform. The debut episode has drawn 10.1 million views.
MrBeast’s Beast Industries partners with Mastercard on creator finance tools
Tubefilter’s Sam Gutelle reports that Beast Industries and Mastercard are launching co-branded card programs, experiences and education tools for creators, building on Mastercard’s existing creator debit card.
Caliber CEO details pivot from social sponsorships to a branded content agency
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Caliber CEO Ramin Beheshti explained how the company, born from The News Movement, abandoned reliance on traditional sponsorships for a branded content agency model.
Daily Mail runs 15 GEO tests ahead of AI-visibility product launch
Digiday’s Jessica Davies reports that the Daily Mail is running 12 to 15 generative engine optimization tests across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, planning to turn the work into an official branded-content product early next year.
The Media Leader recaps its Creator Economy Week in Focus
The Media Leader’s Charli West rounds up its Creator Economy Week in Focus, covering creators becoming media businesses in their own right. The recap also revisits the ongoing debate over measurement, brand safety and authenticity in creator marketing.
Chronicle Media’s Ubiquity claims predictive audience modeling for creators
Tubefilter reports that Chronicle Media beta-tested its AI tool Ubiquity with more than 50 marquee clients over six months, claiming it can predict audience size and niche preferences before a project launches, with 94-98% accuracy when tuned to a franchise.
Airwave brings ad sales in-house, ending partnership with True Native Media
Podnews reports that Airwave is launching an in-house ad sales operation covering more than 120 million monthly video views and podcast downloads, taking over full sales duties in 2027 from longtime partner True Native Media.
Meta’s TikTok link ban threatens creator ad campaigns, buyers warn
Adweek’s Mark Stenberg, Trishla Ostwal and Kendra Barnett report that Meta is blocking links to TikTok across its apps, a move media buyers say makes sense as a competitive block.
B2B marketers urged to copy B2C’s creator playbook before LinkedIn crowds it
The Drum’s Mel Henson reports that panelists at Cvent Connect Europe, including LinkedIn’s Terry Rand and The Goat Agency’s Cameron McIntyre, say B2B brands should treat creators as partners valued for expertise, not reach, before the market fills up.
Trump administration seeks to vacate 2019 TikTok child privacy settlement
MediaPost’s Joe Mandese reports that the Trump administration is appealing a district court judge’s rejection of a proposed settlement with TikTok over charges the app collected personal data from children under 13.
Former 60 Minutes EP Bill Owens joins creator startup Newpress
TheWrap’s Benjamin Lindsay reports that former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens will join independent creator-led media company Newpress as executive producer starting March 1, 2027.
F1 and Consumable launch US audio ad network for racing fans
Advanced Television reports that Formula 1 and Consumable have launched the F1 Audio Network in the US, a sound-on ad product running across mobile apps and Consumable’s wider audio ecosystem, powered by its PODiQ identity technology.
The Verge: Google’s AI search broke publishing’s traffic bargain
The Verge’s Emma Roth reports that Google’s 2024 rollout of AI Overviews, paired with search-ranking changes, dismantled the reciprocal relationship where publishers fed Google’s index in exchange for click-through traffic.
C21Media: Wildscreen talk turns to YouTube, AI, vertical series and creators
C21Media reports that a Wildscreen panel featuring Jack Bootle addressed YouTube, AI, vertical series and creators eyeing TV companies, but the article itself is paywalled behind a C21 Subscription and C21Insight subscriber login, leaving only the headline topics visible.