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.
Evan Shapiro publishes a visual map of the 2026 creator economy
Media War & Peace’s Evan Shapiro is reporting that he released the 2026 Creator Ecosphere Map, built with Shira Lazar, data partner Foam, and Whalar Group, charting the industry’s key players by region.
Dhar Mann pledges $100M in creator-brand deals, opens LA “Creator City”
Tubefilter’s James Hale reports that Dhar Mann, Advertising Week New York’s first “Chief Creator Officer,” claims CMOs have already pledged $100 million in creator sponsorships, though none are signed deals, while unveiling a four-acre Los Angeles production campus opening February 2027.
AI podcasting startup Rebel Audio closes $10M round at $50M valuation
The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston reports that Rebel Audio is closing a $10 million Series A at roughly a $50 million post-money valuation.
Adweek debuts Creator Economy Power List for industry executives
Adweek is launching its inaugural Creator Economy Power List, open for entries honoring executives, dealmakers, platform builders and technologists behind the creator economy rather than the creators themselves.
Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson move ‘Calm Down’ podcast to The Volume
Variety’s Todd Spangler reports that Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson are moving their “Calm Down” podcast to Colin Cowherd’s The Volume for ad sales, production and distribution.
Disney CMO details plan to move creators beyond marketing into development
The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey reports Disney CMO Asad Ayaz is expanding creator partnerships beyond marketing activations into development and programming, following the company’s costly Maker Studios experiment and its sponsorship of the Created in LA conference.
The Only Agency buys London’s The Blogger Agent
TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that The Only Agency is acquiring The Blogger Agent, a London creator talent shop with a combined roster reach of over 100 million followers across fashion and beauty.
Dear Media exec: letting creators rewrite brand scripts drives results
Adweek’s Mark Stenberg reports that at Advertising HQ, Dear Media’s Mark Mullett and host Amanda Hirsch said brands still err by scripting talent instead of letting them shape host-read ads.
Repurposed creator content is becoming the new TV ad format
MediaPost’s Stadium Rules argues that brands should build CTV and TV spots from existing creator and social assets rather than commissioning new shoots, pairing authentic creator footage with brand B-roll and a television-grade edit. EMarketer projects U.S.
Sinclair launches national news brand on Substack
Axios’s Sara Fischer reports that Sinclair is launching The National Press, a subscription news brand on Substack built from reporting by its roughly 1,200 journalists across 60 local newsrooms.
Chili’s, Disney, Alaska Air detail deeper, longer-term creator deals
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that at Advertising Week New York, marketers from Chili’s, Disney and Alaska Airlines described creators moving from campaign add-ons to central drivers of creative strategy.
Ankler, MIPCOM Cannes to give creator Dhar Mann new entertainment award
The Ankler reports that CEO Janice Min will present the inaugural Future of Entertainment Award, created with MIPCOM CANNES, to Dhar Mann on Oct. 11. The award kicks off The Ankler’s Future of Entertainment 25 list, publishing Oct. 12.
The Atlantic’s CEO moonlights as a tech podcast host, straining newsroom ties
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson has built a personal podcast, Most Interesting Thing, booking guests like OpenAI’s Sam Altman entirely outside the newsroom he oversees.
The Team acquires U.K. creators agency Outreach Talent Group
The Hollywood Reporter’s Erik Hayden reports that The Team has acquired London-based Outreach Talent Group, bolting the five-year-old creators agency onto its roster.
Dhar Mann’s $100M AWNY creator-brand goal is already pledged, he claims
Digiday’s Alyssa Mercante reports that Dhar Mann, Advertising Week’s first chief creator officer, says CMO pledges already exceed his $100 million creator-brand deal target, though he doesn’t expect contracts signed by week’s end.
‘Bad Friends’ podcast signs ad sales and distribution deal with Wave
TheWrap’s JD Knapp reports that Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee’s “Bad Friends” podcast has joined Wave, which will handle ad sales and distribution across YouTube, podcast platforms and other social channels starting with Monday’s episode.
T-Series tops YouTube again as MaviGadget’s Shorts surge to No. 2
Tubefilter’s Sam Gutelle reports that T-Series led the Global Top 50 YouTube channels for the week of October 4 with 974.7 million views, surpassing 358 billion lifetime views.
Fox adds two senior execs to its creator studios unit
The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin reports Fox Creator Studios hired Bryan Thoensen, ex-TikTok, as SVP of content partnerships and Kirsten McAuliffe, from Moonbug and Warner Bros. Discovery, as SVP of strategic partnerships and growth, both reporting to chief Billy Parks.
Celebrity deaths and Disney Junior drove August’s YouTube traditional media rankings
StreamTV Insider’s Bevin Fletcher reports that Chartbeat’s August ranker shows news channels took six of the top ten traditional media YouTube spots, driven by celebrity death coverage, while Disney swept the podium with Disney Junior, Disney+ and ABC News.
Ad Week NY leans into creator-commerce dealmaking, not just panels
StreamTV Insider’s Bevin Fletcher reports that Advertising Week New York, under new owner Forge, is targeting $100 million in creator-brand deals within 12 months, pairing Dhar Mann’s Creator Challenge with on-site matchmaking between brands and micro-creators.
Morning Brew buys CPG newsletter Express Checkout
Adweek’s Mark Stenberg reports that Morning Brew Inc. has acquired Express Checkout, a creator-led CPG and ecommerce newsletter, in an all-cash deal giving it full IP rights as co-founders Nate Rosen and Jenna Movsowitz join full time.
TheSoul Group, ShortsTV launch two YouTube channels for short films
Advanced Television reports that TheSoul Group and ShortsTV are launching ShortsTV Pulse and ShortsTV Drama on YouTube, drawing from ShortsTV’s catalogue of nearly 1,900 short films. Pulse launches first with action, comedy and animated titles, while Drama follows before year’s end.
Advertising Week NY opens with creators as the main draw, not just talent
Digiday’s Kimeko McCoy reports that Advertising Week New York expects 2,500 creator passes this year, up from 1,000 last year, with organizers chasing $100 million in creator deals over the next 12 months.
UTA adds six UK creators including ‘SNL UK’ comedian Al Nash to roster
The Hollywood Reporter’s Georg Szalai reports that UTA has signed six U.K. creators, including “SNL UK” comedian Al Nash and lifestyle creator DaniBabes, to its Creators division.
Creators push followers toward IRL events as feed growth stalls
Digiday’s Seb Joseph reports that creators like Maya Raichoora are moving followers off Instagram into monthly in-person events, betting live gatherings outlast any single video and give brands turnout, sales and sign-ups they can count.