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The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
Cobra 11 on YouTube leads the young to RTL+, says its boss
Stephan Schmitter, CEO of German broadcaster RTL, claims old Cobra 11 episodes on YouTube lead young viewers to RTL+ subscriptions. Yet in February 2024 he said putting lots of content on YouTube had no value. From standard watch page ads, YouTube pays partners 55% of net revenues.
A party host sells the same rooftop to guests and brands
IRL influencers, or community hosts, sell an event to guests and to brands. In October 2026 the Pie app offered members of its programme an average of $445 a month, so far from investor money. Since 2024 Hinge has given $2.3 million only to groups with free or low-cost meetups.
OpenAI bought a tech podcast that interviewed its own boss
TBPN, the tech show that had Sam Altman as a guest, has belonged to OpenAI since spring 2026. It made roughly $5 million from advertising in 2025. Silicon Valley’s big interview podcasts make money from advertising that powerful guests bring in.
Dude Perfect to make videos inspired by Disney franchises
Dude Perfect, which an investor compared in 2024 to the early years of Disney, has entered a partnership with Disney. It will make videos for its own channels inspired by Disney’s franchises, from Star Wars to the Avengers.
Toys"R"Us to build creator studios in selected stores
The returning toy chain is preparing spaces in the US where influencers and toy makers are set to film. At a studio inside a Walmart in Tennessee, creators pay $60 to $100 an hour. An Indian furniture retailer and a Kentucky distillery open their spaces only to creators selected from applications.
Deezer cuts AI music from recommendations, YouTube labels it
From 14 October, YouTube Music is starting to show a label on tracks where AI played a significant role. Deezer says it receives nearly 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks a day and removes them from recommendations itself. By the end of 2026 it will let listeners hide fully AI music in search too.
Creator engagement barely explains brand recall
Andrew Tindall of System1 names seven global companies betting on brand investment. Unilever, the first of them, engaged more than 50,000 creators at the football World Cup. Yet according to a System1 study with TikTok, creator ad engagement explains only around 0.2% of brand recall.
Creator video usage rights have no standard terms in the US
Usage rights, a brand’s right to use a creator’s video in ads, have no standard US terms. Digiday says a licence usually runs thirty days and is mostly priced off the media budget. In Czechia, an undefined licence follows the contract’s purpose, or is presumed to cover only Czechia for up to a year.
YouTube admits the kids’ content business is not okay
Kids and family content makes up over 15% of YouTube viewing and under 2% of its ad revenue, said the co-founder of studio Animaj. Producers head there anyway, as streamers commission far fewer shows than at their peak. At MIPJunior 2026, YouTube admitted the status quo is not okay.
YouTube cites survey against mandatory prominence for media
YouTube wants creators recognised in EU statistics, programmes and funds. It counters mandatory priority for chosen media in recommendations with a survey figure valid only for big channels. The Media Board proposes putting creators under the AVMSD. Czechia already lists YouTubers over thresholds.
OnlyFans operator paid its owner more than after-tax profit
OnlyFans takes 20% of every fan payment. That share is the revenue of Fenix, the London operator. In the year to November 2025 it paid its owner $535 million in dividends and earned $521 million after tax. It declared another dividend less than a week after his death.
Tools label AI content. Creators must disclose deepfakes
The Commission’s AI Act guidelines count a realistic AI influencer trying out a sponsored product as a deepfake. From 2 August 2026, a creator who earns from content must disclose it themselves. Older tools must embed the marking from 2 December.