63% of Czechs listen to podcasts. For brands, it is a full media channel
Podcasts have grown into a full media channel. Most Czechs listen to them, episode production is rising, and brands can buy attention, trust and time. The market still lacks a shared way to measure listening.
Micro creators deliver more value than mega influencers
A mega influencer with a million followers looks like a safe bet, but 2025 data tells a different story. According to Meltwater, micro creators on Instagram average a 3.86% engagement rate, against 1.21% for mega influencers.
Almost four in five people in Europe follow a creator
Three in four Europeans follow at least one creator, and nearly half consume creator content every day. The market is growing 25% a year and is heading for €157 billion by 2032.
Most creators work for free
Only 4% of creators earn over $100,000 a year, and half earn less than $15,000. The top 10% take 62% of platform payouts, and the average creator waits six and a half months for their first dollar. Here is what the ones who make a living do differently.
The 11am newsletter launches the Král Miroslav podcast
Economists Petr Král and Miroslav Zámečník from the 11am newsletter are launching the podcast Král Miroslav. It covers economics, money and politics, explained clearly but without oversimplifying. The first episode airs on 2 April 2026.
Away from ads, back to the music
Evropa 2 was the first commercial radio station in Czechia and has kept its innovator position 36 years later. Now it is launching a new mobile app and, as the first Czech radio station, offers an ad-free listening option.
Investment is rising. Half of companies don’t measure ROI
Half of marketing leaders in Western Europe name measuring ROI as their biggest problem. 82% of brands also plan to increase budgets in 2026. That combination is not a paradox. It is an accurate picture of a market growing faster than it can explain its own results.
YouTube moves into the living room
In the US, YouTube recorded more viewing on TV screens than on mobile for the first time. The number of channels earning six-figure sums from TV viewing rose by more than 45% in a year. CEO Neal Mohan now calls creators the new stars and new studios.
YouTube vs TikTok: the battle for creators escalates
YouTube pays creators up to 28 times more than the TikTok Creator Fund did two years ago. TikTok is launching a podcast network with iHeartMedia, and Instagram tests locked content for loyal followers. The bigger the offer, the higher the price: exclusivity.
Comic-Con shows the power of live communities
Fandom starts online, but its real value appears when the community meets in person. Fan conventions are a fast-growing part of entertainment, worth over $6 billion globally. Comic-Con Prague shows a model that part of today’s creator economy rests on.
LUTN launches a new series. What holds the show together
Pokorný and Pohlreich took a break to see whether it was worth carrying on. The answer is yes, and LUTN launches a new series. The real question is what holds a people-led podcast together, and that is a relationship that cannot be bought.
From August, creators in the EU must label AI-generated content
On 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act’s transparency rules take effect. Creators in Europe who publish content substantially generated by AI will have to label it, unless a human takes editorial responsibility for the content.