Articles
The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
Netflix hands podcast buying to former Apple executive
Netflix’s podcast buying now falls to a former Apple Podcasts executive, for now as a consultant. Between January and March 2026, 13% of US Netflix households played at least a minute of a podcast, and over 40% of views went to a single show. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos speaks of a very small investment.
TV accounted for over a third of YouTube's ad revenue
YouTube advertising brought in $11.2 billion in the third quarter of 2026, below the market estimate. Growth slowed from 13% in the second quarter to 9%. According to Google, the TV screen in the living room accounted for more than a third of it.
Expert creator agencies make THR's power reps list
Three agencies for expert creators made The Hollywood Reporter's list of the most powerful creator reps this year. Last year there were none. The deals the magazine names for them came mainly from tech companies. Anthropic bought a series by a client of one of them.
Mastercard and MrBeast plan cards for fans and creators
Mastercard is preparing two co-brand card programmes with MrBeast's company, one for viewers and one for creators. Yet the card of Step, the fintech his company bought in February, is issued by banks under a licence from Visa. Mastercard is counting on viewers being able to become entrepreneurs.
Netflix orders 28 episodes of series from YouTube sketches
Netflix has ordered 28 episodes of a series based on short YouTube sketches by a comedy group. It stars the creators of the original videos, and one actress also wrote and directed it. A TikTok executive says there is no longer any real difference between a creator and a screenwriter or actor.
Acast's record rests on richer listens and North America
Swedish podcast company Acast posted the highest revenue in its history in the third quarter of 2026, even though listens and views rose by only 4%. Each listen or view earned it 20% more than a year earlier. North America added the most, with revenue up 54%.
Live Nation-backed firm’s boss: in-person fans hint at tours
Fans who turn up in person are a strong hint of which creators should tour, says Alexis Fisher. With Scott Fisher she runs Creator Nation, a new company funded by the concert promoter Live Nation. Likes, she says, do not automatically sell tickets.
YouTube has no figure of its own in published ATO data
The chart podcast expert Callum McDonnell captioned "YouTube seems unstoppable" matches US Nielsen data, in which YouTube hit a record 14.2% of TV time in July 2026. Published data from the Czech Association of Television Organisations do not give it a figure of its own.
YouTube’s intent report backs a video with cost per view
For YouTube’s report on the intention era, Kantar surveyed 7,621 American viewers. The report showcases a comedian’s video for a sandwich chain, but backs it with cost per view and click-through rate from Inspire Brands data, not with the survey.
Maaza's episode five has a fraction of episode two's views
Maaza's mango-drink micro-drama loses views even between same-day episodes, from 30.1 million for the second to 1.8 million for the fifth. Since 22 October, a Česká spořitelna series has also relied on viewers coming back. Such a series reveals itself in later episodes more than in its first.
Stop-motion film from Nike founder’s studio opens third
Stop-motion Wildwood finished third on its opening weekend in the US and Canada, taking around $11.6 million. The studio Laika released it in cinemas without a major Hollywood studio. The director’s father Phil Knight, Nike co-founder, bought Laika in 2003 and funds it.
Publicis ties CEO interest and Connected Media growth to AI
Connected Media, the media and data arm of Publicis, accounts for 62% of its net revenue. In August the group added to it an agency in France that exclusively represents around forty creators. In a BCG survey, 72% of CEOs said they mainly decide on AI in their company.