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The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
BBC News live stream on YouTube won’t play from Czechia
On Sunday morning, just under two hundred people were watching BBC News live on YouTube, while the Sky News stream, also available abroad, had more than two and a half thousand. The BBC stream is available only in the UK, where watching live also requires a TV licence.
X promises invited creators a bonus for videos on 15 days
In its Video Kickstart Bonus pilot, the social network X promises invited creators a bonus for their own short vertical videos uploaded on 15 different days, regardless of views. Creators in Czechia also meet the residence requirement. But the pilot’s terms do not guarantee payment.
US boomers trust influencers far less than younger people
Influencer content annoys a quarter of US boomers, and 43% of them have never bought on an influencer's recommendation. In Czechia, a quarter of people aged 65 to 74 were on social media in 2025. Managers say age rarely decides creator selection, even though older influencers often sell better.
Netflix subscriptions beat expectations, ads lag behind plan
Netflix's revenue rose 12% in the third quarter of 2026 and subscriptions beat the company's expectations. But it cut its estimate of this year's ad revenue from about $3 billion to about $2.7 billion. YouTube leads it in time spent on US TVs. In Czechia, Netflix is paid for by subscription only.
Chicken Shop Date ends in cinemas before it ends on YouTube
After twelve years in chicken shops, the interview show Chicken Shop Date bows out with one evening in ten cinemas in Britain, Ireland and Paris, where the finale screens before it reaches YouTube. Yet according to Jordan Schwarzenberger of Arcade, its format has stayed almost the same throughout.
Sequoia-led round values Whop at $5.1 billion
A new funding round led by Sequoia and Shopify Ventures brought Whop $200 million at a $5.1 billion valuation. The company received the same amount from Tether in February 2026, then at a $1.6 billion valuation. Whop also pays out to sellers in the Czech Republic.
Big Idea Fund jury did not score audience size
Big Idea Fund winners the Hughenses, a father and son, run a channel with 170K subscribers. The channel of Colin and Samir’s show, whose audience the contest was set up for, had 55.2K. The winners carry the series’ production themselves, and Colin and Samir own the recording of the show about it.
Dax Shepard’s podcast is outside Edison’s top 50
Actor Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert is among the most-listened-to podcasts in the US on Spotify. In Edison Research’s reach ranking it was 38th in the first quarter of 2026 and 59th in the third. According to Edison’s research director, shows with a stronger presence on YouTube are rising.
Musk invested in the owner of HBO and CNN, Semafor reports
Elon Musk has put money into the studio that owns HBO and CNN, Semafor reports. His SpaceX is meanwhile in talks over towers for its own US mobile network, according to Bloomberg. A SpaceX content and investment deal with the studio has so far only been predicted by cable entrepreneur John Malone.
Comcast is planning cable layoffs, Bloomberg reports
Comcast's cable TV, broadband and mobile, the business the company keeps after spinning off NBCUniversal, are set for layoffs, according to Bloomberg. YouTube took a record 15.8% of US TV time in August, and Comcast's Peacock will be part of the YouTube Premium bundle from 2027.
Bloomberg: Walter wants over $700 million for the Sparks
Mark Walter is seeking a buyer for the Los Angeles Sparks, a WNBA women's basketball team, and for their $150 million practice facility, which has not yet opened. The highest price agreed for a team in the league so far is $300 million. Three new teams are each paying $250 million to join.
Instagram offers no ad revenue share for Features videos yet
Instagram is testing Features, landscape videos up to 90 minutes long, in the US and Brazil. It does not yet plan to share ad revenue from them with creators.