Articles
The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
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.
TikTok Shop starts selling refurbished electronics through creators
TikTok Shop has opened refurbished phones with a one-year warranty, and Vinted Ventures has backed Tilt’s live auctions. Fashion recommerce is crowded, electronics are not. Back Market turned over €3.5 billion of goods last year. EU right-to-repair rules take effect from July.
Polymarket paid creators for fake wins, and none of it was labelled
According to the Wall Street Journal, Polymarket paid ten creators for 1,105 videos showing fake bets. None of them was genuine, and together they gathered 140 million views. European rules ban hidden advertising, but only 20% of influencers label it.
Creators take over Cannes Lions with their own beach and award category
Cannes Lions gives creators their own programme and beach. YouTube is building a Creator Club, UTA is opening its own space, and brands are coming to sign multi-year deals.
Founded.com hits a million followers in ten months. A new media brand can still be built today
Steven Bartlett’s Founded.com reached one million Instagram followers in ten months. Its growth rests on one recognisable format and one post a day. The case shows a new media brand can still be founded even when content costs next to nothing to make.
Substack opens newsletters to brands, and authors choose the partners
Substack has opened newsletters to brands such as Uber, T-Mobile and Balenciaga. In its native sponsorships programme, however, the author decides on each partnership, not the platform’s algorithm.
Amazon builds a creator team that turns shows into a store
Amazon has hired Matt Schwimmer to lead creator business development at Creator Services. The team grew out of the restructuring of Wondery, where Amazon cut around 110 jobs. Amazon now holds the podcast, video distribution, advertising and shopping under one roof.
Accenture buys agency Whalar. Consultancies move into the creator economy
Accenture is buying the agency Whalar and folding it into Accenture Song. In ten years Whalar ran creator campaigns worth more than $600 million. The deal value was not disclosed. After Publicis bought Influential, another major consultancy is entering the creator economy.
Netflix patents how to handle viewer surges in live streams
Netflix's stream buckled under a record 65 million streams during the Tyson vs. Paul fight. About a year and a half later it holds a patent to protect its live origin server from that peak. Live streaming is becoming its own infrastructure, and platforms are competing for it.
BBC cuts hundreds of news jobs under former Google executive Matt Brittin
The BBC is cutting hundreds of news jobs, part of about 2,000 across the corporation, with each division aiming to save around 10% of its budget. Matt Brittin, who spent 18 years at Google, now runs the BBC. His five predecessors came from journalism or the media.
Fox buys Roku for $22 billion in a bet on advertising data
Fox is buying Roku for about $22 billion, or $160 a share in cash and stock. Neither a catalogue nor profit explains the price. What Fox gets is the TV operating system and data on more than 100 million households.
CAA and TPG invest $250 million in creators. Talent becomes a company
CAA and the TPG fund have set up Compound Creative Holdings, a holding company with $250 million in capital to buy businesses built around creators. Talent becomes an asset with a balance sheet and a purchase price.