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The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
Global podcast revenue hits $9.2 billion. US growth is driven by video
Global podcast revenue reached $9.2 billion in 2025, up 23% year on year, and video drove 73% of US growth. IAB reports $2.862 billion for US podcast advertising, and the gap lies in payment models.
A producer skipped the podcast and pulled the punchline out with Claude
Doug Downs used Claude to extract a passage from a transcript of a 45-minute episode. Edison Research’s Infinite Dial 2026 reports 58% monthly reach in the US, or 167 million people. Article 50 of the EU AI Act takes effect in nine weeks.
A video that responds to its viewer: LinkedIn co-founder backs Make Believe
Ben Relles has launched Make Believe, an AI lab building video that viewers can question, with the image responding in real time. Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, is an investor. A+E Networks and The History Channel are the first commercial partner.
Spotify shifts from recommending content to generating it for users
At its Investor Day 2026, Spotify moved from a catalogue to a generative layer. Highlights include an AI cover and remix licence with Universal Music, Reserved tickets for superfans, and Personal Podcasts. The 2030 target is 1 billion users.
The Podcast Show London 2026: podcasting becomes a video-first industry
James Cridland opened the fifth The Podcast Show with a warning about AI content. Podcast Index data showed that potentially AI-generated feeds outnumbered those marked “likely legitimate” in one 24-hour window. Article 50 of the EU AI Act takes effect three months later.
Europe starts testing the power of platforms
Yanis Varoufakis calls it technofeudalism. Nexus speaks of the digital Wild West. Meanwhile, the European Commission ruled on DMA breaches by Apple and Meta. The creator economy is getting a new regulatory context.
Lionsgate has Runway and 20,000 titles. Belief Studio has an AI film
A year after its deal with Runway, Lionsgate has no film credited to its custom model. Belief Studio, inside FORM, meanwhile made an AI film with 27 roles and 13 locations, without external funding.
Streaming apps already look like TikTok. Discovery by mood and genre is no longer enough
Five streamers launched vertical feeds in the last six months. The reason lies in churn data: 29 million Americans cancelled three or more SVODs in two years, and 59% of Gen Z sign up and cancel over a single title.
YouTube Brandcast 2026: Custom Sponsorships match creators with brands
Brandcast 2026 in Lincoln Center: YouTube has 244 million adult viewers in the US, its AI Creator Match Engine pairs brands with creators, Gemini writes ad variations and custom sponsorships replace greenlighting.
Lionsgate trains Runway on John Wick. BBC Studios launches an AI Creative Lab
Lionsgate is training Runway on more than 20,000 titles, including John Wick. BBC Studios has launched an AI Creative Lab, and Disney has invested $1 billion in OpenAI. 75% of film companies that adopted AI tools cut roles or consolidated teams.
TikTok Shop is one year old in Germany and already the 15th largest retailer
After a year in Germany, TikTok Shop is no longer a newcomer. It ranks 15th among online retailers, and commission rose to 9% in January. Sebastian Nelson of Cruva and Brightform in Munich show what the operator phase looks like in DACH.
Spotify turns 20 and launches Lifetime Wrapped: a loyalty product, squared
On 12 May, Spotify launched Party of the Year(s) in 144 markets, showing users 20 years of listening. What does it mean for retention, and for the $11 billion paid out to the music industry?