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Creatorverse: Creator TV Drove 148 Billion Views Last Year

Hey Creatorverse readers,

In 2025, only about 7,000 creators made what could be considered TV-length, episodic content. Those creators made up only 0.02% of all social video and yet they drove 148 billion views in the U.S. alone.

That’s what Spotter revealed during the company’s second-ever Spotter Showcase last Wednesday, an event designed to educate brands and the media about the evolution of what the company has dubbed Creator TV. These are shows from creators that primarily live on social media platforms. 

“We’re seeing the biggest growth in premium, TV-length programming built specifically for the living room,” Aaron DeBevoise, CEO of Spotter Inc., told me. “Creators are investing more into storytelling, production value and repeatable formats that audiences come back to week after week.”

DeBevoise noted that 76% of fans watch library content from creators like Kinigra Deon at least once a week. “That kind of repeat viewing is exactly what makes episodic programming so powerful,” he said.

There’s also been a major shift in how creators are making their content. “What used to be one person with a camera now has writers’ rooms, production teams and sophisticated post-production workflows,” Jared Carneson, head of social media at Adobe, told me, calling these operations “full-scale studios.” 

Creator-led companies are becoming more common as creators have started to think more in terms of seasons and franchises rather than one-off videos. To meet these demands, Adobe has invested in several creator-focused tools like AI model platform Adobe Firefly or the mobile version of Premiere. But Carneson has also seen an increase in collaborations between creators, brands and production teams. To help foster those collaborations, Adobe has partnered with creators on more in-person events, like Dhar Mann’s Creator Training Camp and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Dimz Inc. Academy, the creator’s free summer program for teens interested in pursuing a career in digital media.

I even attended one of these in-person creator events last year when I went to Colin and Samir’s Press Publish in Brooklyn, which was also sponsored by Adobe. The duo will be hosting a LA version of the summit on May 28.

This isn’t just a growing viewership trend. This is a community-building trend.

“For brands, that means Creator TV is becoming a consistent, always-on environment that needs to be part of their media and marketing strategies,” DeBevoise said. 

Now onto the rest.

P.S. Did you notice we published late today? That’s because we were wrapping up loose ends from TheWrap’s inaugural Brand Integration Power Players Breakfast, which acknowledges the best and most innovative partnerships in the TV, movie and creator industries. Check out the list and our writeup of the event here.

Kayla Cobb

Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com


Catherine Paiz (Photo Credit: Catherine Paiz, Instagram)

What’s New


SnapChat nominates over 100 creators for its first ever Snappy Awards

SnapChat is going big for its first-ever awards show, nominating over 100 creators for The Snappys. The categories include options like Best Storyteller and Top Beauty Creator. As for the top honorees, David Dobrik (6.5 million SnapChat followers), Khloe Kardashian (17 million followers), Landon McBroom (1.4 million followers), Catherine Paiz (7.6 million followers) and JoJo Siwa (1.6 million followers) are all up for Creator of the Year. DJ Khaled, who’s been a longtime SnapChat user with 13 million followers, is also getting a Lifetime Achievement award.

YouTube extends its AI likeness protection program to journalists and politicians

We’ve covered YouTube’s AI likeness detection program before, the platform’s way of letting influential people know if their likeness is being used on YouTube without their permission. Now government officials, journalists and political candidateswill be able to use it. After participants verify their identities on the platform, YouTube will let them know if anyone is using their AI likeness on the platform. They will then have the option of either letting the video be or flagging it for removal. YouTube is starting with a pilot program it plans to expand in the future.

Podcasters that sign with Netflix have seen their YouTube growth slow by 50%

Bloomberg found that video podcasts that exist exclusively on Netflix have seen their YouTube growth decline by as much as 50%. A big reason for this may be that podcasters who sign with Netflix can only post a limited number of clips to third-party platforms, like YouTube. It should also be noted that these Netflix deals often pay podcasters upfront rather than by performance, so it’s unclear how this shift impacts their bottom line. Still, it’s an interesting trend as Netflix has been aggressively making the case that YouTube is a major entertainment competitor.


Neal Mohan at Made on YouTube 2025 (Photo Credit: Madison Phipps and Getty Images)

By the Numbers


YouTube is the world’s largest media company, according to MoffettNathanson

YouTube has been dubbed the world’s largest media company thanks to a new report from  MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson. He found that YouTube’s $62 billion in revenue last year slightly surpassed Disney’s $60.9 billion in media assets. Clock that as another reason why Netflix sees YouTube as a threat.

More than 13,800 Spotify artists made $100,000 or more

Last year, over 13,800 Spotify artists made $100,000 or more from the platform — nearly 1,400 more than in 2024. That’s not the only interesting factoid from Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear report. The top 80 Spotify artists generated $10 million annually from Spotify, and more than a third of artists who made $10,000 or more in royalties either self-released their music or released it through independent distributors.

Roughly 60% of Gen Z say they trust TikTok less 

TikTok is still a massive platform among Gen Z, but a backlash is mounting. New data from The Harris Poll found 60% of Gen Z respondents say they trust TikTok less than they used to, and that nearly half of Gen Z creators said they were posting less on the platform. That said, TikTok still remains king for that generation with 37% of respondents saying they turn to TikTok first when looking for content about entertainment, pop culture and local experiences. That’s nearly double any other platform.


Brittany Broski in “Royal Court” (Photo Credit: YouTube)

Oscar Bait


Oscars-related posts are up 54% on TikTok

Speaking of TikTok, there are 54% more posts using the hashtags #Oscars and #FilmTok this year compared to 2025. That will likely only increase as Hollywood’s big night gets closer.

Quen Blackwell, Brittany Broski and Jake Shane will host Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party red carpet

Vanity Fair is partnering with three big creators for its Oscar Party red carpet. Quen Blackwell (13.1 million TikTok followers), Brittany Broski (2.6 million YouTube followers) and Jake Shane (3.9 million TikTok followers) will host the red carpet at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after party. You can watch the livestream after Sunday’s big show on Vanity Fair’s website and YouTube page.


Side by side logos of Lighthouse Studios and Lyrical Lemonade TV (Photo Credit: Whalar Group, Lyrical Lemonade)

Movers and Shakers


Cole Bennett’s Lyrical Lemonade is the first partnership for Lighthouse Studios

The creator-focused agency Whalar Group launched Lighthouse Studios this week, the company’s entertainment studio designed to help creators build and scale their media companies and IP. Its first partnership will be with Lyrical Lemonade, Cole Bennett’s (24 million YouTube subscribers) music-focused media company that specializes in music videos, live events and merchandise. The goal of this partnership is to expand the programming of Lyrical Lemonade TV.

Jay Shetty’s deal with iHeartMedia ends, and the Paul brothers’ HBO Max show is cancelled

Jay Shetty (18.4 million Instagram followers), the creator behind the health and wellness-focused podcast “On Purpose,” is leaving iHeartMedia. The two previously signed a three-year deal, which is set to expire in July. But after they were unable to come to an agreement over a contract renewal, Shetty and iHeartMedia parted ways. 

Jake (29 million Instagram followers) and Logan Paul (27 million Instagram followers) also had a bit of a blow recently. “Paul American,” the duo’s HBO Max reality show that premiered last year, wasn’t picked up for a Season 2. This especially sucks for Logan Paul, who spent $4 million on his wedding thinking it would be a good season finale for “Paul American.” Whoops.

Fox Entertainment names Billy Parks to lead Fox Creator Studios

Fox is continuing its investment in creators. The entertainment arm of the company named Billy Parks, who was formerly an executive vice president at The Chernin Group, as the head of Fox Creator Studios. Between Tubi and its creator-focused studio, Fox has been one of the biggest traditional media players to partner with creators.


@benlapidus WE WILL GET ANSWERS… 3.4.26 #punk #metal #musicalcomedy ♬ PETSMART – Ben Lapidus

Who to Watch


Ben Lapidus

Is it Pet’s Mart or Pet Smart? That’s the question that’s been haunting Ben Lapidus (190,000 TikTok followers) and his fans since late February. So far his quest for the truth has led to several different punk music videos, an appearance on “Good Day L.A.” and a shockingly well-attended rally at the Sherman Oaks PetSmart. This is the kind of dumb fun that reeks of Anthony Po, but so far it’s been fun to watch. Also, Lapidus and his band’s PetSmart song is kind of a banger.


Bonus Content

  • Roblox Is Minting Teen Millionaires (via Bloomberg)
  • Louis Theroux on the Manosphere: ‘It’s Highly Profitable to Be a Dick on the Internet’ (via Wired)
  • X Is Reinventing Its Creator Subscriptions. Here’s What to Know (via Mashable)

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This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.

The post Creatorverse: Creator TV Drove 148 Billion Views Last Year appeared first on TheWrap.

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