Great post. I probably take slight issue with the characterisation that “we” the establishment are a bit sniffy toward the creator community. I think we rather look toward it with envy. The envy born from the creative freedom and lack of barriers to entry. When the internet was conceived by Tim his vision was for democratisation of content IP writing etc now the internet is owned by big players, manipulation by agents on all sides is rife and algorithms have become the new gate keepers. And the creator community is becoming owned and controlled in the same way. So the platforms used by the creators are used just as much by the establishment a video clip from one of my shows featuring the sacred Rihanna is still up there in terms of views. Every production has a digital strategy. So do I see the two entities as warring factions, no and I certainly don’t treat it or any new creators with any lack of respect. I look to them for inspiration!
This is brilliant, Doug. Enjoyed the post-Christmas reading.
One platform to watch in 2025 is Bleacher Report, especially regarding your last paragraph. B/R (a subsidiary of WBD/TNT Sports) has made it a mission to embrace the creator economy while remaining under the traditional corporate media umbrella.
The platform always invited users to engage with, and sometimes, create their content, but mainly via the written form — (this was the original mission of B/R before it got scooped up by Turner when the blogosphere was still dominating as the "new kid on the media block"). Now they have launched their "creator program," allowing users to "go live" on video in their product as a reaction to certain games and other tentpole events in the sports world.
While leaning toward the slightly vague branding as "Twitch but for Sports" B/R still hasn't reached the level of Amazon's platform as it still has creators go through a thorough vetting process before allowing them the tools to go live, strongly gatekeeping who and who can't use their live video tools in their app. I believe the vetting process /before/ going live is probably constrained due to staffing on the content moderation side. (Maybe AI can help alleviate this problem down the road...?).
Although I can't go into too much detail, I do know that B/R is going to lean into this strategy even more in 2025 with the launch of an updated product. This paired with B/R's partnership with House of Highlights and its Creator League (https://www.youtube.com/@CreatorLeague) makes it a brand to watch as creator and corporate economies continue their tug-of-war in the back half of this decade.
Thanks Spencer and thanks also for highlighting B/R (I worked at Turner, so I'm familiar!). I agree they're an interesting case study for a business built around creator content that is housed within traditional media...
When self publishing hit all I heard was that's it for the bookstores. This all came in with the internet blowing up. I saw the books on the street sold by vendors. Excited I bought a lot. And they WERE ALL TERRIBLE. No grammar checks, no syntax check. Nothing was checked. The hype was all based on "I didn't need Barnes and noble or Simon and Shuster." Ok fine. But that's not going to get me to give you my time and money.
Currently there's a boatload of wannabe The Wire’s all over YouTube. Not one of them has blown up to any significance.
When you watch it you see why. Five seasons of inaudible dialogue. Bad acting. Bad lighting. And there are multiple seasons.
So if this is a store you don't clean up aisles and don't organize the products?
But I should buy from you because you aren't a big box? I’m not shocked at this people like mediocrity. At one point the American consumer bought a "pet rock."
For all those years in the 80's those infomercials as sloppy as they were had an audience and then they went away.
I haven't heard much of the self publishing world. I think one book got turned into a drop it void that is in the end summer film releases into B and C list theaters for two weeks and then it's banished forever.
Last most artists are drawn to the art outside of the tech. If you needed the tech to drop the barriers or make the ease of use so simple a five year or 80 year can engage then how much do you REALLY want this?
Artists are curious by nature. Obsessive with it. We will use what’s available at that time. Not when the barriers of entry have been lowered.
Five years ago everyone in New York and a drone and dji jib. I see none of them on that level. When I first bought a camera and had an editing system I realized I needed “something” to shoot. Sunsets and the subway get boring and don’t tell a story.
Let's face it most people just want to record themselves sitting at their computer throwing crap at the web and see what sticks, this is better known as ranting. Bunch of mostly young people doing some way to early version of get off my lawn. (Why do I need to know this actress needs to shut or not date this actor is beyond me).
This means you are beholden to the algorithm, when it says jump you have to say how high?
I have no doubt this will exist but I don’t see it as taking over. I don’t consume anything now at 48 the way I did at 23. Not sure why we use that as a gauge.
If curiosity drives the artists what drives these creatives? (And don’t answer with cold technicalities).
…one thing i see severely missing in all this is the implications on search and discovery…the glut of content firehose will make it increasingly difficult for us to find things we want…as is i have no way to turn off ai content on youtube…i think there is a string business play in helping “gracenote” better the internet…beyond that another elephant that needs addressing is the $$$…if we are all creators and spending our time creating why will advertisers want to spend on out consumption…ads could enter the tool space perhaps?…as they have started to in gmail etc. …but at a certain point no matter how easy it is to create and play we need to get paid to do it for a “living”…how can content sustain an economy where creators outpace consumers?…
thanks for the comment. I agree that curation becomes more valuable than ever. In terms of how will people get paid, I think the answer is the same as it is now: the vast majority won't. 1% of YouTubers make any money at all and 66,000 artists on Spotify made more than $10,000 last year--out of more than 10 million. income doesn't sustain the creator economy today.
Great post. I probably take slight issue with the characterisation that “we” the establishment are a bit sniffy toward the creator community. I think we rather look toward it with envy. The envy born from the creative freedom and lack of barriers to entry. When the internet was conceived by Tim his vision was for democratisation of content IP writing etc now the internet is owned by big players, manipulation by agents on all sides is rife and algorithms have become the new gate keepers. And the creator community is becoming owned and controlled in the same way. So the platforms used by the creators are used just as much by the establishment a video clip from one of my shows featuring the sacred Rihanna is still up there in terms of views. Every production has a digital strategy. So do I see the two entities as warring factions, no and I certainly don’t treat it or any new creators with any lack of respect. I look to them for inspiration!
This is brilliant, Doug. Enjoyed the post-Christmas reading.
One platform to watch in 2025 is Bleacher Report, especially regarding your last paragraph. B/R (a subsidiary of WBD/TNT Sports) has made it a mission to embrace the creator economy while remaining under the traditional corporate media umbrella.
The platform always invited users to engage with, and sometimes, create their content, but mainly via the written form — (this was the original mission of B/R before it got scooped up by Turner when the blogosphere was still dominating as the "new kid on the media block"). Now they have launched their "creator program," allowing users to "go live" on video in their product as a reaction to certain games and other tentpole events in the sports world.
While leaning toward the slightly vague branding as "Twitch but for Sports" B/R still hasn't reached the level of Amazon's platform as it still has creators go through a thorough vetting process before allowing them the tools to go live, strongly gatekeeping who and who can't use their live video tools in their app. I believe the vetting process /before/ going live is probably constrained due to staffing on the content moderation side. (Maybe AI can help alleviate this problem down the road...?).
Although I can't go into too much detail, I do know that B/R is going to lean into this strategy even more in 2025 with the launch of an updated product. This paired with B/R's partnership with House of Highlights and its Creator League (https://www.youtube.com/@CreatorLeague) makes it a brand to watch as creator and corporate economies continue their tug-of-war in the back half of this decade.
Thanks Spencer and thanks also for highlighting B/R (I worked at Turner, so I'm familiar!). I agree they're an interesting case study for a business built around creator content that is housed within traditional media...
Hey Doug, I’ve sent you a DM with a great proposal for your newsletter. Would love for you to take a look when you get a chance!
Doug, this is brilliant. I’ve shared it with many people. You deserve five stars and a big hug.
Thanks Clive!
When self publishing hit all I heard was that's it for the bookstores. This all came in with the internet blowing up. I saw the books on the street sold by vendors. Excited I bought a lot. And they WERE ALL TERRIBLE. No grammar checks, no syntax check. Nothing was checked. The hype was all based on "I didn't need Barnes and noble or Simon and Shuster." Ok fine. But that's not going to get me to give you my time and money.
Currently there's a boatload of wannabe The Wire’s all over YouTube. Not one of them has blown up to any significance.
When you watch it you see why. Five seasons of inaudible dialogue. Bad acting. Bad lighting. And there are multiple seasons.
So if this is a store you don't clean up aisles and don't organize the products?
But I should buy from you because you aren't a big box? I’m not shocked at this people like mediocrity. At one point the American consumer bought a "pet rock."
For all those years in the 80's those infomercials as sloppy as they were had an audience and then they went away.
I haven't heard much of the self publishing world. I think one book got turned into a drop it void that is in the end summer film releases into B and C list theaters for two weeks and then it's banished forever.
Last most artists are drawn to the art outside of the tech. If you needed the tech to drop the barriers or make the ease of use so simple a five year or 80 year can engage then how much do you REALLY want this?
Artists are curious by nature. Obsessive with it. We will use what’s available at that time. Not when the barriers of entry have been lowered.
Five years ago everyone in New York and a drone and dji jib. I see none of them on that level. When I first bought a camera and had an editing system I realized I needed “something” to shoot. Sunsets and the subway get boring and don’t tell a story.
Let's face it most people just want to record themselves sitting at their computer throwing crap at the web and see what sticks, this is better known as ranting. Bunch of mostly young people doing some way to early version of get off my lawn. (Why do I need to know this actress needs to shut or not date this actor is beyond me).
This means you are beholden to the algorithm, when it says jump you have to say how high?
I have no doubt this will exist but I don’t see it as taking over. I don’t consume anything now at 48 the way I did at 23. Not sure why we use that as a gauge.
If curiosity drives the artists what drives these creatives? (And don’t answer with cold technicalities).
…one thing i see severely missing in all this is the implications on search and discovery…the glut of content firehose will make it increasingly difficult for us to find things we want…as is i have no way to turn off ai content on youtube…i think there is a string business play in helping “gracenote” better the internet…beyond that another elephant that needs addressing is the $$$…if we are all creators and spending our time creating why will advertisers want to spend on out consumption…ads could enter the tool space perhaps?…as they have started to in gmail etc. …but at a certain point no matter how easy it is to create and play we need to get paid to do it for a “living”…how can content sustain an economy where creators outpace consumers?…
thanks for the comment. I agree that curation becomes more valuable than ever. In terms of how will people get paid, I think the answer is the same as it is now: the vast majority won't. 1% of YouTubers make any money at all and 66,000 artists on Spotify made more than $10,000 last year--out of more than 10 million. income doesn't sustain the creator economy today.