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Creators Are Coming for the Living Room
Michael Beach
July 17, 2025
Setting the table: Creators aren’t just making videos anymore. They’re building businesses, starring in shows, and changing how we watch TV.
Six big questions re: the creator + TV:
1) When will creators hit the big screen?
2) Will they take over Hollywood or join it?
3) Who makes the most money?
4) How big is the creator market?
5) How do creators make money?
6) How many creators are there?
When will creators hit the big screen?
What’s new: Big names like MrBeast (on Amazon) and Ms. Rachel (on Netflix) are expanding beyond YouTube. More creators are likely to follow.
Netflix + YouTube > Broadcast TV: YouTube and Netflix have a 14% greater share of our attention than all of broadcast TV.
Share of convergent TV time according to Nielsen:
1) YouTube + Netflix - 21.1%
2) Broadcast TV - 18.5%
Why this matters: YouTube is Netflix’s #1 competitor and vice versa. By working with creators like Ms. Rachel, Netflix can lower its overall content costs while winning back some of the attention it has lost to YouTube.
Hat tip to friend of the Screens, Andrew Rosen, for this prescient quote from last year.
Quote from Andrew Rosen @ PARQOR:
“The more YouTube pressures Netflix into producing more content at a lower cost, the more Netflix will have “to break [the business]” and undermine the studio side of its model.”
Will they take over Hollywood or join it?
Creators = Disruption: Streamers (not named YouTube) need creators more than creators need streamers. Creators have YouTube, and YouTube is eating TV.
Wild stat: The ad revenue from creator content now exceeds that of TV networks, cinemas, and news companies combined!
Wow: MrBeast spent so much making his Amazon show that he lost money.
Quote from MrBeast - Creator:
“For me, it was about making season one as good as possible. I can't let the YouTube community down."
Hours of content produced last year:
1) YouTube creators - 250M
2) TV networks - 15K
Flashback: Can Creators Crash Hollywood’s Party?
Who makes the most money?
Highest-paid creators, according to Forbes:
1) MrBeast - $85M
2) Dhar Mann - $56M
3) Jake Paul - $50M
4) Matt Rife - $50M
5) Rhett & Link - $36M
6) Ryan Kaji - $35M
7) Alex Cooper - $32M
8) Markiplier - $32M
9) Steven Bartlett - $29M
10) Charli D’Amelio - $27M
Highest-paid movie stars, according to Forbes:
1) Dwayne Johnson - $88M
2) Ryan Reynolds - $85M
3) Kevin Hart - $81M
4) Jerry Seinfeld - $60M
5) Hugh Jackman - $50M
6) Brad Pitt - $32M
7) George Clooney - $31M
8) Nicole Kidman - $31M
9) Adam Sandler - $26M
10) Will Smith - $26M
Last year, I predicted we were not far away from the top-10 creators out-earning the top-10 movie stars. We moved closer as top creators earned 85% of what top movie stars earned.
Earnings for the top 10 in 2024:
1) Actors - $510M
2) Creators - $432M
More: TIME100 Creators 2025
How big is the creator market?
Size of the global creator market according to Goldman Sachs:
1) 2023 - $250B
2) 2027P - $480B
Big deal: Creators make up 10% of global entertainment today. That could hit 20% by 2030.
The compound annual growth rate between 2023-27:
1) Creator market - ↑ 18%
2) Hollywood video market - ↑ 1%
How do creators make money?
Source of revenue for creators:
1) Brand deals - 69%
2) Ad share - 7%
3) Started own brand - 5%
4) Affiliate links - 5%
5) Courses - 4%
6) Tips - 4%
7) Other - 6%
Willy Wonka 2.0: MrBeast made more from his candy business than from his YouTube videos last year.
How many creators are there?
Number of global creators according to Goldman Sachs:
1) 2025 - 67M
2) 2030P - 107M
Bottom line: Only 3% (2M) earn $100K or more. The average creator makes $5K per year.
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