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There has never been a more interesting time to be in the business of influence. Over the past few years, we've watched an entire industry evolve-from individual creators building audiences to companies building brands, studios, communities and intellectual property. The tools are better. The opportunities are bigger. And the ambition is different.
The Living Room Has a New Leader
The competition for television audiences looks increasingly different.
For years, the entertainment industry treated YouTube as a separate category.
Traditional television produced shows. Streaming services distributed premium entertainment. Creators made videos.
Those distinctions are becoming harder to maintain.
According to Nielsen's October 22 release, YouTube captured a record 15.8% of U.S. television viewing in August, compared with 7.7% for Netflix.
And the growth isn't limited to younger audiences.
Nielsen reported a 9% increase in YouTube viewing among adults aged 50 and older.
Meanwhile, new research from UCLA's Center for Scholars & Storytellers found that 72.9% of surveyed young people considered YouTube a medium capable of telling stories, slightly ahead of television and movies.
These findings measure different behaviors, but together they point toward a meaningful shift.
The television screen is no longer defined by traditional television.
Creators aren't replacing Hollywood. They're expanding entertainment.
- Lauren Murphy, Editor-in-Chief
The Audience Isn't Asking for Another Hollywood
Creator entertainment isn't the same as traditional TV.
One of the most interesting findings in UCLA's research challenges a familiar industry assumption.
Although young audiences recognize YouTube as a storytelling platform, only 16.8% of respondents wanted influencers cast in movies or television shows.
Nearly 40% preferred an unknown actor.
That's an important distinction.
Audiences may enjoy creator-led entertainment because of its personality, accessibility, format, and relationship with the viewer.
Those qualities don't automatically translate into conventional scripted entertainment.
Traditional media companies are nevertheless experimenting with the crossover.
This week, Tubefilter reported that Netflix secured a multiyear agreement for streamer Ibai Llanos's established influencer-boxing event, La Velada del Año.
It's an opportunity to bring a successful creator property to a different distribution environment.
Whether the audience follows is another question.
The Next Advantage Is Understanding the Format
The future of entertainment isn't about replacement.
The strongest businesses may be those that understand what each environment does well.
Traditional studios bring production expertise, financing, distribution, and established storytelling capabilities.
Creators bring direct audience relationships, rapid experimentation, distinctive formats, and an understanding of communities that traditional media companies have sometimes struggled to reach.
Neither advantage guarantees success.
And neither model needs to disappear for the other to grow.
This week, Digiday reported that creator duo Colin and Samir awarded a $25,000 production grant to an emerging filmmaker with only a few hundred YouTube subscribers.
It's a small initiative compared with traditional studio financing, but an interesting example of how creator-led businesses can develop new talent and original programming.
The future of entertainment may depend less on whether creators become Hollywood stars.
It may depend on whether the industry learns to support the kinds of stories audiences already want to watch.
Because the audience isn't waiting for someone to redefine television.
It's already watching something different.
LAUREN'S TAKE
- Lauren Murphy, Editor-in-Chief
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