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- Influence Weekly #428 - NFL YouTube Content Attracts 20B Views As League Cultivates Digital Strategy
Influence Weekly #428 - NFL YouTube Content Attracts 20B Views As League Cultivates Digital Strategy
American Eagle Launches Points-Based Creator Program To Scale Influencer Marketing Beyond One-Off Campaigns
Nii Ahene
February 13, 2026
Spotlight Stories
NFL YouTube Content Attracts 20B Views As League Cultivates Digital Strategy
Google and Microsoft offer lucrative deals to promote AI, but even $500,000 won’t sway some creators
Netflix Signs 16-Year-Old Creator Salish Matter And Father Jordan To Multifaceted Content Deal
American Eagle Launches Points-Based Creator Program To Scale Influencer Marketing Beyond One-Off Campaigns
Great Reads
TikTok's U.S. ownership deal is finalized, but 34 industry experts surveyed by Net Influencer warn brands the real changes are just beginning. Under the new joint venture, TikTok's recommendation algorithm will be retrained on U.S.-only data, a shift multiple experts say could quietly reshape content discovery, creator reach, and campaign performance over the coming months.
The consensus: diversification is no longer optional. Experts urge brands to build portable content strategies, strengthen presence on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and owned channels, and monitor performance metrics closely as the platform recalibrates. Several noted that creator engagement has already declined platform-wide during the transition. Emerging formats like microdramas and a growing emphasis on community-driven commerce were flagged as key opportunities in TikTok's next phase.
Beast Industries, the company founded by YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), acquired fintech platform Step to expand into financial services. The companies announced the deal on February 10, 2026, bringing Step's 7 million users under Beast Industries' umbrella. Beast Industries did not disclose the purchase price.
Step offers financial services including credit-building, savings, and investing tools targeted at teens and young adults through a partnership with Evolve Bank & Trust. The platform provides a Step Visa Card with no monthly fees. Step was founded in 2018 by CJ MacDonald and Alexey Kalinichenko.
Beast Industries operates channels with more than 450 million YouTube subscribers and 5 billion monthly views. The company raised $200 million from Bitmine Immersion Technologies earlier this year and operates Feastables snack brand, Beast Philanthropy nonprofit, and Beast Games reality series on Amazon Prime Video. Step previously raised $500 million from investors including Stripe, Coatue, and General Catalyst.
Gen Z fashion brands gained prominence on Instagram and TikTok by prioritizing visual appeal and algorithm-friendly aesthetics over traditional runway fashion. The article identified fashion labels that built success through social media shareability rather than conventional luxury positioning.
House of Sunny emerged as a standout brand known for crochet knits and bold colorways that photograph well on social platforms. The Frankie Shop gained traction with oversized blazers and neutral palettes favored by editors and influencers. Australian label With Jéan built a following through mini dresses and vintage-inspired co-ords optimized for natural lighting content.
Contemporary labels like STAUD, Cult Gaia, and Khaite established recognition through distinctive silhouettes and premium positioning. The brands succeeded by creating instantly recognizable pieces that perform consistently across social media platforms while maintaining accessibility and aspiration balance for Gen Z consumers.
Acast is a leading podcast hosting and monetization platform that connects creators with advertisers and distributes shows globally. The company works with thousands of podcasters to help them reach audiences and generate revenue through advertising.
Ceci Carloni chats with CEO Greg Glenday to hear his perspective on three critical issues: why podcasting's listener-driven meritocracy makes it fundamentally different from algorithm-based platforms, why most top two hundred fifty US brands still haven't invested despite direct response advertisers proving the channel works, and how Acast is solving discovery and measurement challenges through curation and transcription data.
Campaign Insights
The National Football League generated more than 20 billion views on YouTube in 2025, according to YouTube's "Culture & Trends Report" released February 9, 2026. NFL-related content experienced 250% growth in annual global views between 2020 and 2025, while annual video uploads increased over 400% during the same period.
The league expanded from one YouTube channel launched in 2015 to 11 official channels across four languages, plus individual team channels. More than 30% of NFL views occurred between the Super Bowl conclusion and regular season start, demonstrating year-round engagement. NFL Draft content generated over 250 million views during the three-day period from April 24-26, 2025.
A SmithGeiger study commissioned by Google surveyed 365 Gen Z sports fans aged 14-24 in April 2025. The research found 82% turn to YouTube for fan content, with 95% consuming such content weekly. Among Gen Z sports fans, 56% watch sports commentary from creators weekly, while 57% engage with athlete-created podcasts or videos weekly.
Komodo, a global social and influencer marketing agency founded in 2017, executed eight experiential activations in early 2026, including "Glacier Glitch" for L'Oréal in the French Alps. The campaign combined community participation with 14 influencers over three nights. Co-founder Nick Seymour reported that brands now demand creator marketing contribute to acquisition and measurable business outcomes, not just awareness.
The agency operates across Sydney, London, and Los Angeles, serving beauty, fashion, travel, and lifestyle brands. Komodo previously created "The Journey" for Singapore Tourism, which generated approximately 30 million impressions with 14% average engagement through a gamified Malta tourism campaign pairing creators on TikTok Live.
Seymour noted that brands structure creator marketing as a funnel, with macro creators driving awareness, mid-tier creators nurturing audiences, and user-generated content providing conversion proof. The shift reflects platform volatility making organic performance less predictable, requiring integrated campaigns spanning offline experiences, creator content, and paid amplification rather than standalone influencer posts.
Fanatics Sportsbook recorded a spike in app downloads following its Super Bowl campaign featuring Kendall Jenner, according to CEO Matt King. The advertisement marked Jenner's first Super Bowl commercial and centered on the "Kardashian Kurse" internet phenomenon. King told Fox Business the campaign "exceeded our expectations" and described it as "the definition of going viral."
The company deployed a multi-platform strategy combining social media and traditional advertising. Jenner amplified the campaign through an appearance on "The Tonight Show," where she announced a $1 million bet on the New England Patriots. Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker, Jenner's former boyfriend, contributed to viral momentum through Instagram exchanges with Jenner.
King emphasized the campaign's cross-demographic appeal and noted that betting activity on the platform favored the Seattle Seahawks over Jenner's Patriots pick. The campaign concluded what King described as a successful NFL season for Fanatics Sportsbook in the competitive sports betting market.
Rare Flower Agency launched a creator incubator model focused on product ownership rather than brand sponsorships. The Los Angeles-based agency, founded in 2020, produced over 500 videos for 30-plus clients, generating more than 200 million organic views across combined social media followings of 20 million, according to Managing Partner Zhāo Lewis Liú.
The agency operates a two-tier incubator system: cohort-based educational programs and one-on-one long-term engagements. Rare Flower helps creators develop consistent content before testing monetization strategies, typically starting with affiliate products before transitioning to owned businesses. One example included a tea shop owner whose content now generates between $500,000 and $1 million in monthly online sales.
The creator economy shifted away from global superstars toward niche content creators as social media algorithms became more personalized. Reed Duchscher, MrBeast's former manager, said it's the "hardest it's ever been to break through the noise and become a big macro creator."
TikTok's top 10 creators remained nearly identical year-over-year, with only one new entrant, Indonesian influencer Willie Salim, according to Social Blade analytics. YouTube's top 10 creators showed no changes from the previous year, with MrBeast maintaining his position as the platform's most-followed individual creator since 2022.
Google And Microsoft Offer Lucrative Deals To Promote AI, But Even $500,000 Won’t Sway Some Creators
AI companies including Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta hired social media creators to promote their AI tools through sponsored content on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Microsoft and Google paid creators between $400,000 and $600,000 for long-term partnerships spanning several months, according to industry sources.
Generative AI platforms spent more than $1 billion on digital ads in the U.S. in 2025, up 126% from 2024, according to Sensor Tower. Digital ad spending by Google and Microsoft to promote AI products jumped 495% last month compared with a year earlier. OpenAI increased its digital ad spending more than 10 times in 2025.
Some creators commanded up to $100,000 per post, according to Creator Match, an agency that connects brands to creators. However, creators also turned down AI deals due to ethical concerns and audience backlash. Content creator Jack Lepiarz declined a $20,000 deal to promote generative image tools and said he would refuse even $500,000 offers.
American Eagle launched a nationwide creator ambassador program called the AE Creator Community that uses a points-based rewards system to move beyond one-off campaigns. The program allows creators to earn points through weekly and monthly challenges like posting styling videos or Instagram stories featuring American Eagle products.
Creators receive $1 for every 1,000 points accumulated, which can be redeemed for products, gift cards, affiliate commissions, and opportunities to appear on American Eagle's owned channels. Applications are open to U.S. consumers aged 18 and older with more than 1,000 followers on at least one social media platform.
The initiative builds on American Eagle's Live Your Life Affiliate Community launched last spring and follows similar moves by other retailers. Macy's expanded its Style Crew affiliate marketing program in January, aiming to reach 1,000 members, while Sephora launched My Sephora Storefront last fall. The program includes creator interaction forums and allows participants to provide product feedback for future launches.
H&R Block launched Creator Suite on February 11, a tax filing platform designed specifically for content creators. The platform includes DIY online filing with creator-focused prompts, an online resource hub, and integration with Spruce, H&R Block's mobile banking app. The suite provides guidance on platform-specific income sources including YouTube ad revenue, TikTok Creator Fund payouts, Patreon subscriptions, brand sponsorships, and merchandise sales.
The platform addresses creator-specific tax scenarios with step-by-step guidance on deductions for equipment, home-office spaces, travel to brand events, props, and software subscriptions. It features automated 1099-K reconciliation to prevent duplicate income reporting and includes a quarterly tax calculator.
H&R Block's survey of 500 creators conducted from November 26 to December 7, 2025, found 70% find managing finances difficult and 25% cite taxes as their primary business stressor. A 2025 Visa report found 71% of creators describe themselves as self-taught in financial management, with only 38% feeling confident in tax and legal compliance.
Tech entrepreneur Molly Cooper and startup strategist Alex Oldfield launched Curated Spaces, a hotel booking platform that uses selected tastemakers to curate travel recommendations. The platform grew from Cooper's Top 10 UK Travel & Places podcast, where independent hotel owners discussed limitations of traditional booking systems that prioritize scale over story.
The platform operates as a travel mood board with a social-style feed of real hotel stays curated by travel experts including Laura Jackson and Akilah Cohen. Users browse recommendations, save favorites to digital mood boards, check availability and book directly through the platform.
Cooper said the platform responds to social media's shift from connecting with known contacts to feeds dominated by brands and large accounts. The company positioned itself as an alternative to algorithm-driven travel discovery that has contributed to overtourism at destinations like Peru's Rainbow Mountains and Greek fishing villages. The founders said they carefully select tastemakers who view travel as an extension of broader lifestyle perspectives including interiors, food and slow living rather than content created for reach.
ESPN finalized a two-year agreement with sports influencer Lily Shimbashi to serve as a full-time creator for the network's events coverage. Shimbashi, who founded "Sportsish" targeting female sports fans, began her role as ESPN's lead red carpet content creator during the NFL Honors awards show in San Francisco.
The deal represents ESPN's continued creator strategy expansion targeting younger and female audiences. Shimbashi joined ESPN's Creator Network in August 2025, similar to Katie Feeney who ESPN signed that same month for digital content and football programming.
Shimbashi will produce content across espnW and social media platforms for ESPN's events including NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, and The ESPY Awards. ESPN's Creator Network added five personalities with over 6 million combined followers, generating 9.7 million impressions and reaching 3.5 million fans in 2024. Creator content achieved engagement rates up to 13 times higher than typical platform benchmarks, with ESPN's 2024 creator class generating over 400 million cross-platform views.
Interesting People
StreetTalk, a New York-based agency formerly called 203Media, built its business around unscripted street interviews that function as performance-driven video ads for consumer brands. Co-founder and CEO Jesse Eisenberg, who previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at performance marketing firm Tinuiti, reported the agency achieves an average 1.53 return on ad spend across client accounts.
The company operates in six cities and follows a four-week production cycle from client onboarding to campaign launch. StreetTalk focuses on consumer brands with demonstrable products, particularly those in crowded categories where testimonials can differentiate offerings. The agency tracks hook rates, video completion rates, and conversion metrics rather than traditional awareness metrics.
StreetTalk positions itself as an alternative to influencer marketing, citing declining trust in paid creator partnerships. The company operates as both a creative agency and talent management firm, developing hosts who conduct street interviews that serve as customer testimonials in vertical video format for social media advertising campaigns.
Netflix signed YouTube creators Jordan Matter and his 16-year-old daughter Salish Matter to a content development deal announced February 9. The father-daughter team operates a YouTube channel with nearly 35 million subscribers and more than 13 billion lifetime views.
Netflix described this as its most expansive creator deal to date. The exclusive agreement covers development, production, and starring roles across scripted, unscripted, and animated series. The deal also includes partnerships on consumer products and experiential offerings.
Netflix will make the duo's existing YouTube content archive available for streaming later this year, with new original programming launching this spring. Salish, who won "2025 Female Creator of the Year" at the Kids' Choice Awards, also co-founded skincare line Sincerely Yours in partnership with Sephora.
Food creator Violet Witchel transitioned from an economics student earning $80,000 from TikTok content by her senior year to a self-managed food personality who declined traditional finance career paths. Witchel gained popularity during COVID lockdowns by posting dorm room cooking videos, including bagel sandwich sales that became viral hits on TikTok's then-emerging Creator Fund.
Her dense bean salad recipes became a sustained trend, capitalizing on economic tightening when audiences sought affordable protein sources. Witchel earned through brand partnerships, self-managing to retain 100% of client relationships rather than paying management fees.
Wellness creator Paige Lindgren built her multi-platform business across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Substack by focusing on hormone-aware recipes and lifestyle content rather than following trends. She generates revenue primarily through brand partnerships with companies like Purely Elizabeth, plus affiliate income and limited Substack subscription fees.
Lindgren worked part-time creating content for wellness and supplement brands for approximately 18 months after graduation before transitioning to full-time content creation. She spent two and a half years developing her debut cookbook "Sync and Savor," which organizes recipes around menstrual cycle phases and includes contributions from obstetricians and gynecologists.
Lifestyle influencer Andrea Carmona transitioned to full-time content creation in 2024 after building her social media presence since age 12. Carmona began posting on Instagram as a teenager and secured her first brand partnership with Fashion Nova at age 16, though it was unpaid.
The creator is developing a fitness app and returning to music and DJing as revenue diversification strategies. She emphasizes engagement metrics over follower counts, actively responding to comments and direct messages to build audience relationships. Carmona advocates for transparency about image editing tools, including collaboration with FaceApp to educate followers about photo manipulation.
Creator Tag Williams shifted from viral dance content to lifestyle content to secure better brand partnerships and fund his wedding, according to a February interview. Williams, who began creating content in 2014 on Vine with his siblings as "The Williams Fam," transitioned to full-time content creation in 2018. His management team, Odyssey Entertainment Group, advised that lifestyle content attracts more brand deals than dance videos.
Williams committed to one year of lifestyle-only content, which resulted in increased brand partnerships within six months. He cited wedding expenses as motivation for the pivot. Williams now focuses on couple content with his wife Sam, whom he married in October. He managed his own career for six years before working with Odyssey Entertainment Group.
The creator emphasized Facebook Reels' monetization potential, noting the platform "pays actually pretty good" for views compared to YouTube Shorts, which requires 10 million views in three months to qualify for revenue sharing.
Golf influencers face lengthy paths to full-time income, with creators typically needing 100,000 Instagram followers or 50,000 YouTube subscribers before leaving day jobs, according to Nathan Moore of Buffalo Groupe. Emma Carpenter, a broadcaster with 90,000 Instagram followers, currently supports herself through influencer work while pursuing traditional sports broadcasting.
Noah Schwartz of Touch Grass Sports provided examples of two profitable creators. One Arizona-based creator with 400,000 followers across platforms earned $120,000 annually through deals ranging from $800 to $5,000 per post. A Virginia coaching-focused creator with 500,000 followers earned $225,000-$250,000, reaching $300,000 with platform AdSense revenue.
Creators must transition from brand exchanges involving free products to paid partnerships. EJ Hill, with 123,000 Instagram followers, spends 40 hours weekly editing content. Agents typically take 15-20 percent commissions on deals. Success requires attracting non-golf brands with larger budgets than golf equipment companies, particularly alcohol, gambling, and automotive sponsors.
Industry News
Alec Shankman launched HeartRock Partners in February 2026 as a management company for creators and brands focused on building long-term enterprises rather than short-term media deals. Shankman, who spent over 20 years in Hollywood representation including senior partner roles at The Gersh Agency and A3 Artists Agency, structured the Cleveland-based firm with operations in Los Angeles and New York.
HeartRock operates as a management company rather than a talent agency, allowing broader advisory scope across career strategy and business development. The company represents both talent and brands, helping creators transition from sponsorships to ownership structures while educating brands on strategic creator partnerships beyond basic metrics.
Shankman previously built digital and alternative divisions that generated nine-figure annual client revenue before Gersh acquired A3's divisions in 2024. He cited entertainment industry contraction, shrinking cable programming budgets, and creators gaining unprecedented content ownership as factors driving the business model shift. HeartRock plans multiple client and investor announcements throughout 2026.
Syracuse University announced three new initiatives for its Center for the Creator Economy at a January 22 event in New York City. The center will offer an academic minor open to students from any school or college starting in fall 2026, according to Mike Haynie, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation.
The university launched two content initiatives: an "Inside the Creator Economy" video series documenting student micro-internships and networking experiences, and the "Creator Crew," funded by Syracuse life trustee Judith Greenberg Seinfeld, which will produce student-created content about the university. A physical space opened in January featuring professional lighting, camera equipment, audio recording pods, and flexible workspaces.
More than 80 attendees gathered at the Lubin House announcement event, which featured panel discussions with Syracuse alumni including Carly Shapiro, co-founder of SisterSnacking and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and Roger Moore, who has 1.2 million TikTok followers. The center hosted a February 5 event in Washington D.C. with Substack, with a Los Angeles event planned for spring 2026.
Red Seat Ventures, a division of Fox Corporation's Tubi Media Group, acquired podcast subscription platform Supercast in February 2026. The deal unified advertising and subscription monetization services under one provider for podcast creators.
Supercast, founded in 2019, serves independent podcasters and networks across the podcasting ecosystem. The platform's top 10 podcasters generated more than $26 million annually in subscription revenue. Supercast provides tools for creators to monetize through exclusive audio and video content and member communities.
Supercast will continue operating autonomously under founder and CEO Jason Sew Hoy. Fox acquired Red Seat Ventures in February 2025. Red Seat previously secured a $150 million distribution and advertising agreement with Audiochuck in October 2025 and an exclusive sales agreement with sports media company The 33rd Team in November 2025.
The acquisition expands Red Seat's creator-focused digital services portfolio, allowing creators to access both advertising and subscription monetization through a single partner. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Zack Honarvar launched The Good Internet as a holding company targeting creator economy infrastructure gaps. The business operates five divisions: Good Story Studio for YouTube brand partnerships, Fan of a Fan for merchandising, Boring Stuff for accounting and business formation, Building Thingz startup incubator, and Good Creator Speakers for corporate speaking engagements.
Founded conceptually in 2017 and formally organized recently, The Good Internet acquired Creator Now education platform, which vidIQ purchased in 2024. Boring Stuff operates on fixed fees rather than Hollywood's percentage-based model. Honarvar previously worked enterprise sales at Shopify, securing over $2 million in annual contract value.
The company positions itself between large talent agencies and internal hiring, offering modular services to creators earning $100,000 annually who lack basic business structures like LLCs. Honarvar emphasizes education over dependency, teaching creators to read profit and loss statements and build internal teams. The holding company plans additional acquisitions while maintaining selective client standards based on alignment rather than scale.
Spotify reported record quarterly user growth of 38 million monthly active users in Q4 2025, bringing its total to 751 million users, while premium subscribers reached 290 million. Revenue rose 7% year-over-year to €4.53 billion with operating income climbing 47% to €701 million.
The company outlined plans to position itself as an AI-powered discovery platform for creators and audiences. Spotify's Interactive DJ feature has been used by 90 million subscribers, generating over 4 billion listening hours. The platform also launched Prompted Playlist, allowing Premium users to create playlists using natural language inputs.
Video podcast consumption increased more than 90% since launching the Spotify Partner Program, with over 530,000 video shows now available. Ad-supported gross margin improved to 19.5%, up 441 basis points year-over-year. Spotify paid out more than $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, with independent artists receiving half of those royalties. The company forecasts 759 million monthly active users and 293 million premium subscribers for Q1 2026.
YouTube announced its Partner Program would launch in Armenia this spring, adding the country to a global network of more than 3 million creators using the platform's monetization tools. The program provides access to advertising revenue, YouTube Premium revenue share, channel memberships, and shopping features.
Armenian creators must meet standard eligibility requirements: 500 subscribers plus either 3,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days to apply. Ad revenue access requires 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan called the expansion an step for strengthening the country's digital economy and supporting global visibility of Armenian content. YouTube reported paying more than $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over four years, including $70 billion from 2021 to 2023.
Dr.Melaxin's Gifted Collagen Boost Set retained the top position on TikTok Shop in January 2026 with $3.67 million in revenue, though this represented a 27.9% decline from December's $4.73 million. The collagen set sold 61,220 units at $59.92 each.
NeoCell Collagen Bio-Peptides Powder claimed second place with $2.87 million in revenue and 2.8% growth, moving 103,360 units at $27.74. Medicube's Glass Glow Skincare Set held third position with $2.70 million and 4.7% growth.
Beauty and wellness products dominated eight of the top ten positions. Tarte secured two spots with its concealer paw brush generating $2.36 million and 117.4% growth, while its Big Stick Energy Duo posted $2.12 million with explosive 986.5% growth. The highest-priced item was a Unisex Graphic T-Shirt at $201.38, which generated $2.05 million despite selling only 10,190 units.
Meta has expanded its Creator Marketplace globally and rolled out new tools designed to make brand-creator partnerships faster and more effective. The platform now offers improved creator recommendations based on existing engagement, including followers who've tagged a brand or interacted with its posts. New ad performance badges help predict whether a creator's audience will respond to a specific brand or artist.
Companies that have run previous creator campaigns on Meta can now search for similar creators based on past top performers. For creator economy professionals, the updates reduce the friction of discovery and outreach that typically requires expensive third-party databases or agency support. The changes position Meta to compete more directly with TikTok Creator Marketplace and YouTube BrandConnect in the growing influencer marketing space.
Instagram's campaign share dropped from 51% in 2023 to under 36% in 2025 across Asia-Pacific markets, according to AnyMind Group's "State of Influence 2026 Report." AnyMind, a creator marketing platform, tracked campaigns across 10 APAC markets including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Cambodia.
TikTok captured the largest share of influencer campaigns across Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, TikTok represented 64.3% of campaigns compared to Instagram's 24.6%. Thailand showed similar patterns with TikTok handling nearly two-thirds of campaign activity.
Performance-driven campaigns focused on measurable outcomes accounted for 73.89% of activity in Indonesia and 72.34% in Japan. Cambodia and Hong Kong recorded no performance-focused campaigns, remaining centered on brand awareness strategies. Nano-influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers consistently delivered higher engagement rates than larger creators across platforms.
Hollywood guilds SAG-AFTRA and WGA West are making moves to organize social media creators, as declining traditional production pushes unions to expand their membership ranks. The effort comes as creators increasingly drive global commerce but lack access to affordable healthcare, standardized rates, and consistent audience measurement. SAG-AFTRA has introduced an "influencer agreement," while at least one microdrama company is operating under the guild's new "verticals agreement."
Meanwhile, advocacy efforts like a proposed Creator Bill of Rights, backed by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, aim to establish broader protections. But organizing creators remains complicated. Sources across the industry agree on the problems but differ sharply on solutions, with many creators resistant to traditional union structures. The tension highlights a fundamental question for the maturing creator economy: whether its workforce needs industrial-age protections or entirely new models.
Most Valuable Promotions, the boxing promotional company co-founded by YouTuber Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, signed a broadcast partnership with Sky Sports in February 2026. The deal brings live boxing back to the UK platform after Sky Sports concluded its four-year agreement with British promoter Ben Shalom's BOXXER in June 2025.
The partnership expands MVP's UK presence while maintaining its US distribution through DAZN. MVP has positioned women's boxing as its core strategy since 2021, with a roster including Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, Chantelle Cameron, and recently added six female fighters including WBC featherweight champion Tiara Brown.
MVP launched a Netflix partnership in 2024, with Paul's fight against Mike Tyson reaching over 100 million viewers. Bidarian confirmed plans for Jake Paul to fight in the UK between August and November 2026, as Paul recovers from a broken jaw sustained during his December 2025 knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.
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Propagate Content, the entertainment company behind Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," has secured $50 million from private equity firm Ares Management to expand its creator economy operations. The investment values Propagate at over $200 million, a 33% increase from 2023.
Led by former NBC Entertainment head Ben Silverman, the company plans to use the funding to grow its influencer management and production business, which already includes firms like Artists First and Select Management Group.
Propagate generates half its revenue from creator management and half from production, and is profitable. The deal signals growing institutional investment in bridging traditional entertainment with the creator economy, as Silverman noted that while the TV marketplace has become more challenging, the creator business is growing rapidly.
Corporate life content is booming on TikTok, where roughly 1 million videos carry the #9to5 or #CorporateTikTok tags. Creators like "Corporate Natalie" Marshall have built massive followings satirizing office culture, with her videos amassing over 50 million likes. Companies are taking notice and signing deals with these creators to reach customers and employees.
Deloitte set a precedent in 2022 by hiring Lara Sophie Bothur as its first in-house influencer, with her LinkedIn presence reportedly generating $13 million in annual advertising value. But the niche carries a tension: many top corporate creators eventually leave their day jobs to go full-time, which can undermine the relatability that built their audiences. The trend reflects a broader shift as brands recognize workplace culture content as a viable marketing channel.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha creators are reshaping influencer marketing as content creation becomes their default career launchpad. Eight-year-olds Koti and Haven Garza accumulated 5.2 million TikTok followers and secured brand deals with skincare line Evereden and vitamin brand Hiya. Eighteen-year-old Demetra Dias charges upwards of $20,000 per post and has 4.5 million TikTok followers.
Content creator revenues are expected to double by 2030, according to WPP Media. Younger creators prefer authentic partnerships with brands already in their content, while audiences reject blatant advertising. A viral moment from Lyla Biggs, who had 5,000 followers, drove Pacsun to sell 11,000 pairs of jeans within 48 hours in 2023.
Brands are shifting strategies toward community-driven approaches. Pacsun created a Youth Advisory Board including 14-year-olds and launched PS Community Hub app for creator collaboration. Sephora introduced My Sephora Storefront for influencers over 18 to create shoppable content.
Twitch hosted its seventh Streamer Bowl in San Francisco during Super Bowl Week, featuring NFL players competing in video games alongside popular streamers. The event drew seven million total minutes watched across various streaming channels, according to Twitch.
NFL players including Cam Skattebo, Derwin James, Shedeur Sanders, Tetairoa McMillan, and Micah Parsons participated in Madden NFL 26 competitions and other activities with streamers like Justin Parker, Kylie Cox, and others. The format paired athletes with content creators who have hundreds of thousands of followers on the Amazon-owned platform.
The event highlighted how NFL players increasingly use streaming to connect directly with fans. Giants rookie Skattebo has built 148,000 Twitch followers streaming for three hours daily after his season-ending injury. The format allows real-time interaction through live chat features that players say creates deeper fan connections than traditional stadium experiences.
However, the unfiltered nature of streaming created controversy when Panthers receiver McMillan used inappropriate language during competition and later apologized on Instagram.
The influencer marketing industry reached nearly $44 billion in 2026, yet the term "influencer" continues to carry negative connotations despite the sector's growth. Fashion blogger Jacey Duprie, who launched Damsel in Dior in 2009 and has over 500,000 followers across platforms, said she remains "scarred by the stigma" of the influencer label.
LTK, an influencer monetization company, created 400 self-made millionaires since its 2011 launch, all women. The industry has shifted toward using "creator" as a preferred term, particularly as the original "influencer" label was applied primarily to female fashion bloggers who moved from blogs to Instagram with affiliate links.
The gender divide appears in platform terminology, with YouTube personalities historically called "creators" while Instagram fashion personalities were labeled "influencers." Los Angeles-based influencer Mallory Goldman said she chooses to "own" the influencer title despite industry stigma. Fashion brands increasingly focus on conversion metrics over reach when evaluating influencer partnerships.