Your one-stop, weekly drop into the creator economy.
When you talk to Hollywood insiders about creators you often encounter the same reactions: confusion and condescension.
They’re the same responses I saw 10 years ago when I started covering the streaming ecosystem. Part of the reason I’ve covered the TV industry for so long, first at Decider and now as a Senior Reporter at TheWrap, is because I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection between entertainment and technology. And there are few more interesting stories in this space than the meteoric rise of creators.
That’s why Creatorverse exists. During a time when the creator economy is predicted to hit $480 billion by 2027, this newsletter is here to break down the nuts and bolts of this rising ecosystem while applying the same intensive journalism for which TheWrap is known. And it’s been an especially busy time in the creator space.
Every week, this newsletter will dive into some of the biggest stories related to the creator economy ranging from tech innovations to who you should be watching. The sections may change weekly, but the purpose remains the same: keeping you up-to-date on the biggest trends in the creator economy.
This newsletter will be exclusive to our subscribers, but we’re giving you complimentary access to the next four weeks of Creatorverse. If you’re enjoying the coverage, subscribe now and get your first two weeks free.
So without further ado, here’s what you need to know this week about creators.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
P.S. You don’t want to miss a livestream roundtable I'll be moderating, “Creator Power: The Business of Influence,” at noon PT on Aug. 14. Sign up today here.
What's New
A podcasting scam targeting creators is on the loose
When Magic Singh, a magician with 2.1 million followers on TikTok, received a request to be be interviewed by "The Bill Simmons Podcast," he was excited. Instead what followed were 24 hours of terror as scammers tried to take control of his monetized Facebook page. Magic walked TheWrap through the details of this increasingly common scheme that threatens the livelihoods of creators and podcasters alike.
TikTok is preparing for a new buyer
According to President Trump, the U.S. “pretty much has a deal” for an American company to acquire the U.S. branch of TikTok. These comments came last Friday (July 4) after he previously told Fox News the social media platform’s potential buyer is “a group of very wealthy people.” If you need a refresher, TikTok has technically been banned in America since January, though the ban hasn’t been enforced. The deal is that if the Chinese company behind the app — ByteDance — can find a U.S. buyer, it can continue operating stateside. The ban was supposed to be enforced on June 19 until Trump signed an executive order, pushing the date back to Sept. 17. Trump has said his “main goal” is to keep the app available while protecting the privacy of Americans. As for TikTok, the app is reportedly building a new version of the platform to prepare for the sale, according to The Information.
Kai Cenat leads Time's inaugural list of 100 most influential creators
Time's list of the most influential digital voices may not be numbered, but you can bet everyone is paying attention to who's first on the list. That honor belongs to streamer and YouTuber Kai Cenat, who has over 18.4 million followers on Twitch. The list was full of other big names like Sean Evans, Alix Earle, Charli D'Amelio and Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast. But creators with more niche followings like Brittany Broski, Keith Lee and "Diary of a CEO" host Steven Bartlett also made the cut.
By the Numbers
Employment in the digital sector increased over 60% from 2020 to 2024
This is based on a report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Harvard Business School. The number of people employed in the digital sector in 2020 was 17.7 million, which jumped to 28.4 million in 2024. Of course, this jump doesn’t only reflect the rise of creators. But when it comes to the digital sector, the creator economy is seeing the fastest growth, accounting for more than one in 10 full-time internet-dependent jobs in the U.S. Read more about the rapid rise of creators in TheWrap’s breakdown of this multi-billion dollar industry.
TikTok is still king, but its reign is faltering
When it comes to daily user watchtime, a new study from eMarketer found that TikTok is still leading the pack. TikTok averages 52 minutes a day compared to Instagram’s 35 minutes a day and YouTube’s 30 minutes. Though TikTok’s average daily view time is still nearly 50% higher than its nearest competitor, that’s a 6.9% drop compared to 2024, while Instagram has seen a slight lift during the same time period. ByteDance alarms shouldn’t be going off yet, but that drop is something to watch.
Meta’s Threads is catching up to X with mobile users
If you’re looking at daily active mobile users, X is still ahead of the Meta-owned Threads. A Similarweb report found that in June of 2025, mobile daily active users for X averaged 132 million while daily actives for Threads clocked in at 115.1 million. But if you zoom in on year-over-year growth, Threads races ahead. Compared to 2024, Threads saw a 127.8% increase in its mobile userbase compared to the 15.2% decline X experienced during that same time frame.
Who to Watch
Michelle Khare
This daredevil may make Emmys history as the first creator to score a Primetime Emmy nomination for their YouTube work. Khare is one of three YouTube-backed creators who self-submitted their Emmy nominations this year. While Khare is going for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special for “Challenge Accepted,” Sean Evans' "Hot Ones" is gunning for the Outstanding Talk Series category and Rhett and Link's "Good Mythical Morning" is hoping for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.
As consistently excellent as “Hot Ones” is, Outstanding Talk Series is always a late night race. And though Short Form may seem like a more achievable category, other parody shows like “The Eric Andre Show” have proven that alternative humor is sometimes a difficult pill for Emmy voters to swallow. Between the recent buzz around Khare, her less competitive category and her genuinely impressive yet straightforward challenges, this may be the year a YouTube creator finally gets a nom.
Bonus Content
“The Colin and Samir Show” interview with the Banksy of Gen Z, Anthpo (via YouTube)
U.S. Funding for Creator Startups Falls in the Second Quarter (via The Information)
The Grammys Chief on How AI Will Change Music (via The Wall Street Journal)
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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.