The age of the premium content creator is here – but will audiences buy into it?

What makes a content creator popular? At first glance, this question feels easy to answer. Successful creators often have distinctive characteristic that propel their success. MrBeast is known for his stunt video format, Twitch streamer Shroud has impeccable gameplay on first person shooters, and Antony Fantano’s candid take on music draws millions of subscribers on YouTube. These creators have discovered a formula that makes them distinct and appealing in a crowded market. Like all successful formulas, however, it takes a mix of strong inputs to deliver a successful result. For every MrBeast stunt video racking up millions of views, there is a carefully crafted thumbnail, a honed script, and a unique production aesthetic that elevates the content from good to great.

Content creation and fixed formulas

It is only natural for these creators to lock in these formulas once they find them. Locking-in means repeating their most successful production processes with only small changes made to the variables. A cynic may brand this as ‘rinsing and repeating’ formats. However, being successful on social platforms often means striking a balance between what works for the algorithm and providing audiences with the comfort of knowing what to expect - albeit with a new twist. A good example is Hot Ones, the YouTube show produced by First We Feast which has 14.7 million subscribers. Host Sean Evans interviews celebrities while they eat chicken wings with hot sauce. The changeable variable here is the celebrity, with the rest of the format staying the same.

Experimentation challenges

The trouble for creators comes when they want to experiment. For some, this can be driven by creative fatigue. They have grown tired and uninspired by following the same creative process for countless videos and want to try something new. Breaking free from the tried and tested formula can have a catastrophic impact on audience engagement. Many Twitch streamers who have built their community around a specific gaming title will complain of dips in viewership if they try and play something new. Even small changes, like upgrading video creator tools (e.g., using a better camera or a microphone that alters the sound profile) can cause an adverse response. The reason is two-fold. Audiences buy into a creator’s content for different reasons. Therefore, maintaining consistent output is the best way to keep everyone happy. Secondly, audiences who buy into the content are also buying into the community. With the content and the community’s identity being so closely intertwined, a change to the content can pose questions about whether the community will no longer align with a viewer’s values. This uncertainty can prompt an audience disconnect.

However, the question of whether to stick or twist with a new format is becoming more pressing for superstar creators. Hollywood, the streaming giants, and brands are tapping into the creator economy and its audience of younger consumers. The likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have struck respective deals with Sidemen and MrBeast to provide a premium take on their YouTube content for streaming viewership. Such deals work in the creator’s favour; they provide a new distribution outlet to tap into larger audience base – the streaming TV platform – and do so without significant disruption to their content formula on YouTube.

IShowSpeed’s premium play

What could prove more challenging is experimenting with premium-style content on a YouTube channel built around a social video format. One creator looking to test these waters is IShowSpeed, the YouTuber and livestreamer whose chaotic and unscripted content has attracted 39.6 million subscribers. Despite being known for his raw approach to social video creation, he has announced plans for a six-episode premium series produced by OBB Media and sponsored by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Each episode of Speed Goes Pro will be published on his YouTube channel with the creator competing against professional athletes. While it remains to be seen how the content will be handled, much of the project will be predicated on the creator’s personality appeal overshadowing any doubts about the change in content format.

For close watchers of the creator economy, the move is being perceived as a gamble. However, Zack Honarvar, the founder and chief executive of the talent agency One Day Entertainment, maintains that creators will start “operating more like TV networks” despite being “super precious about their channels”.

In a LinkedIn post, he wrote that the switch towards algorithms favouring topics over number of subscriptions will prompt creators to start experimenting with multiple series, a variety of hosts, and a unified theme rather than a format. However, such an approach may not prove universally successful.

 “I'm watching this closely because it could honestly go either way,” Honarvar added. “On one hand, it could all go great: Speed gets premium content; DICK'S gets integrated brand exposure’ fans get higher production value.

“On the other hand, it could totally be a flop: OBB might overproduce and lose Speed's raw appeal; fans might reject the polished format; it might feel too much like traditional media and confuse Speed's streamer audience.”

Speed Goes Pro will provide a test case in what really matters to fans of content creators. Is it solely the personality, the format, or is it a mix of both? The results may determine just how willing creators are to embrace Hollywood’s dollars and the premium aesthetic without having complete artistic control over the output.

Ironing out these wrinkles will be crucial for YouTube as the platform sets its sights on consolidating power over the living room TV screen. Only by creating fertile ground for creators in a world of premium content will the platform’s smart TV promise be fully realised.