The creator economy reshaped entertainment in the first half of the 2020s and social was the big winner, now positioned at the centre of the entertainment economy. In 2025 we will see the second-order effects begin to play out, set against the backdrop of attention saturation, content commodification, and increased focus on profit. Social platforms are still best positioned to harness the lion’s share of creator economy value, but traditional entertainment companies will increasingly look to reinvent themselves to capture their share. The initial creator economy cards have been dealt, but the game is only just getting started.

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: ABC News, Ampsuite, Apple, Ariana Grande, Believe, Bigmode, Bloomberg, Bluesky, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, ChatGPT, Crunchyroll, Drake, Disney, Downtown Music, EA, Epic Games, Facebook, Fallout, Fortnite, Gearbox Interactive, Gost. ai, Google, Instagram, Jake Paul, JOGO, Kendrick Lamar, Kobalt, Label Worx, Mario Kart, LinkedIn, Mass Effect, Meta, Mike Tyson, MrBeast, Netflix, The New York Times, NFL, Nintendo, NotebookLM, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, OpenPlay, Orfium, PlayStation, PlayStation Portal, Randy Travis, Reservoir Media, RSS.com, Sabre Interactive, Sabrina Carpenter, Snapchat, Snoop Dogg, Spotify, Steam, Steam Deck, Super Mario, Switch 2, SZA, Take-Two Interactive, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Tencent Music Entertainment, TikTok, Turtle Beach, Typical Gamer, Universal Music Group, Unreal Engine, Videogamedunkey, WWE, X, Xbox, YouTube, and Zoom