There will be 696 million video creators by 2031

The Guardian just did a piece about creators taking over mainstream TV and I got quoted in it, which is kinda cool!

See, the whole "YouTube vs TV" debate is basically over at this point.

The lines have completely blurred.

Just look at what's happening:

MrBeast casually creates a $100 million reality show (the most expensive ever) and Amazon is apparently STILL making $100M profit on it.

Absolutely mental.

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson becomes the most-streamed sporting event in history on Netflix (not boxing, not creator content - most streamed sporting event.)

And our own Sidemen are now two seasons deep on a Netflix show that's doing so well they've already commissioned a US version.

The article basically confirms what I've been saying for years:

1. The quality gap between creator content and traditional media has completely disappeared

2. The audience (especially young people) has already decided where their attention is going

3. Smart traditional platforms are now coming to creators instead of the other way around

One part they got really right in the article is how this is all driven by mutual benefit.

Netflix and Amazon need the built-in audiences that creators bring.

And top creators need the massive budgets and infrastructure that only the big platforms can provide.

As I said in the piece (look at me quoting myself lol):

"Creators are looking to evolve and enhance the level of what they are doing and finding partners to help them do that... There is only so much you can self-fund, self-run, it's about how can we elevate the production."

The YouTube business is still the engine room that powers everything else.

But now we're seeing that engine drive much bigger vehicles.

The most interesting stat to me:

By 2031, there will be an estimated 696 MILLION video creators (up from 239 million in 2022).

That's more than half a billion people trying to build an audience and monetise content.

But of course, only a tiny fraction will break through to that top tier.

The barrier to entry is getting lower, but the barrier to success is getting higher.

As the article says:

"I think there has been this penny slowly starting to drop over the last year in the TV industry. There are only a handful of creators with the infrastructure and professional operations that can engage at a top level. We are the guinea pigs of this [transition to TV] and it is going to raise confidence among creators that maybe they can do it too."

(That last bit was me again. I swear I'm not just putting myself in this newsletter for the ego boost 🤣)

Anyway, the full article is worth reading if you're at all interested in where this creator economy thing is heading.

It covers everything from MrBeast potentially becoming YouTube's first billionaire creator to the Sidemen's growing business empire.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE →

Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱

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