Data silo · creator economy · 2026
Who pays creators, and for which rights.
The Streaming Lens creator economy silo follows the money that goes from companies to content creators: streamer commissions, co-development with platforms, licences, company buyouts, financiers' advances, published payout schedules. It holds more than 2,400 dated and sourced data points, and a register of 183 agreements read one by one. The free booklet is drawn from it.
The silo in 3 sourced figures
The creator economy here means the agreements through which a media group, a platform, a brand or a financier pays a content creator, or the company behind one. A one-off sponsored video only counts when it belongs to a tracked programme or contract.
- 183
- creator × company agreements in the register · Streaming Radar, 16 Oct 2026
- 14 of 183
- agreements publish an amount, 12 of them on equity (fundraising, investment, buyout) · register, 16 Oct 2026
- 14.2%
- YouTube's share of US television viewing time, July 2026 · Nielsen, The Gauge
The booklet conclusion details these 14 amounts and how the 183 agreements split by family. Read the full breakdown of the register.
TL;DR
- Of the 183 agreements in the register, 180 are lasting contracts and 3 are one-off brand campaigns. The 29 platform programmes are counted separately, because a published payout schedule is not a contract.
- 97 agreements concern distribution or programme licensing, 55 development and production, 31 creative partnerships, 24 equity and 15 representation. A single agreement can fall into several families.
- The announcements of three agreements followed in the booklet (MrBeast with Prime Video, Hoorae with TikTok, Dude Perfect with Disney) give neither the price of the commissioned show, nor the pay for co-development, nor the ownership of new episodes. That information stays in the contracts.
- The register mainly covers France, Europe and the United States, mostly agreements announced since 1 January 2024. It does not record everything.
What the silo holds.
The silo holds 2,441 data points. As at 18 October 2026, they covered 25 countries and several regions, and came from more than 870 named sources. Each point carries its source, its date and a confidence level. A figure the press has from anonymous sources is marked as reported. The two best-stocked categories are creator studios and platform economics.
| Category | Points, 18 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Creator studios | 510 |
| Platform economics | 397 |
| Market | 239 |
| Creator revenue | 158 |
| Investment | 118 |
Eight ways to pay a creator.
The booklet follows one case per mechanism, and what its sources say about rights. Each chapter reads in four minutes or less.
- 1. The creator commissioned by a streamer: MrBeast and Prime Video
- 2. The platform that co-develops: Hoorae and TikTok
- 3. Who keeps the series: Dhar Mann Studios
- 4. After the deal, the exit: Domingo and Popcorn
- 5. The podcast moves from exclusivity to ad sales: Joe Rogan and Spotify
- 6. Money without equity: Spotter and its advances
- 7. The brand that commissions: Life360 and Jamie Oliver
- 8. Who pays creators: the platforms' payout schedules
Method, short version.
An agreement enters the register when a dated source describes it: a press release, a regulatory filing, a companies register, a press article that names the parties. A statement is attributed to the party that made it, without being presented as a verified fact. Amounts are given in euros with their original value, at the European Central Bank rate of 6 October 2026 (€1 = $1.1269). The silo updates with every ingestion, which is why a count on this page may have moved since its date. Details on the methodology page.
What the silo is not.
The silo does not record every agreement signed worldwide. Nor does it give the price of contracts the parties keep private: 169 of the 183 agreements in the register publish no amount. It does show where an agreement leaves a public trace: the registered trademark, the company that signs, the channel where the audience lives, the ad sales arm that sells the advertising, the platform's payout schedule.
What comes next
The booklet is free and reads online. For a specific project, a study sets your project beside comparable agreements in the register and says what their sources allow one to conclude: write to contact@streaming-radar.com stating the decision to be taken. The 30-minute call is free.
FAQ
What counts as an agreement in the register?
A contract or campaign between a creator, or their company, and a business, described by a dated source that names the parties. Of 183 agreements as at 16 October 2026, 180 are lasting contracts and 3 are one-off brand campaigns.
Why are platform programmes counted separately?
Because a published payout schedule applies to everyone who meets its conditions, with no negotiation. The register tracks 29 of them, alongside the 183 agreements. Chapter 8 of the booklet describes them.
Why so few amounts?
14 agreements out of 183 publish an amount, and 12 of those 14 concern equity: fundraisings, investments, buyouts. A fundraising is declared to investors and registers; the price of a commissioned show stays in the contract.