Trends in Streaming for Content Creators

I’ve been a full-time creator in social media for eight years, and all I can say is wow! This industry keeps evolving faster than most, and continues to keep me on my toes daily, so here are some trends my team and I are preparing for: 1. The Gap Between Traditional and Social Media is Shrinking A Forbes (https://lnkd.in/dTCArxpa) article recently noted that YouTube has outperformed Netflix and Prime Video in viewership for two years straight. It’s crazy to think YouTube—where I grew up watching vloggers—has now become home to documentaries, films, and news that rival mainstream media. The future of online creators won’t be about competing with each other—they’ll be competing with TV networks, streaming giants, and legacy media. YouTube creators won’t just be vloggers; they’ll be journalists, filmmakers, and entertainers. 2. Going Viral Doesn’t Matter Anymore Going viral used to mean you made the most relatable or entertaining video. Now? It’s a formula anyone can follow. So what actually matters? Impact. • How many people commented? • How many shared it? • How many creators referenced it in their own work? I believe views are important, but not all views are equal. 10M passive views on a video people scroll past don’t mean much. But 100K deeply engaged views, with comments and reactions? That’s where the real influence happens. 3. Community Over Everything During an event I attended, the presenter asked: “Would you rather have 1M TikTok followers or 100K YouTube subscribers?” Most chose YouTube—because it’s about community. Short-form platforms get you views. Long-form platforms build relationships. Both are important, of course, but they serve a different purpose from each other. People don’t just watch their favorite YouTubers; they feel connected to them. That connection is the future. 4. Storytellers > Influencers Social media has rewarded creators for showing the best, most polished version of themselves. But now? People crave real stories. The future belongs to creators who make people feel something—not just influencers showcasing lifestyles, but storytellers creating moments that stick. Vulnerability and authenticity matters. When your audience can relate to, they will keep coming back inshAllah. 5. Paid Collaborations Need to Be Entertainment Slapping a product in a video and calling it a day? That doesn’t work anymore. Brands want stories. They want their product woven into content in a way that feels seamless and fun to watch. The best paid collaborations feel like natural entertainment, not ads. And the reward? More trust from your audience and more opportunities from brands. Social media is shifting fast, but one thing stays the same—people will always connect with great stories. Which of these trends do you see shaping the industry most? Comment your thoughts below!

One of the areas I’m most excited about right now is clipping. For those new to it, clipping allows content makers (creators, media companies, and brands) to convert long form content into short form clips and incentivize fans or distribution pages to help spread that content across social platforms. In simple terms, clipping throws gasoline on your long form content by turning it into discovery across Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. It increases the share of voice your content has across feeds and dramatically expands distribution. Today, tens of billions of views are generated each month through clipping networks. Campaign CPMs can range anywhere from $0.05 to $2, depending on the structure. Most of the action takes place inside Discord servers, where paid campaigns are distributed to clipping communities. Creators were the first to really lean into this model, and you now see major names like MrBeast, Adin Ross, and Neon running active clipping campaigns. Some creators are rumored to be spending $100K+ per month on clippers. You are now seeing more brands and media companies invest into the space. I saw clipping firsthand when we relaunched FaZe in May 2024. Suddenly our content was appearing far beyond our owned channels and showing up across feeds around the world. A big part of that was great content. But a big part of it was also distribution powered by clipping. At events people kept telling me: "I see your content everywhere." Clipping was a big part of that magic. The industry itself is still very young. Most of the major clipping servers have only been around for a few years. Last year we built our own clipping platform called XPM, which has become a core part of how we distribute original content and support brand campaigns. A few of the early leaders in the space include Clipping.exe, Clip.Tech, GameTune, and of course our XPM. I think you will see many of these companies begin to specialize in specific markets such as entertainment, finance, and technology. This ecosystem is still developing, but one thing is becoming very clear: Everyone wants to go viral. Clipping is the new growth engine.

Why the Future of Streaming Isn't Netflix... It's You We've been asking the wrong question: “What are you watching?” In 2025, it's: “Who are you watching?” Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends report (in comments below) confirms it: Gen Z and Gen Alpha are shifting away from traditional streamers and toward creator-led content, and fast. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗲:  • 65% of Gen Z and 78% of Gen Alpha watch more short-form video than traditional TV.  • Only 34% of Gen Z are "very satisfied" with streaming services, down from 47%.  • Gen Z spends 4.5 hours daily on social media, primarily watching creators.  • 60% discover new music, games, and trends from creators, not traditional media. 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿 Streaming giants are still investing in prestige content, but culture now moves at the speed of clips, not seasons. Fandom is forged in comment sections, viral game clips, and Roblox streams — not in carefully crafted studio IP. 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 Gaming is Gen Alpha’s top media activity. Platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Medal aren’t side channels — they’re primary spaces for identity, creativity, and connection. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 Platforms like Medal let gamers turn everyday play into cultural content. With millions of uploads and 100K+ views on top clips, Medal is becoming a go-to space for expression, not just consumption. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝗨𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 It’s time to shift how we measure success:  • From hours watched → to engagement per second  • From passive viewership → to active creation  • From reach → to community 𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥: The kids aren’t watching your show. They’re watching each other. Brands, platforms, and studios — if you’re still betting big on “watch time,” it’s time to rethink the playbook. Want to explore what participatory entertainment looks like in practice? Let’s talk. Drop a comment, book an appointment with me, or share this with someone who's still pitching 30-second pre-rolls like it's 2018.

YouTube is turning into Netflix, and it’s a win for creators building real IP. Later this year, YouTube will roll out a feature that lets creators structure their content like actual shows — think seasons, episodes, custom show art, and auto-recommendation only within that show. No more random videos in Up Next. No more playlists that break continuity. Just one show. One experience. One binge-worthy journey. “Shows will allow creators to structure their content on their channels as though they were fully-fledged, episodic TV shows. Think of it like any major TV series on Netflix or Amazon Prime – once a user clicks through to their favorite show, they’re able to flick through its various seasons and see all the episodes for each in chronological order. Plus, whenever they’ve finished an episode, the next one plays automatically,” Writes Krystal Scanlon in the article She is one of my favorite creator economy reporters. You all should follow her work And I love this move by YouTube. Most creators and brands don’t realize how big this is. For the first time, creators can own the audience’s session time like OTTs do. If you do this right, your viewers won’t get distracted by a MrBeast video in Up Next. They’ll go straight from Episode 1 to Episode 2 and stay in your ecosystem. That means: More retention Higher watch time Less drop-off A stronger brand narrative And a true binge experience, something most YouTube channels never get right This is a huge unlock for creators who are building long-form IP, media brands, and recurring series. It’s one of the closest things YouTube has done to mimic the OTT experience, and it’ll massively reward channels that think in arcs, not algorithms. Imagine building a skincare brand’s “Glow Up Series” Or a SaaS brand’s “Build in Public” weekly documentary. Or a sports creator dropping weekly “Season Highlights” with momentum. If you’re serious about YouTube's growth in 2025, you can’t afford to think video-by-video anymore. You need to think in seasons, episodes, and owned attention. Think about Characters' story arcs, building multiple characters, creating universes like the MCU, and having your own Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk. I can already think of so many ideas on how Brands & Creators can build their shows or just have episodic content without much start or end but with a soft narrative and underlined messages in all the videos that build over time. Brands & Creators Start investing in TV... it's still early!

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan just dropped major platform updates that completely change how smart marketers should approach video SEO in 2025. The biggest game-changer? Multi-format streaming and AI-powered highlight clipping. YouTube now lets creators broadcast in both horizontal AND vertical formats simultaneously. This means your single live stream can reach desktop viewers AND mobile scrollers at the same time. You're now competing for visibility across two different search behaviors with one piece of content. According to YouTube's own stats, 30% of daily viewers now watch live content. That's a massive audience most businesses are ignoring. After 16 years running SEO campaigns, I can tell you that platforms which let you repurpose content efficiently always win. YouTube's new AI clipping tool automatically turns live streams into ready-made Shorts. That's one live session becoming dozens of searchable content pieces. Start testing live content NOW before your competitors catch on. The new practice mode (going live without actually broadcasting) removes the biggest barrier - fear of screwing up on camera. You can test your setup, practice your delivery, and fix technical issues without anyone watching. Video is already pulling 60% preference over text for learning content. With these updates, YouTube is making it easier than ever to dominate both traditional search AND AI-generated results. The brands that figure out how to use these tools will dominate their niche in the near future.

TV has now surpassed mobile as the primary way that people watch YouTube content in the US (based on watch time). YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed this in his annual letter, where he outlined some of the platform’s biggest bets for 2025, with a big focus on television viewing. YouTube has become a dominant force in streaming, topping Nielsen's monthly Gauge report for streaming watch time over the past two years and beating out Netflix. And this probably isn’t changing anytime soon, as YouTube is heavily focused on enhancing the TV experience. Some recent key updates include: 📺 Design improvements that upgrade the viewing experience of creator content on TV, making it feel more in line with "premium streaming content." 📱 More interactive features, such as a second-screen experience where viewers can use their phone to engage with a video they’re watching on TV whether by leaving a comment or making a purchase. 🎙️ Testing of the Watch With feature, which allows creators to provide live commentary and reactions for National Football League (NFL) games. This is expected to expand to other sports and events, meaning in the future, you could see your favorite creators reacting to an NBA game or even the Grammys. 📊 Giving creators more insight into when their content is being watched from TV devices. But perhaps the biggest reason for this shift? Creators continue to level up their content, producing videos that rival Hollywood productions in both production quality and format. What’s also interesting is that this is happening as more creators are breaking into Hollywood such as MrBeast landing an exclusive deal with Beast Games on Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios Ms. Rachel’s YouTube content getting licensed to Netflix, and more. These types of deals will continue to happen as streamers, not YouTube, look to bring creator content to their platforms, which is in demand by audiences, especially younger viewers But as home to this wave of talent, it will be YouTube that will continue to have biggest impact in helping creators get on TV and in Hollywood, whether those creators focus on keeping their content on YouTube or use it as a launchpad for going more traditional path to Hollywood. Something that hasn't been mentioned too much about YouTube TV growth is what it means for influencer marketing. As TV is a more common touchpoint for viewers, brands that invest in YouTube creators have the chance to reach their audiences across all types of devices, including the TV, which has slowly been growing as a place for direct response advertising.