The wave of deals is likely just beginning, the start of a new chapter in the streaming wars as the difference between creator content and traditional Hollywood programming becomes nearly indistinguishable.
“In the same way that Spotify got into audio several years ago,” said Marissa Hurwitz, a partner at the talent agency WME, “the streamers are now getting into podcasting as a way to super-serve their audience, attract new subscribers, and compete with YouTube.”
Streaming services are embracing creator content for a variety of reasons, but one in particular stands out, according to Roku Media head of content Lisa Holme.
Historically, these platforms have sourced their programming from Hollywood studios. But in recent years the quality of creator content has dramatically improved, and the size of its audience has risen significantly. Creators also naturally attract a younger audience, a key appeal for television executives always looking to corral the next generation of viewers.
Taken together, these factors have compelled streamers to meet audience demand by sourcing more frequently from YouTube and podcast firms.
“We want to have anything that our consumers want to watch,” Holme said. “That includes these newer content types, like creator podcasts.”
Creator content, which is typically monetized via a revenue share, also has the advantage of being far more cost efficient to produce than traditional fare. The relatively low overhead of podcasts—typically two mics and a camera—means that streamers can more easily afford to experiment with the format, as the cost of failure is so comparatively low, according to Jon Miller, the chief executive of Integrated Media Co.
In fact, the closest parallel for creator content in the cable universe is day-time television, a comparison that multiple media executives referenced. Both effectively feature a series of talking heads whose draw is their personality and subject matter expertise.
Like its day-time television, creator content is designed to produce hours of programming at very little cost, a prospect that has grown even more appealing for streaming services given that they have nearly infinite shelf space but fixed content budgets.
In fact, those budgets have become an even more relevant factor in programming decisions of late.
As others have noted, the dominance of live sports has led professional leagues to charge streamers and broadcast networks exorbitant prices for the right to air their games. The NBA, for instance, penned a $76 billion rights package in 2024, and the NFL is moving to renegotiate the $110 billion rights package it signed in 2021 as a result, owing to the belief that its offering is now underpriced.
Streamers, intent on freeing up cash to sign these deals but with a limited number of options for doing so, might look to shrink the portion of their content outlays dedicated to scripted and unscripted content. Podcasts, then, with their low cost of production, grow even more appealing in a budgetary landscape defined by extravagant pricing for sports and pocket change for most everything else.
