The creator economy’s advertising market will reach $37 billion this year, growing four times that of the entire media industry, according to a new report on the sector.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) 2025 Advertising Spending and Strategy Report projects massive growth for the industry in the U.S. this year, up 26% year-over-year.
The figures indicate that marketers and advertisers are increasingly treating content creators as separate channels, rather than as elements of social media campaigns, according to the IAB report.
Spends included in the IAB report include direct partnerships and their paid amplification, as well as “content adjacencies,” defined as brands that invest in “intentionally serving ads alongside creators with whom they do not have a direct partnership.”
For context on the 2025 figure, media as a sector overall grew by 5.7%, according to a separate IAB study from September. Additionally, you can see the growth rate as the IAB noted that the creator economy’s overall ad spending for 2021 was $13.9 billion, increasing to $29.5 billion last year. The IAB forecasts the figure for 2026 to be $43.9 billion, a further increase of 18%.
“Leveraging the creator economy to connect with audiences is no longer experimental for marketers: it’s essential,” said David Cohen, CEO of the IAB. “The significant growth we’re seeing reflects a growing commitment by brands to invest in creator-focused strategies. However, with this maturity comes the need for clear standards, better metrics, and tools to navigate an incredibly fragmented ecosystem.”
The IAB itself has had to pivot due to its bias towards creators. The organization annually hosts NewFronts in New York, a series of showcases aimed at ad buyers dominated by streaming. As traditional NewFronts companies like YouTube, Amazon, NBCUniversal and Hulu blurred or pivoted to traditional broadcasting and streaming in mid-May, IAB expanded into gaming and creator events.
Analyzing 2025 statistics, the majority of advertising spending came from retail ($12.3 billion), followed by consumer packaged goods, financial, apparel, technology, automotive, telecommunications, travel, home, health and wellness, and media and entertainment, the only vertical below $1 billion at $400 million.
The IAB report showed that marketers were most likely to contract with content creators run by social media platforms such as YouTube BrandConnect and TikTok Creator Marketplace, followed by creators run by media companies such as web publishers and TV networks, and then with direct delivery. Designer-specific representation agencies, which have sprung up at a significant rate, are the sixth most popular route. Working with talent agencies such as UTA and WME and sports representation agencies, including the Big Three sports units, was least appreciated.
AI is also expected to play a central role in creator-led campaigns: 46% of respondents are currently using it for content creation and workflows, with an additional 29% planning to do so in the next year.
These statistics come as television and film companies continue to struggle in their relationships with the creator economy. With thousands out of work following mass layoffs at media and tech giants in recent years, acceptance for content creators is growing and more professionals are exploring how they can apply their expertise to the creator world.
IAB’s U.S. Creator Economy arrives at its statistics through an ad spending projection that measures the ad dollars brands invest in creators through direct partnerships.
Earlier this week, credit card provider Visa released a report predicting that the creator economy would reach $500 billion by 2027.
Dade Hayes contributed to this report.
