YouTube shows are closing in on traditional TV — fast

• A Spotter report says creators are starting to make TV-like shows at a scale similar to legacy TV.
• The Amazon-backed startup estimated the size of the "creator TV" market.
• Spotter, like YouTube, has been trying to convince advertisers to shift spending toward creators.

Creator entertainment is drawing closer to traditional TV — and a new report makes the case for advertisers to shift their spending.

A report from Spotter said there are now roughly 6,600 "creator TV" channels in the US — defined by long-form episodes (22+ minutes), consistent release schedules, and meaningful audiences. Collectively, these shows generated an estimated 26 billion hours of US viewing in 2025, with more than half of that on connected TVs.

Spotter is an Amazon-backed startup that licenses creator content and works with some of YouTube's biggest stars, like Kinigra Deon and dad-and-daughter team Jordan and Salish Matter. It also runs an ad business connecting brands with creators.

Spotter estimated that these creator TV shows carry about 2.4 minutes of ads per half hour, less than linear and streaming TV's ad loads. That could mean ads there have a better chance of standing out.

It also said the creator TV universe is comparable to the US TV market in terms of number of shows and episodes, with TV having 2,280 active shows and 94,000 annual new episodes, excluding local news. However, Spotter's estimate of time spent on creator TV is dwarfed by the time people spend streaming traditional TV, according to several prominent industry trackers.

There's no single industry standard for measuring views in the creator economy. To estimate view time, Spotter used data from its creator partners that met its definition of creator TV. It stressed that the 26 billion US hours watched figure should be read as a directional, not a precise, measurement.

Advertising lags the growing creator audience

Spotter's main argument is that brands that ignore the "creator TV" opportunity risk wasting precious ad dollars and falling behind viewing patterns.

"There's a category within creators that delivers the highest amount of attention that should not be ignored," said Aaron DeBevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter.

His message echoes those of YouTube, which wants to capture a larger share of the ad market. YouTube especially craves TV ad budgets, which represent top-tier brand spending. While YouTube has gobbled up a bigger share of the TV viewing pie in recent years, advertisers haven't increased their spending proportionately.

Advertisers may pay $7 to $10 to reach 1,000 views on YouTube, which could put their ad on TV-style content and short-form video alike, while other TV platforms command $15 and up, DeBevoise said.

Many advertisers historically treated YouTube as digital media or social video, separate from their TV ad budgets. Digital video hasn't been measured at the program level the way TV is. Creator videos also vary in degree of brand suitability and offer limited ability to do large-scale buys. Much of "creator TV" is unscripted and lacks the prestige TV quality that some advertisers crave.

"Audiences are watching more video than ever, but advertisers are still catching up to the idea that authenticity and entertainment, not polish alone, are what define quality TV today," said Toni Box, EVP of brand experience and media activation at Stagwell's Assembly Global.

Jordan Matter says the Spotter numbers are just the start. To him, the real story is the parasocial relationship fans have with YouTube stars like his daughter.

"It's not just that there's numbers — people trust creators more than they trust a traditional TV show," he said.

The ad-creator gap is narrowing

Marketers aren't standing still. Many have been adapting as audiences shift from linear TV to digital media.

Two recent studies showed that more ad dollars are flowing to YouTube from TV as advertisers differentiate less between the two. A 2025 IAB survey of ad spenders found that creators are more of a "must-buy" than other emerging ad categories, such as connected TV and commerce media.

YouTube's ad revenue, at $40.4 billion in 2025, now exceeds that of its four largest traditional media competitors combined, according to analysts at MoffettNathanson. More than half of US YouTube campaigns in the fourth quarter of 2025 were attributed to TV screens, per Tinuiti.

On the measurement front, Comscore is now tracking long-form content on YouTube under a partnership with Spotter announced in January.

Creators are also getting harder to pigeonhole.

Top YouTuber MrBeast has jumped into premium streaming, with his "Beast Games" competition show on Amazon's Prime Video. Netflix and other TV streamers are picking up other creators as well, including Ms. Rachel and Mark Rober.