Key Points
- U.S. streaming services premiered more than 3,700 hours of creator-led programming during the third quarter, compared with 927 hours a year earlier.
- Fox-owned Tubi accounted for more than 75 percent of new creator-led programming hours, according to Ampere Analysis.
- TikTok has partnered with Tubi to develop 10 original television seasons through its Creatorverse Incubator initiative.
Streaming services are increasingly turning to YouTube personalities and TikTok creators for programming, with Fox-owned Tubi accounting for most of the new creator-led content released during the third quarter, according to research from Ampere Analysis.
More than 3,700 hours of creator-led programming premiered on U.S. streaming platforms between July and September, roughly four times the 927 hours released during the same period last year, Ampere said in a new report on Wednesday.
Tubi accounted for more than three-quarters of those programming hours, as the advertising-supported service expanded its catalogue with shows featuring personalities who established their audiences on social media. The strategy is partly aimed at younger viewers, who spend more time watching social video than traditional streaming services, according to Ampere’s consumer research.
Reality programming comprised 65 percent of the creator-led content hours released during the quarter, with lifestyle and entertainment formats accounting for much of the programming, Ampere said. Episodes are also getting shorter, with most shows averaging less than 20 minutes per episode accounted for 37 percent of new releases, an increase of nearly 10 percentage points from the previous quarter.
Subscription streaming services are making similar investments: Prime Video added more than 230 hours of creator-led programming during the quarter, including 12 hours featuring YouTube personality Danny Duncan, whose channel has more than 8.2 million subscribers. Ampere said distribution of new creator-led programming on subscription streaming services increased 75 percent from the previous quarter.
Netflix and Prime Video have also expanded their commissioning of creator-led productions. Globally, streaming services have announced 117 such titles so far this year, already exceeding the total for 2025.
Much of the programming is being produced outside traditional television studios: Independent production companies accounted for 94 percent of creator-led content hours premiered on U.S. streaming services during the quarter, according to Ampere. Some creators are licensing programs originally developed for YouTube, allowing them to reach streaming audiences while maintaining ownership of their productions.
TikTok is also entering the market through a partnership with Tubi: The social media platform has commissioned 10 television seasons through its Creatorverse Incubator initiative, including “Asking for a Friend,” starring Sabrina Brier. The programs will receive an exclusive streaming window on Tubi.
Ricardo Parsons, an analyst at Ampere Analysis, said the growing investment in social media personalities follows similar efforts by streaming services to attract viewers through sports and podcast programming.
“For ad-supported services in particular, creator-led shows are a way to compete for the time viewers spend watching short-form video,” Parsons said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ampere expects additional partnerships between streaming services and social media creators as companies seek to attract younger audiences without relying exclusively on conventional television productions.
