Why TV should be part of every creator’s growth strategy

By Anthony Layser, Executive Director, Content Acquisition and Programming Strategy, Xumo

For creators who have built loyal audiences on social media, TV represents an opportunity to reach new viewers, build new fandom, and ultimately grow from a creator into a media brand. But making the leap to TV takes more than bringing social content to a new screen. It requires programming built specifically for the TV experience.

That was the central theme of “The New Entertainment Engine: How Creators and Premium Video Platforms Are Driving Discovery and Demand,” a panel I joined at Advertising Week New York last week alongside leaders from Dentsu, Screenvision Media, VAB, and VideoAmp. Our conversation looked at how creators can make that leap and what their evolution from social personalities to programmers means for the broader media landscape.

Why TV is the next step for creators

Social platforms are where creators built their audiences, but to keep growing, they need to reach viewers in new places to create new fandom. Connected TV (CTV) is one of the biggest ways to accomplish that. It opens up myriad new monetization opportunities, and because TV is such an effective medium for curation and discovery, it can introduce creators to entirely new audiences.

Importantly for creators, audiences on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) skew younger than linear TV audiences. Linear TV viewership skews highest among adults 65+, while FAST viewership skews highest among adults 35-44*. And 42% of FAST users ages 18-34 joined in the last 12 months*.

TV is also a different kind of viewing experience - longer, lean-back sessions rather than scrolling through short clips. This allows creators to build a network, as opposed to individual pieces of content.

Thinking like a programmer

One point I kept coming back to was that content can’t simply be repurposed for TV. What succeeds on Instagram or TikTok won’t necessarily land in the living room.

Creators doing this well treat their channels like traditional networks, thinking about dayparting and the breadth of programming it takes to fill a 24/7 schedule.

Thinking like a programmer also opens up new formats and collaborations, both with other creators and brands. Recently, Creator TV, a creator-led channel on Xumo Play, partnered with the World Poker Tour on a live event where creators played one another and posted alongside the livestream. It showed what’s possible when creators build experiences specifically for TV.

Mark Fischbach – also known as Markiplier – is another creator who gets it. He has gone from YouTube gaming videos to hosting a podcast to making a feature film, Iron Lung, and at every step he has leaned in to create content for each specific platform.

Discovery is the moment that matters

One of TV’s biggest opportunities comes before a viewer has even chosen what to watch. Xumo’s research found that 82% of viewers turn on the TV without knowing what they intend to watch. For creators, that opens an opportunity to reach new viewers at the moment of discovery. And for brands, it creates new ways to connect with audiences as they decide what to watch next.

That discovery moment also opens opportunities for partnerships. "Presented by" sponsorships in high-impact placements, for example, can lead viewers straight into content where a brand’s product is already integrated, creating a continuous path from brand message to programming.

But authenticity is critical: integrations should feel natural, and that requires creators to be actively involved in the programming.

New ways to build audiences

Native, for example, drew on parent company P&G’s soap opera legacy with a creator-led microdrama series told in dozens of quick episodes. The brand didn’t appear until several episodes in, putting the story first and showing the importance of authenticity.

We also discussed co-viewing. A creator kids might watch alone on a tablet can become something the whole family watches together on TV, bringing new viewers into the audience.

The conversation also touched on creators expanding into theaters, with films like Iron Lung, Obsession, and Backrooms beating their box office projections. The reason is simple – Gen Z is increasingly driving theatrical momentum, and Gen Z is native to YouTube and TikTok. In fact, a Fandango study shows Gen Z’ers say social media is the number one form of discovery**. They’re following who they love from a creator lens through to the cinema, and other than social media, going to the movies is what they rate as their number one weekend activity.

What comes next

The panel closed with a point that ties all of this together: the relationship between creators and brands is a partnership, not a transaction. Brands that want a creator’s passion and point of view can’t script that out of them. The value comes from creators, brands, and platforms each bringing what they do best.

For creators, TV offers an opportunity to turn their audience into a lasting media brand, but succeeding there means thinking like a programmer and creating specifically for the TV experience. For brands and platforms, understanding that evolution will become increasingly important as the lines between traditional and creator-led programming continue to blur.

*Source: Reach3 Wave 3 Q1 2026; Nielsen (B. Fuhrer) Oct 2025
**Source: Fandango, Moviegoing Trends & Insights Study, Spring 2026