Creator Economy Platform Wars & Monetization

YouTube offers millions in exclusivity to prevent creator defection to Netflix. Patreon launches 30 features including Clips and Niches, but admits discovery failure. X ends Creator Revenue Sharing, explores USDC payouts. Twitch opens sponsorships to Affiliates. IAB projects $44B creator ad spend. New: YouTube changes view-count to immediate counting, sparking fears of incentivizing AI slop and bot farms, potentially degrading content quality and creator economics. Also: creators evolving into strategic marketing consultants signals deeper brand integration.