Study: Creator Retention Helps Streamers Grow Earned Media Value

As the war for attention rages on, audio and video streaming platforms are increasingly leveraging social media creators to stand out amidst the noise. A new report from CreatorIQ found that the number of creators posting about streaming services grew 28% in H1 2024 vs. H1 2023, resulting in a 56% increase in Earned Media Value (EMV). EMV is CreatorIQ’s metric for quantifying the estimated value of consumer engagement with digital earned media. 

While attracting new creators is certainly key to growth, retention also plays a crucial role. CreatorIQ analyzed the industry’s EMV retention, which measures the value of engagement driven by loyal content creators from one time period to the next, and found that it was at 72% during H1 2024, a notable increase from the average 62% the industry saw between 2019 and 2023. 

Spotify and Netflix, the top two streaming brands by EMV, both had exceptional creator retention rates, at 79% and 68%, respectively, across 2019 to 2023. CreatorIQ says that for these platforms, ongoing creator partnerships, often with “powerhouse” creators (those with 1 million or more followers) is one ingredient for success. 

“Creators today wield incredible influence — shaping everything from purchase decisions to what shows viewers tune into — and are just as responsive to industry changes like churn and viewership as streaming brands are because creators are users," said Brit Starr, CMO at CreatorIQ. "This is why streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video are doubling down on investing in creators — they know that in a crowded market, the authentic voices of these influencers can be the key to standing out and capturing viewer attention.”

Looking just at the first half of 2024, Peacock and iHeartRadio stood out. While video streaming leaders including Netflix and Disney+ actually saw EMV decline in H1, Peacock saw a 7% EMV increase, largely thanks to Olympics-related social media campaigns. On the music/audio streaming side of things, iHeartRadio boasted a notable 101% year-over-year growth in EMV, fueled by increased potency from top creators The Breakfast Club AM and The Herd with Colin Cowherd.