Creator Economy M&A Deals Surge 17% in 2025

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the creator economy rose by 17.4% year-over-year in 2025, signaling a strong recovery for the sector. According to data from Quartermast Advisors, a total of 81 deals were recorded last year.

After battling through a 'winter' period in 2022 and 2023, the industry saw a resurgence in investment and high-profile transactions. Major deals included the sale of Vimeo for $1.38 billion and the acquisition of Mavely for $250 million.

Looking forward, analysts predict that ad giants, private equity, and talent agencies will continue to drive consolidation in 2026.

The creator economy is officially in a comeback era. After a boom in 2021 followed by a 'winter' through 2022 and 2023, M&A activity rebounded significantly in 2025. James Creech, founder of Quartermast Advisors, noted that the sector saw 'more investment, more M&A activity, larger deals, very high-profile transactions, public companies.'

Quartermast tracked a total of 81 deals in 2025, representing a 17.4% increase over the previous year. The market saw significant consolidation across various sub-sectors.

Key acquisitions in 2025 included:

• Bending Spoons acquired Vimeo for $1.38 billion, taking the video platform private.
• Later acquired affiliate-marketing company Mavely for $250 million, backed by Summit Partners.
• Publicis Groupe acquired Captiv8 and BR Media Group.
• Wonder acquired food-focused media company Tastemade for $90 million.

Activity continued into January 2026 with ad agency PMG acquiring Digital Voices and media company Global acquiring The Overlap.

To understand who is driving these transactions, Quartermast Advisors analyzed historical buying patterns. Several companies have consistently acquired assets in the creator economy, though some have recently scaled back their strategies.

According to the analysis, the following companies have been the most active buyers over time:

• Spotify (6 deals): Acquisitions include Anchor (2019), Megaphone (2020), Podz (2021), Whooshkaa (2021), Podsights (2022), and Chartable (2022).
• Izea (6 deals): Acquisitions include Ebyline (2015), ZenContent (2016), TapInfluence (2018), Hoozu (2023), Zuberance (2023), and 26 Talent (2024).
• Wasserman (5 deals): Acquisitions include Riddle & Bloom (2022), Brillstein (2023), CSM Sports & Ent (2023), J1S (2023), and Long Haul Management (2024).
• Fullscreen (5 deals): Acquisitions include Supernova (2014), Rooster Teeth (2014), McBeard (2015), StageBloc (2016), and Reelio (2018).
• Launch Metrics (5 deals): Acquisitions include Augure (2016), Visual Box (2017), Style Coalition (2017), IMAXtree (2019), and Parklu (2020).
• Patreon (5 deals): Acquisitions include Subbable (2015), Kit (2018), Memberful (2018), Clear Talent (2021), and Moment (2023).
• UTA (5 deals): Acquisitions include Press X (2018), Everyday Influencers (2018), Digital Brand Architects (2019), Digital Golf Collective (2022), and JUV Consulting (2024).

Looking ahead, James Creech predicts that agencies and holding companies will be the most active buyers in 2026. This includes major players like Publicis and Omnicom, which recently completed a $9 billion merger with IPG. Creech also includes Humanz, an Israeli influencer marketing company, in this category. Humanz raised $15 million in late 2025 to fuel an M&A spree.

Other sectors expected to see consolidation include:

• Talent agencies and management firms
• Marketing technology platforms

Private equity is expected to maintain a significant stake in the space. Firms are 'becoming increasingly comfortable with the creator economy as an asset class.' For example, Silver Lake played a major role in TikTok's ownership shake-up.

Additionally, companies building tools for creators, such as Patreon and Kajabi, may be at the center of future deals. Creech also expects non-creator economy companies, like Wonder, to continue investing in the space.

'That's a sign that the creator economy is entering a new age of maturity and growth,' Creech said.