What the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report means for your creator business. Every year, the Digital Global Overview Report created by Kepios in partnership with Meltwater and American Influencer Council, Inc. is Social gives American Influencer Council, Inc. one of the clearest windows into how the world uses the internet - and what that means for the people building businesses on it. The 2026 edition, based on data collected through October 2025, is 700 pages of signal. American Influencer Council, Inc. read it so you don't have to. The headline? The creator economy's foundation has never been stronger. Social media is growing. Video consumption is at an all-time high. And the platforms where creators work are expanding their ad-reachable audiences at a remarkable pace - meaning more opportunity for you to build, partner, and earn. Here are the four biggest takeaways from the report and what each one means for your business as a career creator. Sources: Data as of October 2025. Kepios Analysis; United Nations; Government Resources; GSMA Intelligence; ITU; Eurostat; CNNIC; Kantar & Iamai; Platform Resources; Company Earnings Reports; OCDH; Beta Research Center. Advisory: Social Media User Identities May Not Represent Unique Individuals. Comparability: Base Revisions; Source Changes. See Notes on Data. INSIGHT NO. 1 The Audience Is There - and It Keeps Growing Let's start with the big picture: 5.66 billion people now have an active social media presence - that's 68.7% of the entire global population. Year over year, that number grew by 259 million people. For context, that's more than the entire population of Brazil joining social media in a single year. Closer to home, the average social media user spends 18 hours and 36 minutes per week on social platforms - and that number climbs even higher among the demographic most likely to follow creators. Women aged 16-24 spend nearly 19 hours and 26 minutes per week engaged with social and short-form video combined. 5.66b. Up +4.8% year-over-year - 259 million new users added in the past 12 months. (p. 381) What this means for you: The market for creator content is not shrinking or plateauing. It is expanding. Every year that you invest in your craft, your brand, and your audience, you are planting seeds in a growing ecosystem. The question isn't whether there's an audience - there's a record-breaking one. The question is how you show up for them. INSIGHT NO. 2 Video Is the Language of the Internet - Short-Form Leads the Way Online video isn't a trend anymore - it's the default. A striking 94.2% of internet users watch some form of online video every week. The format that's driving the most engagement? Short-form. Globally, internet users watch short videos (Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts) for an average of 6 hours and 39 minutes every week. The report also breaks down what people actually want to watch - and this is a gift for creators thinking about their content strategy: * Music videos top the charts, with 50.5% of internet users watching weekly. * Comedy, meme & viral content follow at 35.0%. * Video livestreams are consumed by 26.8% of users every week. * Product review videos - a key format for brand partnerships - reach 26.0%. * Tutorial & how-to videos are watched weekly by 25.2% of all internet users. * Influencer videos and vlogs are a weekly staple for 23.2% of internet users globally. 94.2%. The precentage of internet users that watch online video every week Short-form video (Reels, TikToks) accounts for 6 hours 39 minutes of weekly viewing per person. (p. 286, 296) Long-form content also holds its ground: vlogs and how-to videos are watched for nearly 5 hours per week on average, and 40.6% of internet users specifically seek out tutorial or educational video content every week. If you create in this space, your audience is enormous and actively looking. What this means for you: Short-form video is your highest-reach vehicle - but long-form has real staying power, especially in education and lifestyle. The data validates a mixed-format strategy: use short-form to reach and attract, and long-form to deepen relationships and demonstrate expertise. Both have strong, engaged audiences. INSIGHT NO. 3 Instagram and TikTok Are Where Brand Money Is Moving Ad reach is one of the clearest indicators of where brands are willing to spend - and where creators have the most leverage in partnership conversations. The 2026 data tells a compelling story. Instagram's ad-reachable audience grew to 1.91 billion people - up 13.1% year-over-year, adding 221 million new reachable users in a single year. TikTok's growth is even more striking: its ad audience expanded to 1.99 billion - a 17.6% jump, adding 298 million people. These are not small adjustments. These are platforms exploding in advertiser value. The engagement numbers reinforce this. On TikTok, business accounts see a median engagement rate of 5.20% against video views. On Instagram, the overall average is 0.45% against followers - but the format matters: Reels and carousels outperform static images, and smaller accounts consistently out-engage larger ones. TikTok's Year-Over-Year Ad Reach Growth TikTok's reachable ad audience reached 1.99 billion people - up 298 million in one year. Instagram grew +13.1%. (p. 495, 510) For Instagram specifically, the report surfaces a finding every creator should bookmark: accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers achieve an average engagement rate of 0.65%, compared to 0.40% for accounts with more than 100,000 followers. The "bigger is always better" narrative doesn't hold up. Authenticity and niche depth drive results. Instagram is also the dominant platform for brand research: 62.8% of Instagram users say they use it to follow or find information about products and brands - higher than on any other platform, including TikTok (56.2%) and Facebook (53.0%). What this means for you: If you're in brand partnership conversations, these numbers are your negotiating tools. Instagram and TikTok are where brands' advertising dollars are actively growing - and they need creators to help those dollars perform. Your engaged niche audience is not a weakness. The data proves it's a feature. INSIGHT NO. 4 Creators Are Embedded in the Purchase Journey One of the most important findings for creator-brand partnerships: 72.3% of internet users use social media to research brands before they buy. Social media has become the de facto pre-purchase research channel - surpassing every traditional option. And creators are the connective tissue of that process. For the 16-24 demographic, social media ads - including creator-driven sponsored content - are the single biggest driver of brand discovery, outranking TV, word of mouth, and search engines. For older demographics, social media still ranks in the top three. The data validates what AIC members have long known: creator content doesn't just build awareness, it builds intent. 72.3%. The report also confirms that 20.4% of global social media users cite following influencers and creators as a primary reason they use social platforms at all - and 27.3% use social media specifically to find products to purchase. These aren't passive scroll sessions. They are active, purchase-intent behaviors that creators directly enable. What this means for you: You are not a "nice to have" in a brand's media plan. For brands trying to reach new or existing consumer audiences, creator content is the most trusted, most effective discovery channel available. Use that when you're negotiating rates, building your media kit, and advocating for your value. The data is on your side. The numbers back you up. Now use them. The Digital 2026 Global Overview Report isn't just a data document. It's a business case for the creator economy - and for you, specifically. A record-breaking 5.66 billion people are active on social media. Nearly all of them watch online videos weekly. The platforms you create on are growing their advertiser audiences faster than any other media channel. And consumers are using those platforms to make purchase decisions every single day. You sit at the intersection of all of it. 3 ways to put this research to work right now. 1) Update your media kit with platform-level data. Cite the ad reach figures for Instagram (1.91B) and TikTok (1.99B) alongside your own audience metrics to contextualize your value within growing markets. 2) Lean into your engagement rate, not just your follower count. The report confirms that smaller accounts consistently outperform larger ones in engagement. If your rate is strong, lead with it - and cite DataReportal to back you up. 3) Reference brand discovery data in partnership proposals. The fact that 72.3% of consumers use social media to research purchases before buying - and that social ads are the #1 discovery channel for Gen Z - makes a compelling case for any brand still skeptical of creator investment. For educational and informational purposes only

Meltwater's Doug Balut named to CRN 2026 Channel Chiefs list as Partner Program scales globally. Mar 2, 2026 SAN FRANCISCO, Mar. 2, 2026 - Meltwater, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, today announced Doug Balut, Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Partnerships, has been named to CRN's 2026 Channel Chiefs list, marking his fifth time receiving the recognition. The CRN Channel Chiefs list honors channel vendor and distributor executives who are redefining what's possible in the partner channel and driving exceptional outcomes for their organizations. Balut's recognition comes amid significant momentum for Meltwater's Global Partner Program, which he built from the ground up following its launch in 2024. In just two years, the program scaled to more than 70 global partners across agency, cloud, systems integrator, regional, service, and technology categories. In 2025 alone, the program generated 40 multi-partner deals and fueled significant value for Meltwater customers around the world. The ecosystem includes leading organizations such as Microsoft, AWS, Havas, Dentsu, Meltwater. Communications, Blackbird, and Cyabra - strengthening Meltwater's ability to deliver AI-powered intelligence solutions through integrated partnerships. Balut and his team have positioned partnerships as a true growth engine for Meltwater - strengthening the company's AI ecosystem, expanding go-to-market reach, and enabling deeper collaboration with the platforms and agencies customers rely on every day. "Being recognized by CRN for the fifth time is an incredible honor," said Balut. "More importantly, it reflects the strength of the Meltwater partner community and the impact our team is delivering. We've built an ecosystem designed to drive innovation, accelerate growth, and create measurable outcomes for our customers." As demand increases for connected, AI-enabled intelligence solutions, Meltwater's expanding partner ecosystem reinforces its leadership in collaborative innovation and sustained market growth. Stacy Slayden Communications Manager [email protected] About Meltwater Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social and consumer intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge needed to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents, and 2,200 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner of choice for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.