1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,320 Want to get ahead in digital first content? 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,080 The Drop is the go to newsletter for industry professionals, 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:11,200 delivering insider news, trends and insights straight to your 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:12,680 inbox. Navigate 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:24,240 thefastchanginglandscapeofdigitalfirstproductiondistributionandmonetizationsignupnowforfree@dropmedia.co.uk and stay informed with The Drop. 6 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,480 Hi, I'm Justin Crosby and welcome to a special end of the 7 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:41,480 year episode of Telecast. Today we're looking back at 8 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:45,600 2025, a year that didn't just push the content industry 9 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,720 forward a little, it fundamentally changed the centre 10 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,880 of gravity across platforms, producers, creators, brands, 11 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,320 studios and distributors. Everything quietly realigned, 12 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,720 not in one dramatic headline, but in hundreds of small shifts 13 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,760 that all pointed the same way. So today we're pulling those 14 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,440 threads together. This is the state of the Digital 15 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:12,640 First industry in six main trends told through the stories 16 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,000 and reporting of our news website and magazine, The drop, 17 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,440 the conversations we've had on this show and our events 18 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,560 throughout the year. We're then going to look forward 19 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,040 to 2026 and summarise a list of predictions collated over the 20 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,480 past couple of weeks from articles from the Digital First 21 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,560 industry leaders on what next year in Digital First might look 22 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,080 like. So let's get into it. 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:42,240 Our first trend this year was creator collectives as studio 24 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,760 systems. Let's start with the clearest 25 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,480 shifts this year, the rise of creator collectives. 26 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,440 Not as loose networks, but as fully fledged studio systems. 27 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,600 We've seen this with sidemen of course, Beta Squad, The Fellas 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,320 and countless others building out on YouTube. 29 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,400 But in 2025 it became clear that these groups are no longer just 30 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,280 producing content. They're running studio 31 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:10,199 organisations, writers rooms, data analysts, production teams, 32 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,920 thumbnail experts, publishing workflows. 33 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,440 Creators have industrialized. They've created a new production 34 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,640 landscape. While many traditional TV 35 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,760 production companies have watched on from the sidelines. 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,280 The Side Men model is no longer an outlier, It's the blueprint 37 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,120 for creative studios. Collectives now behave like 38 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,640 digital first broadcasters, multiple shows and formats, 39 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,480 recurring slots, brand deals, spin offs, live events, merch 40 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,480 and diversified revenue. They control the IP, they 41 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,600 control the platform relationship and crucially, they 42 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,840 control the audience. This creator LED studio 43 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,000 infrastructure is now one of the most powerful parts of the 44 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,240 production economy, and it's only getting more sophisticated 45 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,080 as more and more investors are flocking to the sector, valuing 46 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,040 businesses by the depth of engagement with their community 47 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,840 audiences as one of the key factors. 48 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,240 I think we'll see more and more creator collectives and digital 49 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,760 studios scale, attract investment and sell to legacy 50 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,400 media in 2026 as they seek a shortcut into the new production 51 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:25,320 economy trend #2 from 2025. Is micro drama pointing the way 52 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,880 for vertical video? So the next big shift we've seen 53 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,080 in 2025 is of course micro drama and indeed overall vertical 54 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,400 video. Vertical micro dramas solidified 55 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,240 into a real format category, scripted series with character 56 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,280 arcs, seasoned structures and bingeable narratives. 57 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,880 Gamma Time launched in the US with over $14 million in 58 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,440 funding. Fox Entertainment bought into 59 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,840 Holy Water, the sole publishing launch short and drama box. 60 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,080 Drama Wave Short, Max Real Short, and Good Short, amongst 61 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,920 many others, continue to grow. OMDEA forecasted that revenue 62 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,920 from this format is forecast to be nearly twice that of FAST 63 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:10,680 channels globally, generating around $11 billion in revenue in 64 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,720 2025. Traditional producers are now 65 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,079 studying this format closely, creator studios are building 66 00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:20,399 writers rooms, and specialist directors are in high demand. 67 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,400 It's cheap, it travels globally, it builds enormous loyalty, and 68 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,720 it fits a consumption patterns of Gen. 69 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,680 Z like nothing else. And the biggest series are 70 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,480 generating huge revenues. Micro drama and vertical 71 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,680 storytelling isn't fringe anymore. 72 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:40,920 It's now a pillar of the new content economy and looks set to 73 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,960 explode in 2026 with higher quality productions, A list 74 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,960 talent and unscripted formats coming to the fore who are 75 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,960 potentially huge opportunities for producers and distributors 76 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,880 and especially brands. After all, the soap opera genre 77 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,920 was created by brands in the 50s. 78 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,800 We're starting to see a full circle movement involve in 79 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,720 vertical video with beauty brand Maybelline, Procter and Gamble's 80 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,400 P&G Studios already launching microscopes. 81 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:15,600 Trend #3 in 2025 is vodcasting. 2025 was the year that Digital 82 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,320 First Studios perfected the visualised podcast and it became 83 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:21,320 established as a powerful business model. 84 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,000 Diary of a CEO creator Stephen Bartlett's firm raised 85 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,360 $425,000,000 in funding. They're getting 50 million 86 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,320 YouTube views a month. 30% of those views are happening on ATV 87 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:35,400 Set. They now see themselves as a 88 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,720 media company, not a podcaster like other players in this 89 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,680 space. They build mission based content 90 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,000 ecosystems on a global scale. Goal Hanger Struck deals with 91 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,200 the international football bodies for rights for their 92 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,960 podcasts. Mark Goldbridge, an independent 93 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,080 creator, did that too. The drop covered multiple 94 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,560 creator LED podcasting launches across the year and this pattern 95 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,480 is unmistakable. Video podcasts are now in 96 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,800 attention format, not a passive background medium or just a 97 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,720 companion show for broadcast TV. For production companies, the 98 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:13,280 opportunity is enormous to apply the skills from TV format 99 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:17,040 thinking, segment structure in casting, talent, partnerships, 100 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,520 pacing. They all map perfectly into the 101 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,880 new wave of vodcasts. In fact, you could say 102 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,480 vodcasting is now the new TV, just built from the bottom up 103 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,480 rather than the top down. In traditional TV, producers of 104 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,200 course deliver a program, wait for the TX and then wait for the 105 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,680 ratings to be given to them by the broadcaster to work out if a 106 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:41,000 success or not. In the digital first world, you 107 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,240 drop the content, review the data, change the thumbnails, 108 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,800 maybe recut it and continue to optimise as you go forward, 109 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,400 responding to the audience in real time. 110 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,440 These new digital teams are thinking like Youtubers, content 111 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,000 creators, editors, packaging specialists. 112 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:01,280 The opportunity is there for Indies to create an own IP and 113 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:05,720 exploit it in multiple ways, including licensing to TV and 114 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,360 monetizing through FAST and other platforms. 115 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:12,120 This has got to be the most logical transition step for 116 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:16,120 traditional TV producers looking to make the move into digital. 117 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:22,200 My prediction is we're going to see much more of it in 2026 #4 118 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,880 YouTube dominated AVOD and streaming platforms turned to 119 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,720 creators. Now let's talk platforms, 120 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,360 because 2025 was the year the market finally understood 121 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,880 YouTube's real position. The drop covered this again and 122 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,600 again throughout the year. YouTube is no longer seen as a 123 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,160 social platform, it's the biggest AVOD platform in the 124 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,160 world. Ofcom data says UK audiences 125 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:50,640 watch 4 1/2 hours of TV and video a day, and YouTube alone 126 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:54,840 counts for 39 minutes of that. That puts it second only in the 127 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:59,080 UK to the BBC, and viewing is moving more and more to the big 128 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:02,560 screen. UK viewers watched 16 minutes a 129 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:07,920 day of YouTube on TV sets, 16 to 34 year olds watch 18 minutes 130 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:12,800 and over 50 Fives doubled their YouTube on TV viewing, with 42% 131 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,720 of their YouTube time happening on the living room screen. 132 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,560 Then in the US, YouTube became the first streaming platform 133 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,840 ever to take more than 10% of total TV viewing. 134 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:27,120 It's currently around 13%. No S VOD has ever hit that 135 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,120 level. At the same time, Fast Platforms 136 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,080 Roku, Tubi, Pluto, Samsung TV Plus had their biggest years 137 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,720 yet. Roku hit 2.8% of all TV viewing 138 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,640 in the US. Tubi hit 2.2% in the US. 139 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:46,200 But the big twist was Fast Platforms starting launching 140 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,680 creator LED TV channels and S VOD starring commissioning 141 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,560 content from creators. On the drop. 142 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:57,520 We covered Samsung TV Plus launching full 24/7 channels for 143 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:02,360 Da Man and Mark Rober. Jelly Smack launched creator LED 144 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,560 FAST channels on Roku, and Roku is launching 40 new FAST 145 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:08,600 channels alone by the end of 2025. 146 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,040 S Creator content isn't adjacent to TV anymore. 147 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:17,360 It's becoming established as a key part of the ad supported TV 148 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:22,080 ecosystem #5 brands are now broadcasters. 149 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,880 All right, the next big shift in 2025 was brands stopped becoming 150 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,720 advertisers and started becoming broadcasters. 151 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,160 Now, it probably started much earlier than that, but let's 152 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,360 talk about Foot Asylum in particular. 153 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:37,880 We've reported on them all year in the drop. 154 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,600 Foot Asylum is operating like a youth entertainment network. 155 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,720 We've covered the new dating format Tick or It with Harry 156 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,760 Pinero, produced by Cowshed Collective, dropping on a 157 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,040 channel with nearly 3,000,000 subscribers. 158 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:54,600 We've covered Specs Revenge, a Foot Asylum commissioned 159 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,240 entertainment special around the side Men charity football match 160 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:02,160 at Wembley and they won the Brand Channel of the Year award 161 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:03,880 at the Telecast Digital Video Awards. 162 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,800 Of course, that's a retailer beating media companies at their 163 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,560 own game. Then of course we've got Boohoo 164 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:14,600 Man, our story on The Heist and Are You Even Real highlighted 165 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,640 Real Entertainment series being produced as part of a larger 166 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,120 slate of content on their YouTube channel. 167 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,920 This is a brand building formats and franchises, not campaigns, 168 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,240 and brands with smaller budgets are starting to test and 169 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:32,040 collaborate together across non competing categories to get into 170 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,400 the game. And then there's a host of other 171 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,440 brands, major brands like Starbucks creating their own 172 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,040 studios, becoming lifestyle and documentary businesses. 173 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,920 The brands aren't buying around the shows anymore, they're 174 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:49,160 making the shows. And finally, AI becoming 175 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:54,960 plumbing, not posturing. So let's finish with AI. 2025 176 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:59,040 wasn't the year AI replaced the industry, it was the year AI 177 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,440 became invisible. And that's exactly why it 178 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,920 mattered. AI became infrastructure, the 179 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:08,680 quiet, boring, everyday plumbing behind the production economy. 180 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,520 Development teams used it to visualise pitches overnight. 181 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,320 Editors used it to automate and become a key part of the editing 182 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,360 process. Social teams used it to test 183 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,840 thumbnails, titles, using it for localisation, versioning, rights 184 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,600 tracking and analytics. It didn't just replace jobs, it 185 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,200 replaced tasks and unlocked speed. 186 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,080 Companies that treated AI as a novelty didn't move. 187 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,920 Companies that treated AI as a workflow have moved faster. 2026 188 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,040 will widen that gap dramatically. 189 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:48,480 AI won't replace people totally, but people using AI will replace 190 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,760 people who aren't. So how about 2026? 191 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:56,960 Well, it looks like 2026 isn't going to be defined by a new 192 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,840 platform, new format, or sudden technological breakthrough. 193 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,000 It's going to be defined by a change of intent. 194 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,000 For the last few years, digital First production has been about 195 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,280 speed. More content, more platforms, 196 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,960 more output. Be everywhere, more noise. 197 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,960 What we're seeing now is a decisive shift away from that. 198 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,480 2026 is the year Digital First stops chasing momentum and 199 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,920 starts building value. From publishing content to 200 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:29,320 building IP. The biggest shift I see in 2026 201 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:32,640 is the move from publishing videos to building intellectual 202 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,160 property. An upload is no longer a unit of 203 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:38,040 value. A format is. 204 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,840 A world is a relationship with an audiences. 205 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:46,040 One off videos, even successful ones, don't build businesses. 206 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,760 Returning formats do. Ideas that can sustain seasons, 207 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,520 spin offs, partnerships and extensions do. 208 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,680 The producers Who Will Win in 2026 won't be the ones who 209 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:00,320 publish the most. They'll be the ones who design 210 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:06,000 ideas that compound over time. Engagement, beating, reach. 211 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,200 For years, reach and subscribers was the metric that everyone 212 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:14,040 chased. 2026 that obsession finally starts to break. 213 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,080 Platforms are now rewarding behaviour that signals intent. 214 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,960 Watch time, return visits, saves, shares, comment depth, 215 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,280 community behaviour. Reach without connection is 216 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,240 becoming worthless. What matters now is whether 217 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,720 people come back, whether they care whether they follow you 218 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:37,080 across formats and platforms because they trust your voice. 219 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:41,720 This is the shift from a creator economy to an audience economy. 220 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:46,760 Loyalty beat scale. Another trend we're going to 221 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,720 see, I think, is YouTube. It's not social anymore. 222 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,840 It is TV. We mentioned that earlier. 223 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,120 One of the most important changes is already underway is 224 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,760 how YouTube is being used. It's no longer behaving like a 225 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,400 social platform. It's becoming the default Free 226 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,720 TV layer of the Internet. Living room viewing is rising 227 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,480 fast. Long form watch time on 228 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,880 connected TV's is growing. Series appointment viewing and 229 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,360 30 to 60 minute formats being actively encouraged. 230 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,600 The implication is massive. Digital first producers are now 231 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,560 competing directly with broadcasters and streamers. 232 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:25,200 And they're doing it without any gatekeepers. 233 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:30,640 In 2026, YouTube isn't feeding television, it is television. 234 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,760 Brands stop interrupting and start investing. 235 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,960 In 2026, another continued shift is how brands show up. 236 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,760 The old model of interruption advertising is broken. 237 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,200 Audiences avoid it. Platforms de prioritise it. 238 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,880 Brands know it doesn't work like it used to. 239 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,520 In 2026, more of the smart money moves into brand funded 240 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:57,160 entertainment. Brands underwriting IP, Co 241 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,600 creating formats, investing in ideas people actively choose to 242 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,760 watch. This isn't branded content as TV 243 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,120 once understood it, it's brands acting as entertainment 244 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,800 partners. Production companies that 245 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,400 understand audiences, not just production, will be treated as 246 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:20,520 collaborators, not suppliers. Social will become the R&D 247 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:22,800 engine. Well, it probably already is. 248 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,520 But social platforms are no longer just distribution, 249 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,840 they're the industries. R&D lab formats have been tested 250 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,400 in public, refined in real time, and scaled once they prove they 251 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,040 work. Development no longer happens 252 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,080 behind closed doors. This flips the traditional 253 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,720 pipeline on its head. Ideas don't move neatly from 254 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,440 broadcast to digital. They flow both ways. 255 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:51,080 The producers who succeed in 2026 will treat publishing as an 256 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,440 ongoing development process, not a release moment. 257 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:59,520 Relevance beats recency. Another quiet but important 258 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,360 shift is how content ages. Platforms don't care when 259 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,920 something was made, they care how it performs. 260 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,440 Smart reuse of archive, timely re edits, and reframing content 261 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,160 around cultural moments are increasingly outperforming brand 262 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,080 new uploads. This isn't about reposting for 263 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,240 the sake of it, It's about understanding relevance, timing, 264 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,160 and audience mood. Newness in 2026 isn't about 265 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,160 recency necessarily, it's about resonance. 266 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,200 AI scales output. Humans create value. 267 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,800 AI is everywhere in the conversation, but it's not the 268 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,360 headline. In 2026, AI becomes even more 269 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,240 central to the infrastructure, speeding things up. 270 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,480 It unlocks archives, it supports iteration, It reduces friction. 271 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,040 But it doesn't replace the human core. 272 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:54,080 If anything, low quality AI output is making personality, 273 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,960 authenticity, and voice more valuable, not less. 274 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,200 Audiences can tell the difference. 275 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,599 AI helps you make more. Humans help you matter. 276 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:10,839 Talent, personality, and trust. We're fully in the age of 277 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:15,319 parasocial relationships. Audiences follow people, not 278 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:18,440 logos. They invest in voices, 279 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,520 perspectives, and personalities they feel connected to. 280 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,200 That doesn't mean Polish. In fact, it means quite the 281 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,280 opposite. Looser, more authentic, more 282 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,720 human content builds trust faster than overproduced output. 283 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,240 For producers, their role is shifting. 284 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,080 It's less about managing shows and more about building worlds 285 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:45,120 with talent at the centre, from commissioning to collaboration. 286 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,200 The old buyer supplier relationship between 287 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,280 broadcasters and digital studios is breaking down. 288 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,800 The future is shared risk, shared data, shared IP and the 289 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,600 collaboration at the idea stage, not the delivery stage. 290 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,800 Broadcasters bring scale, sales and rights expertise. 291 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:08,320 Digital studios bring speed, cultural fluency and audience 292 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:12,120 insight. The smartest deals in 2026 will 293 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:14,480 be partnerships, not transactions. 294 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:19,480 So if I had to boil all of this down to one piece of advice is 295 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:21,920 this. Stop chasing the algorithm. 296 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,360 Start understanding your audience. 297 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,720 Build returning formats, not isolated videos. 298 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:33,840 Spend wisely, Test publicly, Learn fast. 2026 isn't about 299 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,400 doing more, it's about doing the right things deliberately. 300 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:43,760 So that's our take on 2025 and some predictions for next year. 301 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,320 I hope you enjoyed the show. I want to say thanks for 302 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,840 listening to the show this year, for reading the drop online and 303 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,760 in print and coming to our events, the Digital Content 304 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:57,560 Forum, the Digital Video Awards, how to make money in digital if 305 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,840 you had the chance to. All three events are returning 306 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,080 in 2026, plus our telecast, digital boot camp, training 307 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,560 courses and one or two other initiatives in the digital first 308 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,400 space designed to help you make sense of the new production 309 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,400 economy. Thanks also to our production 310 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,360 partners, Spirit Studios, who produced the show for us. 311 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,160 We'll be back in January with a new look in the studio and more 312 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,360 great guests. Until then, have a great 313 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,520 Christmas and New Year. And above all, stay safe. 314 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,760 We'll see you in 2026.