Paris Creator Week aims to become the "Cannes of the creator economy" as new study forecasts $1.2 trillion global market

Paris Creator Week is doubling in size this year, drawing 8,000 industry professionals and top executives from YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn, and traditional media giants including Banijay and Mediawan. The gathering begins today at the Halle de la Villette, where a new study will be unveiled. The study reveals that the global creator economy is on track to reach $217.3 billion in 2026, representing a 26.2% year-on-year increase. The market has nearly tripled in size over the last five years and is projected to reach $1.22 trillion by 2033.

France has emerged as a major international hub for the booming creator economy, which is expected to reach $10.1 billion locally this year, an increase of 23.7% from 2025. According to the study, the sector could more than double to $24.3 billion by 2030. This would make France the world’s seventh-largest creator economy and the third-largest in Europe, trailing only the U.K. and Germany. The sector currently accounts for 227,000 full-time equivalent jobs in France.

Marc Lesage-Moretti, a former Goldman Sachs vice president turned content creator known online as Jokariz, co-founded Paris Creator Week in 2024. In a zoom interview with Variety a few days before the event, Lesage-Moretti said the findings highlight a dramatic shift in an industry that took time to be taken seriously. He noted that when he first used the term "creator economy" in France three years ago, people looked at him "as though I was speaking Chinese to them," often dismissing it as "14-year-old kids making entertainment videos in their bedrooms on YouTube."

Lesage-Moretti stated that people had not yet understood the professionalization of the industry, citing HugoDécrypte, a popular French digital news outlet that now employs around 40 people, including journalists and human resources staff. The expansion of Paris Creator Week—growing from 4,000 participants last year to 8,000 this year, and increasing exhibition space from 200 to 1,000 square meters—underscores this shift in perception. YouTube is taking a 100-square-meter stand, and 30% of participants are from overseas.

The event is positioning itself as a B2B gathering for creators, media executives, platforms, brands, agencies, and investors to explore partnerships and business models. Lesage-Moretti described the goal as creating the "VivaTech of the creator economy." The study shows that sponsorships and commercial partnerships now account for 49.8% of the global creator economy, followed by advertising on creator content at 22.7% and paid subscriptions at 13.8%. Advertisers are expected to contribute $172.8 billion to the sector in 2026, representing 79.5% of total spending, while creators are estimated to receive $92.6 billion, or 42.6% of the overall market.

"Commercial partnerships are the main driver of growth," Lesage said, noting that brands ranging from luxury labels to banks and major corporations are redirecting budgets toward content creators. He added that money from these partnerships goes directly from a company to a content creator without the platform taking a single euro.

The rapid expansion is also fueling a wave of M&A’s. The study reported 70 acquisitions took place globally in the first half of 2026, up 23% from the same period last year. North America accounted for 64.3% of acquisition targets, compared with 27.1% for Europe. Paris Creator Week is dedicating a conference track to M&A to examine how investors value creator-led businesses and manage "key man risk." Lesage noted that some businesses tied to founders have attracted investment, such as the French podcast company Legend, which secured a Belgian fund at a valuation of €72 million.

Drew Baldwin, head of Prentiss Media and founder of Tubefilter, told Variety that the next stage of growth depends on creators evolving into scalable media businesses. Baldwin stated that creators on social platforms are currently "renting audiences" and that those who can own that relationship will build new businesses. Baldwin, who is leading a session comparing European and American creator economies, argued France is well-positioned because it has always been a "champion of independent voices" and has an "extraordinary amount of production." However, he noted the U.S. has been ahead because of a "common language and a more unified advertising market."

Baldwin anticipates consolidation in the digital space as creators compete for media budgets. He pointed to MrBeast, Dhar Mann, and the Sidemen as examples of creators building businesses capable of expanding beyond social media audiences to unlock "true media budgets." This convergence is already happening in France, where production groups like Banijay and Mediawan are exploring opportunities alongside platforms like Netflix and Canal+. Lesage-Moretti noted that creators are increasingly interested in diversifying into cinema, citing YouTuber Inoxtag, whose documentary “Kaizen” sold around 300,000 tickets in a single day while generating 40 million or 50 million views on YouTube.

Baldwin is also using the event to launch Creator Kitchen, an initiative to bring together executives from traditional and new media. The Paris edition includes a dinner at L’Envol, featuring guests such as Twitch CEO Dan Clancy and managing directors from YouTube France, Webedia Creators, Mediawan Thematics, and Bourdin Media. Baldwin concluded by stating that the thousands of people attending the event prove it is "the business of the creator economy" rather than a fan event.