Prime Highlights:
- YouTube content creators contributed £2.2 billion to the UK economy in 2024 and supported 45,000 jobs.
- The launch of a new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) gives creators official recognition and a voice in policy discussions.
Key Facts:
- Some of the UK’s biggest YouTubers, including DanTDM, the Sidemen, Stampy, and Brandon B, have millions of subscribers and represent a rapidly growing sector.
- Content creators face challenges such as access to funding, studio spaces, and film permits, which the APPG aims to address.
Key Background:
YouTube content creators contributed £2.2 billion to the UK economy and supported 45,000 jobs, according to an impact report by Oxford Economics. The findings come as an all-party parliamentary group (APPG) is launched to represent UK creators and influencers.
Feryal Clark, Labour MP for Enfield North and co-chair of the new group, described content creators as “trailblazers of a new creative revolution” who have been “undervalued in Westminster for too long.” The parliamentary group, although informal, will provide industry insights directly to policymakers and aims to address challenges faced by creators, including funding, training, and access to studio spaces.
British content creator Lilly Sabri welcomed the research and the creation of the APPG. She said, “For many years, people have questioned whether being a content creator is a real job. Without YouTube, I wouldn’t have launched my businesses or employed as many people as I do today.”
Some of the UK’s biggest YouTubers, including DanTDM, the Sidemen, Stampy, and Brandon B, have millions of subscribers and represent a rapidly growing sector of the creative economy. In the past, YouTubers earned less from their videos compared to traditional media because of how advertising worked. Stampy said this is starting to change, giving creators better ways to make money from their content.
Brandon B emphasized that government support is needed to help creators get funding, manage permits, and grow their businesses internationally. “We need a voice in Parliament to help us expand and reach audiences worldwide,” he said.
The new APPG is a giant leap for the UK content creators in that they are recognized to contribute to the economy and the creative industries in the UK. Their influence was increasing at the beginning of this year when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted 90 influencers at 10 Downing Street.
With more support, the UK can continue to be a center for creativity, helping creators grow their businesses and reach more people around the world.