The creator economy mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is experiencing significant growth in 2025, with transaction volume jumping 73% year-over-year, according to a newly released report from boutique advisory firm Quartermast Advisors. The firm’s “2025 H1 M&A Report” documents 52 deals completed in the first half of the year, positioning 2025 to potentially set a new record for creator economy transactions.
The creator economy currently represents a $192 billion global market and is growing at a 22.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to data cited from Exploding Topics. At this pace, the sector is projected to reach $528 billion by 2030.
“It’s shaping up to be a record year for creator economy M&A – not just in the number of deals but also in transaction sizes,” notes the Quartermast report. “At the current pace, we anticipate more than 100 deals will close by year-end.”
Software Companies Lead Acquisition Targets
The report identifies software companies as the most sought-after acquisition targets, accounting for 26.9% of all first-half transactions. These deals span influencer marketing platforms, content creation tools, and other creator-focused technologies.
Media properties rank second at 19.2% of transactions, followed by agencies and talent management firms, each representing 13.5% of deals. Other categories include audio (9.6%), commerce (3.8%), and gaming (3.8%).
Geographic Distribution Shows North American Dominance
North America led M&A in the first half of 2025, with 78.8% of acquisition targets based in the United States. This represents a significant shift from 2024, when international targets accounted for 40% of M&A transactions. European companies represented 17.3% of targets in the first half of 2025, with limited activity in South America (1.9%) and Asia (1.9%).
“International activity slowed down,” the report states. “International targets accounted for 40.0% of M&A transactions in 2024 H1, which shrank to 21.2% in 2025 H1, as U.S. activity exploded.”
Major Transactions and Valuation Multiples
The report highlights several notable transactions from the first half of 2025:
Later‘s acquisition of social commerce tool Mavely from Nu Skin Enterprises for $250 million
Private equity firm PSG’s purchase of a majority stake in video membership platform Uscreen for $150 million
Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of Brazilian influencer agency BR Media Group for approximately $100 million
Food delivery company Wonder’s acquisition of digital media publisher Tastemade for $90 million
Valuation multiples vary significantly by sector. Media companies command the highest median valuation at 11.6x EBITDA, with a range of 8.0x to 17.0x. Software companies are typically valued based on annual recurring revenue (ARR), with a median of 6.7x ARR and a range of 4.5x to 7.4x. Agencies (6.1x EBITDA) and talent management firms (6.0x EBITDA) show similar median valuations.
Private Equity’s Growing Role
The report identifies increased private equity participation as a key trend, noting “a flurry of growth equity investments and M&A activity from PE-backed companies in recent months.”
Examples include PSG’s investment in Uscreen, Summit Partners-backed Later’s acquisition of Mavely, Eldridge-backed Fixated’s acquisitions of Camp Talent and Moondust Management, Clarion Capital-backed V10’s purchase of Towerhouse, and Blackrock-backed Epidemic Sound’s acquisition of Song Sleuth.
Non-Traditional Buyers Enter the Market
The report also highlights an emerging trend of non-endemic buyers entering the creator economy space. These include the acquisition of digital publisher Tastemade by food delivery company Wonder and the acquisition of Noah Beck’s genderless underwear brand IPHIS by sustainable clothing brand Sown Again.
“We’re starting to see strategic acquisitions from buyers outside the creator economy,” the report states, suggesting a broadening interest in creator-driven businesses beyond traditional media and technology companies.
Agency Consolidation Continues
The influencer marketing agency sector shows significant consolidation activity. The report documents seven agency acquisitions in the first half of 2025, including Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of BR Media Group, Brave Bison’s £7.6 million purchase of The Fifth, and SAMY Alliance’s acquisition of German agency Intermate.
“Influencer marketing agencies remain in high demand, especially among traditional agency groups,” the report notes, indicating that established marketing companies are eager to build their creator economy capabilities.
Talent Management Consolidation
Similar consolidation is occurring in the talent management sector, which accounted for 13.5% of deals. Notable transactions include Fixated’s acquisitions of Moondust Management and Camp Talent, Shine Talent Group’s purchase of Spark Talent, and The Outloud Group’s acquisitions of NanoZebra and Rolen Group.
“Market consolidation continues among talent representation businesses,” the report states. “We anticipate more talent management acquisitions in H2.”
Second-Half Predictions
Looking ahead to the second half of 2025, Quartermast predicts:
Record-high M&A activity, with the total number of deals potentially exceeding 100 by year-end
Continued talent management consolidation through mergers, acquisitions, and acqui-hire tuck-ins
Increased international deal activity from EMEA, MENA, and APAC regions
More influencer marketing acquisitions across both SaaS platforms and agencies
The report notes that while influencer marketing M&A was particularly active during 2021-2023 before cooling in 2024, “IM acquisitions have come roaring back so far this year,” suggesting renewed strategic interest in the category.
Quarterly Patterns
The report also identifies seasonality in dealmaking activity, with most transactions historically announced in the second half of the year. Given the already high volume of deals in the first half of 2025, Quartermast anticipates even stronger activity in the third and fourth quarters.
First-quarter deals in 2025 totaled 28, compared to 16 in Q1 2024, while second-quarter transactions reached 24, up from 14 in the same period last year. This acceleration suggests that the creator economy M&A market is not only growing but potentially accelerating.
All images are credited to Quartermast Advisors. The full report is available here.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
The creator economy mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is experiencing significant growth in 2025, with transaction volume jumping 73% year-over-year, according to a newly released report from boutique advisory firm Quartermast Advisors. The firm’s “2025 H1 M&A Report” documents 52 deals completed in the first half of the year, positioning 2025 to potentially set a new record for creator economy transactions.
The creator economy currently represents a $192 billion global market and is growing at a 22.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to data cited from Exploding Topics. At this pace, the sector is projected to reach $528 billion by 2030.
“It’s shaping up to be a record year for creator economy M&A – not just in the number of deals but also in transaction sizes,” notes the Quartermast report. “At the current pace, we anticipate more than 100 deals will close by year-end.”
Software Companies Lead Acquisition Targets
The report identifies software companies as the most sought-after acquisition targets, accounting for 26.9% of all first-half transactions. These deals span influencer marketing platforms, content creation tools, and other creator-focused technologies.
Media properties rank second at 19.2% of transactions, followed by agencies and talent management firms, each representing 13.5% of deals. Other categories include audio (9.6%), commerce (3.8%), and gaming (3.8%).
Geographic Distribution Shows North American Dominance
North America led M&A in the first half of 2025, with 78.8% of acquisition targets based in the United States. This represents a significant shift from 2024, when international targets accounted for 40% of M&A transactions. European companies represented 17.3% of targets in the first half of 2025, with limited activity in South America (1.9%) and Asia (1.9%).
“International activity slowed down,” the report states. “International targets accounted for 40.0% of M&A transactions in 2024 H1, which shrank to 21.2% in 2025 H1, as U.S. activity exploded.”
Major Transactions and Valuation Multiples
The report highlights several notable transactions from the first half of 2025:
Valuation multiples vary significantly by sector. Media companies command the highest median valuation at 11.6x EBITDA, with a range of 8.0x to 17.0x. Software companies are typically valued based on annual recurring revenue (ARR), with a median of 6.7x ARR and a range of 4.5x to 7.4x. Agencies (6.1x EBITDA) and talent management firms (6.0x EBITDA) show similar median valuations.
Private Equity’s Growing Role
The report identifies increased private equity participation as a key trend, noting “a flurry of growth equity investments and M&A activity from PE-backed companies in recent months.”
Examples include PSG’s investment in Uscreen, Summit Partners-backed Later’s acquisition of Mavely, Eldridge-backed Fixated’s acquisitions of Camp Talent and Moondust Management, Clarion Capital-backed V10’s purchase of Towerhouse, and Blackrock-backed Epidemic Sound’s acquisition of Song Sleuth.
Non-Traditional Buyers Enter the Market
The report also highlights an emerging trend of non-endemic buyers entering the creator economy space. These include the acquisition of digital publisher Tastemade by food delivery company Wonder and the acquisition of Noah Beck’s genderless underwear brand IPHIS by sustainable clothing brand Sown Again.
“We’re starting to see strategic acquisitions from buyers outside the creator economy,” the report states, suggesting a broadening interest in creator-driven businesses beyond traditional media and technology companies.
Agency Consolidation Continues
The influencer marketing agency sector shows significant consolidation activity. The report documents seven agency acquisitions in the first half of 2025, including Publicis Groupe’s acquisition of BR Media Group, Brave Bison’s £7.6 million purchase of The Fifth, and SAMY Alliance’s acquisition of German agency Intermate.
“Influencer marketing agencies remain in high demand, especially among traditional agency groups,” the report notes, indicating that established marketing companies are eager to build their creator economy capabilities.
Talent Management Consolidation
Similar consolidation is occurring in the talent management sector, which accounted for 13.5% of deals. Notable transactions include Fixated’s acquisitions of Moondust Management and Camp Talent, Shine Talent Group’s purchase of Spark Talent, and The Outloud Group’s acquisitions of NanoZebra and Rolen Group.
“Market consolidation continues among talent representation businesses,” the report states. “We anticipate more talent management acquisitions in H2.”
Second-Half Predictions
Looking ahead to the second half of 2025, Quartermast predicts:
The report notes that while influencer marketing M&A was particularly active during 2021-2023 before cooling in 2024, “IM acquisitions have come roaring back so far this year,” suggesting renewed strategic interest in the category.
Quarterly Patterns
The report also identifies seasonality in dealmaking activity, with most transactions historically announced in the second half of the year. Given the already high volume of deals in the first half of 2025, Quartermast anticipates even stronger activity in the third and fourth quarters.
First-quarter deals in 2025 totaled 28, compared to 16 in Q1 2024, while second-quarter transactions reached 24, up from 14 in the same period last year. This acceleration suggests that the creator economy M&A market is not only growing but potentially accelerating.
All images are credited to Quartermast Advisors.
The full report is available here.
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