Creator economy merger and acquisition (M&A) activity reached a record high in 2025, with 81 deals completed during the year, according to a new report from Quartermast Advisors. The figure represents a 17.4% increase from the 69 transactions recorded in 2024.
The investment advisory firm’s “2026 Creator Economy M&A Report” tracks deal activity across agencies, media properties, software platforms, talent management firms, and other creator economy businesses. The research analyzes publicly disclosed transactions through press releases, SEC filings, and news coverage.
Software Platforms Attract Most Buyer Interest
Software businesses accounted for 25.9% of all creator economy acquisitions in 2025, making them the most frequently acquired category. The segment includes content creation tools, distribution platforms, and monetization software.
“Software companies are typically valued on annual recurring revenue (ARR), while services business trade based on expectations of future profitability as measured by EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization),” the report states. Creator economy software businesses trade at valuations ranging from 3.2x to 10.7x annual recurring revenue, with a median multiple of 5.8x.
Agencies were the second-most active category, accounting for 21% of total deals, followed by media properties at 16% and talent management firms at 13.6%.
Major Transactions Set Valuation Benchmarks
Several high-profile acquisitions established new valuation benchmarks for the sector in 2025.
Italian technology conglomerate Bending Spoons acquired video platform Vimeo for $1.38 billion in an all-cash transaction. The deal valued Vimeo at 3.3x its FY24 revenue of $417 million and 34.5x its adjusted EBITDA of approximately $40 million.
Creator marketing platform Later purchased tech-enabled affiliate and influencer commerce platform Mavely from Nu Skin Enterprises for $250 million in cash. The transaction delivered an estimated 5x return for Nu Skin over a three-year holding period. Mavely’s 75 employees joined Later’s existing team of approximately 300 people.
Multinational advertising agency Publicis Groupe acquired influencer marketing platform Captiv8 for $175 million. The company was reportedly acquired at a 5.5x multiple on $32 million in net revenue. Captiv8 operates a network of 15 million creators across 120 countries and processes over 2.5 billion social posts annually.
Food delivery company Wonder acquired media content platform Tastemade for $90 million. Publicis Groupe purchased Brazilian influencer marketing company BR Media Group for BRL $550 million (approximately $99 million USD).
North America Dominates Geographic Distribution
North America accounted for 70.9% of all creator economy M&A transactions in 2025, maintaining its position as the dominant market. Europe represented 21.5% of deals, followed by Asia at 3.8%, South America at 2.5%, and Australasia at 1.3%. Africa recorded no transactions during the year.
Cross-border M&A activity declined from 36.2% of total deals in 2024 to 27.2% in 2025. The report notes that buyers showed a stronger preference for domestic or regionally adjacent assets, potentially due to regulatory complexity, integration risk, and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Valuation Multiples Vary by Business Type
The report provides valuation ranges for different creator economy business categories based on data from industry sources, including FirstPageSage, Jahani & Associates, Flippa, Windsor Drake, Raaft, SEC filings, and Quartermast transactions.
Agencies trade at 5.3x to 9.2x EBITDA with a median of 7.1x. Media companies command higher EBITDA multiples, ranging from 8.0x to 17.0x, with a median of 11.6x. Talent management firms trade at 4.0x-8.0x EBITDA, with a median of 6.0x.
Deal Activity Surged in First Half of Year
M&A activity surged in the first half of 2025, with 24 deals closing in Q1 and 30 deals in Q2. Activity moderated in the second half, with 20 deals in Q3 and 15 deals in Q4. However, the report notes that reported volumes may understate actual activity because some transactions completed in Q3 and Q4 have not yet been publicly disclosed.
Repeat Buyers Continue Acquisitions
Several companies completed multiple creator economy acquisitions in 2025 or have historically been frequent repeat acquirers. Spotify has completed six podcast-related acquisitions, including Anchor, Megaphone, Podz, Whooshkaa, Podsights, and Chartable.
Influencer marketing platform IZEA completed six acquisitions: Ebyline, ZenContent, TapInfluence, Hoozu, Zuberance, and 26 Talent. Talent agency Wasserman acquired five companies: Riddle & Bloom, Brillstein, CSM Sports & Entertainment, J1S, and Long Haul Management.
Fullscreen acquired five companies, including Supernova, Rooster Teeth, McBeard, StageBloc, and Reelio. Launch Metrics completed five acquisitions: Augure, Visual Box, Style Coalition, IMAXtree, and Parklu. Patreon acquired five companies: Subbable, Kit, Memberful, Clear Talent, and Moment.
United Talent Agency completed five acquisitions: Press X, Everyday Influencers, Digital Brand Architects, Digital Golf Collective, and JUV Consulting.
Transaction Structure and Buyer Profiles
The report identifies several typical buyer archetypes in the creator economy M&A market. Agency groups, including WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis Groupe, are actively acquiring creator-economy businesses. Talent agencies such as CAA, WME, UTA, and Night Media pursue acquisitions in the space.
Media and entertainment companies, including Paramount, Disney, ProSiebenSat.1, and Fox Entertainment, acquire creator economy assets. Audio platforms such as Spotify, iHeartMedia, Create Music Group, and Acast purchase podcast and music-related businesses.
Tech platforms, including Sprout Social, Patreon, Later, and Brandwatch, acquire complementary software companies. Private equity firms such as Summit Partners, BlackRock, Eldridge, and Equip Capital invest in the sector. Creator media rollups, including Lunar X, Electrify, Moonbug, and Vertical Studios, consolidate content properties.
Additional Deal Categories
Beyond the primary categories, audio-related transactions represented 8.6% of deals in 2025. Podcasting and music M&A activity increased as buyers pursued scale, proven intellectual property, and direct access to engaged audiences.
Creator services and networks accounted for 3.7% of transactions. The report notes this segment remains relatively underserved, though interest and activity are increasing.
Report Methodology
Quartermast Advisors tracks creator economy M&A activity by analyzing press releases, SEC filings, and news coverage about public transactions. The firm supplements this data with insight from professional networks and market expertise. The report covers transactions involving agencies, media properties, software platforms, talent management firms, audio businesses, and creator services.
James Creech, founder and managing partner of Quartermast Advisors, states in the report: “The creator economy has moved beyond early experimentation into a more disciplined phase of growth. Buyers are no longer debating whether creator economy businesses belong in their portfolios, but which assets best support long-term value creation.”
The firm notes that as the market enters 2026, acquirers are prioritizing profitable growth and defensible long-term business models over raw scale or audience reach.
Image credits: Quartermast Advisors The full report is available here
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Creator economy merger and acquisition (M&A) activity reached a record high in 2025, with 81 deals completed during the year, according to a new report from Quartermast Advisors. The figure represents a 17.4% increase from the 69 transactions recorded in 2024.
The investment advisory firm’s “2026 Creator Economy M&A Report” tracks deal activity across agencies, media properties, software platforms, talent management firms, and other creator economy businesses. The research analyzes publicly disclosed transactions through press releases, SEC filings, and news coverage.
Software Platforms Attract Most Buyer Interest
Software businesses accounted for 25.9% of all creator economy acquisitions in 2025, making them the most frequently acquired category. The segment includes content creation tools, distribution platforms, and monetization software.
“Software companies are typically valued on annual recurring revenue (ARR), while services business trade based on expectations of future profitability as measured by EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization),” the report states. Creator economy software businesses trade at valuations ranging from 3.2x to 10.7x annual recurring revenue, with a median multiple of 5.8x.
Agencies were the second-most active category, accounting for 21% of total deals, followed by media properties at 16% and talent management firms at 13.6%.
Major Transactions Set Valuation Benchmarks
Several high-profile acquisitions established new valuation benchmarks for the sector in 2025.
Italian technology conglomerate Bending Spoons acquired video platform Vimeo for $1.38 billion in an all-cash transaction. The deal valued Vimeo at 3.3x its FY24 revenue of $417 million and 34.5x its adjusted EBITDA of approximately $40 million.
Creator marketing platform Later purchased tech-enabled affiliate and influencer commerce platform Mavely from Nu Skin Enterprises for $250 million in cash. The transaction delivered an estimated 5x return for Nu Skin over a three-year holding period. Mavely’s 75 employees joined Later’s existing team of approximately 300 people.
Multinational advertising agency Publicis Groupe acquired influencer marketing platform Captiv8 for $175 million. The company was reportedly acquired at a 5.5x multiple on $32 million in net revenue. Captiv8 operates a network of 15 million creators across 120 countries and processes over 2.5 billion social posts annually.
Food delivery company Wonder acquired media content platform Tastemade for $90 million. Publicis Groupe purchased Brazilian influencer marketing company BR Media Group for BRL $550 million (approximately $99 million USD).
North America Dominates Geographic Distribution
North America accounted for 70.9% of all creator economy M&A transactions in 2025, maintaining its position as the dominant market. Europe represented 21.5% of deals, followed by Asia at 3.8%, South America at 2.5%, and Australasia at 1.3%. Africa recorded no transactions during the year.
Cross-border M&A activity declined from 36.2% of total deals in 2024 to 27.2% in 2025. The report notes that buyers showed a stronger preference for domestic or regionally adjacent assets, potentially due to regulatory complexity, integration risk, and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Valuation Multiples Vary by Business Type
The report provides valuation ranges for different creator economy business categories based on data from industry sources, including FirstPageSage, Jahani & Associates, Flippa, Windsor Drake, Raaft, SEC filings, and Quartermast transactions.
Agencies trade at 5.3x to 9.2x EBITDA with a median of 7.1x. Media companies command higher EBITDA multiples, ranging from 8.0x to 17.0x, with a median of 11.6x. Talent management firms trade at 4.0x-8.0x EBITDA, with a median of 6.0x.
Deal Activity Surged in First Half of Year
M&A activity surged in the first half of 2025, with 24 deals closing in Q1 and 30 deals in Q2. Activity moderated in the second half, with 20 deals in Q3 and 15 deals in Q4. However, the report notes that reported volumes may understate actual activity because some transactions completed in Q3 and Q4 have not yet been publicly disclosed.
Repeat Buyers Continue Acquisitions
Several companies completed multiple creator economy acquisitions in 2025 or have historically been frequent repeat acquirers. Spotify has completed six podcast-related acquisitions, including Anchor, Megaphone, Podz, Whooshkaa, Podsights, and Chartable.
Influencer marketing platform IZEA completed six acquisitions: Ebyline, ZenContent, TapInfluence, Hoozu, Zuberance, and 26 Talent. Talent agency Wasserman acquired five companies: Riddle & Bloom, Brillstein, CSM Sports & Entertainment, J1S, and Long Haul Management.
Fullscreen acquired five companies, including Supernova, Rooster Teeth, McBeard, StageBloc, and Reelio. Launch Metrics completed five acquisitions: Augure, Visual Box, Style Coalition, IMAXtree, and Parklu. Patreon acquired five companies: Subbable, Kit, Memberful, Clear Talent, and Moment.
United Talent Agency completed five acquisitions: Press X, Everyday Influencers, Digital Brand Architects, Digital Golf Collective, and JUV Consulting.
Transaction Structure and Buyer Profiles
The report identifies several typical buyer archetypes in the creator economy M&A market. Agency groups, including WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis Groupe, are actively acquiring creator-economy businesses. Talent agencies such as CAA, WME, UTA, and Night Media pursue acquisitions in the space.
Media and entertainment companies, including Paramount, Disney, ProSiebenSat.1, and Fox Entertainment, acquire creator economy assets. Audio platforms such as Spotify, iHeartMedia, Create Music Group, and Acast purchase podcast and music-related businesses.
Tech platforms, including Sprout Social, Patreon, Later, and Brandwatch, acquire complementary software companies. Private equity firms such as Summit Partners, BlackRock, Eldridge, and Equip Capital invest in the sector. Creator media rollups, including Lunar X, Electrify, Moonbug, and Vertical Studios, consolidate content properties.
Additional Deal Categories
Beyond the primary categories, audio-related transactions represented 8.6% of deals in 2025. Podcasting and music M&A activity increased as buyers pursued scale, proven intellectual property, and direct access to engaged audiences.
Creator services and networks accounted for 3.7% of transactions. The report notes this segment remains relatively underserved, though interest and activity are increasing.
Report Methodology
Quartermast Advisors tracks creator economy M&A activity by analyzing press releases, SEC filings, and news coverage about public transactions. The firm supplements this data with insight from professional networks and market expertise. The report covers transactions involving agencies, media properties, software platforms, talent management firms, audio businesses, and creator services.
James Creech, founder and managing partner of Quartermast Advisors, states in the report: “The creator economy has moved beyond early experimentation into a more disciplined phase of growth. Buyers are no longer debating whether creator economy businesses belong in their portfolios, but which assets best support long-term value creation.”
The firm notes that as the market enters 2026, acquirers are prioritizing profitable growth and defensible long-term business models over raw scale or audience reach.
Image credits: Quartermast Advisors
The full report is available here
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