A study unveiled today at the event revealed that the global creator economy is on track to reach $217.3 billion in 2026, with France emerging as major hub. 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 kicks off today at the Halle de la Villette where a new study is being unveiled, revealing that the global creator economy is on track to reach $217.3 billion in 2026, marking a 26.2% year-on-year increase.
The market, which has nearly tripled in size over the last five years, is projected to reach a staggering $1.22 trillion by 2033. France has emerged as a major international hub for the booming creator economy which will reach $10.1 billion locally this year, up 23.7% from 2025. It could more than double to $24.3 billion by 2030, per the study.
That makes France the world’s seventh-largest creator economy and the third-largest in Europe, behind the U.K. and Germany. The sector already 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, who co-founded Paris Creator Week in 2024, says the findings underscore a dramatic shift in an industry which took time to be taken seriously.
You mean 14-year-old kids making entertainment videos in their bedrooms on YouTube?’” “People hadn’t yet understood how much this industry was becoming professionalized,” he says, citing HugoDécrypte, the popular French digital news outlet, which now employs around 40 people, including journalists and human resources staff. The huge expansion of the Paris Creator Week this year underscores how the general perception has evolved. It’s grown from 4,000 participants last year to an expected 8,000 this year, while its exhibition space has increased fivefold, from 200 to 1,000 square meters.
YouTube alone is taking a 100-square-meter stand, Lesage-Moretti points out. The event is also becoming increasingly international, with overseas attendees accounting for 30% of participants. Global platforms including YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn, Spotify and SoundCloud are sending senior executives, while traditional entertainment groups are joining discussions about the future of content creation, distribution and monetization.
Unlike consumer-facing creator conventions, Paris Creator Week is positioning itself as a B2B gathering where creators, media execs, platforms, brands, agencies and investors can explore partnerships and new business models. The event’s growing appeal also reflects a major shift in advertising spending. According to the study, 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%.
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