Creator-Led Reality Format Scores Big Series Order From Streaming Platform
LOS ANGELES, November 19, 2025 — Tubi has greenlit “Creator House: Vertical,” a first-of-its-kind reality competition series that embeds audiences inside the high-stakes world of digital content creation, marking the streaming platform’s most significant investment in creator-led original programming to date. The 10-episode order, produced in partnership with Fox Entertainment’s newly invested vertical video studio Holywater, signals a strategic shift toward youth-driven, format-specific content designed for mobile-first viewing behaviors.
The commission arrives as connected TV (CTV) platforms accelerate creator content spending to capture evolving advertising dollars. U.S. brands are projected to spend $13.7 billion annually on influencer marketing by 2027 , according to eMarketer data cited in recent industry reports on CTV investment trends. This surge reflects a fundamental reallocation of media budgets from traditional social platforms to streaming environments where creator content now commands measurable audience scale. Tubi’s creator program alone has expanded tenfold since June 2025, growing from six creators to approximately 60, with their content library increasing from 500 to 5,000 videos in just two months.
“Creator House: Vertical” will follow eight emerging digital creators as they live together and compete in weekly challenges to produce viral-ready vertical video concepts, from scripted micro-dramas to immersive brand storytelling. Contestants will be judged on engagement metrics, production innovation, and audience retention—the same KPIs reshaping how studios evaluate commercial viability in the $8 billion global vertical video market . The format leverages Holywater’s AI-enhanced production pipeline, which has already delivered over 200 vertical series for its My Drama platform, and capitalizes on Tubi’s distribution reach of more than 100 million monthly active users.
Rich Bloom, Tubi’s Executive Vice President of Business Development and General Manager of Creator Programs, emphasized the strategic imperative behind the investment. “We’re seeing a steady increase in consumption of creator content, with a meaningful percentage of our overall viewers watching at least one piece weekly,” Bloom said. “This series bridges the gap between native digital talent and premium episodic storytelling. It’s not repurposed YouTube clips—it’s original, purpose-built programming that treats vertical video as a primary canvas, not an afterthought.”
Production is slated to begin in January 2026 at a dedicated Atlanta facility, mirroring the geographic strategy Holywater employed for recent vertical dramas “Billionaire Blackmail” and “Bound by Obsession.” The partnership also benefits from Fox Entertainment’s October 2025 equity investment in Holywater, which explicitly earmarked resources for creator-led projects and brand integrations. That capital injection followed Samsung TV Plus’s July 2025 expansion to 10 creator-led FAST channels, which saw viewership spike 95 percent in total minutes and 111 percent in user sessions within a single quarter, according to Creator Television’s internal data.
The series format includes embedded brand partnership opportunities, aligning with Tubi’s ad-supported model and advertiser demand for authentic creator collaborations. Unlike traditional product placement, competitors will develop full campaign concepts for integrated sponsorship challenges, with winning pitches receiving actual brand funding for distribution beyond the show. This approach addresses a critical industry evolution: CTV platforms must now demonstrate creator content delivers value distinct from social feeds, where organic reach is declining.
Market analysts note the timing reflects a broader reckoning in streaming. As subscriber growth plateaus across premium services, platforms are weaponizing creator economics to drive free-tier engagement and differentiate ad inventory. The holy grail is converting creators’ loyal social followings into sustained CTV viewership—a metric Tubi intends to measure through cross-platform attribution and incremental reach studies throughout the “Creator House: Vertical” run.
About Tubi
Tubi is a global entertainment company dedicated to providing all people access to all the world’s stories. Tubi offers the largest collection of premium on-demand content, including nearly 300,000 movies and TV episodes and nearly 400 exclusive originals. With a passionate fanbase and over 100 million monthly active users, the company is committed to putting viewers first with free, accessible entertainment. Tubi is part of Tubi Media Group, a division of Fox Corporation that oversees the company’s digital businesses.
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