VidCon 2023: Video Creators are Over the Big Streaming Platforms, But Can They Make It on Their Own?

Online video creators are fed up with big platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch calling all the shots. That’s the buzz at VidCon 2023, a premier gathering of online video creators. It’s day one of the event and already many of the conversations are focused on how content creators can take back control of their videos and other media.

Recent news has only emphasized the problem. YouTube is revising its swearing policy following backlash from creators who criticized the platform’s lack of clear communication relating to demonitization. And Twitch, the popular live-streaming gaming platform, is facing significant backlash due to recent policy changes and large layoffs. The company has also started pressuring creators to run more ads to improve the brand’s advertising potential.

Conversations at this year’s VidCon have made it clear that creators are exploring the development of their own websites and channels to regain their independence. A less surprising topic of discussion at VidCon centers on the fact that more and more creators are using AI for efficiency and effectiveness. Brandon Morgan, VP of Platform at MarketScale, is at VidCon and right in the middle of all the latest chatter. Here’s what he’s got to say.

Brandon’s Thoughts:

“Hey, Brandon Morgan here for MarketScale. I’m at VidCon 2023 and I wanted to share two things that I learned on day one. Number one, the industry is concerned about the lack of control that they have from TikTok, YouTube and other platforms. So there was a lot of talk about owned media, building out your own websites, building out your own channels. So I thought that was really interesting. Definitely something that I honestly didn’t expect to hear here on day one. The other topic was AI. This one a little less surprising. Obviously, every industry is talking about how AI is transforming their space. The creator community, the creator space is no different. Talking a lot about the different tools that are making content generation a lot easier, but then also talking about tools that are helping with things like invoicing and brand relationships and things like that. So a lot of cool stuff that we’re learning here at VidCon 23. Excited to share what we hear on day two tomorrow. Thanks.”

Article written by Adrienne St. Clair