The State of Digital-First in 2025 and What Comes Next in 2026

In this special end-of-year episode of TellyCast, Justin Crosby looks back at 2025 and unpacks the structural shifts that have quietly but fundamentally reshaped the digital-first production economy.

Drawing on reporting from The Drop, conversations on the podcast, and insights from TellyCast events throughout the year, the episode breaks down six defining trends: the rise of creator collectives as studio systems, the explosion of micro drama and vertical video, the maturation of vodcasting as a business model, YouTube’s dominance as the world’s leading AVOD platform, brands operating as broadcasters rather than advertisers, and AI becoming everyday production infrastructure rather than headline disruption.

Justin then looks ahead to 2026, outlining how the industry is moving from speed to value, from publishing videos to building IP, and from chasing reach to prioritising audience loyalty. The episode explores why YouTube is now television, how brands are shifting towards funding entertainment rather than interrupting it, why social platforms have become the industry’s R&D engine, and how relevance is overtaking recency as the key performance driver.

This episode is a clear-eyed assessment of where the digital-first industry stands, and what producers, creators, brands and studios need to focus on next to build sustainable businesses in the new production economy.

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