At Changer, we’ve got a Slack channel called The Knowledge.
It’s where the team drops links on platform shifts, industry moves, and things that make us pause mid-scroll. It’s become a real-time pulse check on the creator economy.
So once again, we’re opening it up to you.
Here’s the highlights of what’s been shared inside The Knowledge recently.
What’s coming to YouTube in 2026
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shared YouTube’s 2026 priorities.
Premium shift → From “anyone can upload” to Emmy-level, studio-built media businesses.
Own the revenue → Commerce, brand deals, fan funding - keep it inside YouTube.
AI everywhere → Creative acceleration in. Low-quality AI out.
Regulation-proofing → Stronger youth controls before governments step in.
All screens strategy → TV, Shorts, live, podcasts, sport. Total ecosystem play.
The big picture is that creators and traditional media aren’t competing. They’re converging.
We broke this down in more detail 👉 Read our breakdown
👉 Read YouTube’s original post
Agentio’s YouTube Creator Marketing Playbook
Agentio released its 2026 YouTube Creator Marketing Playbook.
Once you cut through the sales copy, there’s genuinely useful insight around:
How brands are allocating YouTube budgets
What performance marketers actually care about
The growing expectation of measurable ROI
Why YouTube is increasingly treated more like TV than social
Creators, agents, marketers, brands - this is well worth a read.
The BBC is producing original series for YouTube
Not repurposed clips. Not promotional cut-down or trailers. Original content.
This is a meaningful shift in how major media companies are thinking about the platform.
Broadcasters aren’t just “experimenting” anymore. They’re building natively.
More signals that the traditional media and creator media is converging.
Charles Kerr - Government, Political Partnerships & News Lead @ YouTube dropped this on Linkedin.
👉 Read more
What creators are actually selling
Our mate James Nakaji from creator merch experts, Fourthwall, shared some super valuable insights into what merch is really driving revenue.
And it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts.
There are real opportunities in:
Niche, utility-driven products
Community-specific items
Higher-margin, lower-volume plays
Great insights for creators with merch & for those considering it.
See you at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC)
Next week Fred will be speaking at AIDC in Melbourne exploring why the creator economy has moved well beyond a niche or alternative pathway for storytellers.
He’ll unpack how traditional media operators can lean into direct-to-audience models to unlock new reach, relevance and growth
If you’re going to be there he’d love to catch up. Reach out to him here.
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The Changer Team