Advertiser investment in creator partnerships is forecast to surpass £1bn for the first time in 2026, reaching £1.2bn, according to new research from IAB UK.
The first study of its kind to size the UK creator partnerships market finds that investment is set to grow by 26% year on year in 2026, following another year of strong growth in 2025. Creator partnership revenues reached £966m in 2025, up 20.1% from £804m in 2024.
Commissioned by IAB UK and conducted by the Institute for Advertising and Media Statistics (IRM), the research provides the first dedicated measurement of the size and growth of the UK creator partnerships market, establishing a benchmark for a rapidly developing part of digital advertising. The report draws on an industry survey, interviews and desk research, with its measurement focused on campaigns targeting UK consumers.
Creator partnerships were estimated to add £966m to the UK digital advertising market in 2025, equivalent to around 2.4% of the official £40.5bn Adspend figure. At 20.1%, the category’s growth that year was more than twice the 9.6% growth recorded for digital advertising investment excluding creator partnerships, making it one of the fastest-growing areas of the market.
Connie Hawker, Creator and TV+ Lead at IAB UK (pictured above) said: “Creators are an increasingly important part of the advertising ecosystem, but until now we haven’t had a clear picture of the size of the UK market. This first-of-its-kind study changes that. Investment is set to pass £1.2bn in 2026, with creator partnerships growing significantly faster than the wider digital ad market. Having a consistent measure gives us an important benchmark for tracking where this fast-growing market goes next.”
Paul Greenwood, Head of Cultural Strategy and Insight, EMEA at We Are Social, added: “For brands, working with creators is increasingly moving from an experimental or tactical part of the media plan to a core part of how they reach and engage audiences. The fact that investment is now on course to exceed £1bn reflects what we’re seeing on the ground: brands are becoming more sophisticated in how they work with creators, partnerships are becoming longer-term, and the industry around them is maturing rapidly.”
The full report, The Value of UK Creator Partnerships, is available here.
